There are many events that can benefit animal shelters.
Animal shelters perform a great service by caring for rescued animals, educating the public about pets and offering community service with activities like bringing animals to senior homes for the enjoyment of residents. Hard economic times are hard on animals, too, and some families give up their pets because of economic concerns. Fundraising for animal shelters is a way to offset costs for food, shelter and care incurred by animals as they await adoption.
Paws for the Cause Walk
Stage a walking or running event in which pet owners participate with their animals. If walking the animal isn't practical, allow wagons or strollers so the pet can accompany his owner. For a "Paws for the Cause" event, walkers can donate a fee to participate. Entrants can also ask for sponsorship from friends and family, as well as local businesses. Pet owners can be enticed to sign up with T-shirts, discount coupons for local stores, or a free service like inoculation or grooming at a pet store. Additional money makers at a "Paws for the Cause" walk are the sale of food and drinks during the event along with the sale of raffle tickets for pet-friendly items.
Cutest Animal Photo Contest
Everyone thinks her dog or cat is the best, and a Cutest Animal Photo Contest is a chance to prove it. Invite participants to submit an enlarged photograph of their pet acting cute, or a child interacting with the pet in an adorable way like reading to him. Select a panel of judges, and ask the entrants to pay an entry fee for the chance to compete and find others in the community to sponsor them for the event. You might award points for the opinion of the judges along with points for garnering support from local businesses and friends. Before the event, have a committee solicit prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place along with other categories like smallest, largest, friendliest, or even ugliest. Extra donated prize items can be raffled off.
Time and Again Shop
Another idea to fundraise for an animal shelter is to set up a "Time and Again" resale event. If you are planning on having a one-time event, springtime is an appropriate time of the year when people are engaged in spring cleaning. Invite the public to donate new or gently used items like small kitchen appliances or equipment in good repair, clothing, tools, pet supplies -- anything that will be attractive to buyers. If the resale event is successful, you may consider doing it again in the fall, or even making it a permanent part of the fundraising activities for the shelter by setting up a resale shop.
Tags: along with, Paws Cause, Animal Photo, Animal Photo Contest, animal shelters, Cutest Animal