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Fundraising Ideas for Rescues

Updated on October 3, 2015
Board Meeting!
Board Meeting! | Source

Saving Lives is never free!

If you want to do rescue at a larger scale and for years to come, you have to have the finances to do it! Utilities and 'house'-payments, medical bills, general upkeep, food, care, employees,... WOW! It adds up!

Most of us independent rescuers are doing things out of pocket and more often than not we have to say "Sorry, I am full and don't have the funds!" Our Motto is simple:

"I am an Animal Rescuer. My work is never done, my home is never quiet, my wallet is always empty... but my heart is always full." ~Annette King-Tucker

But, if you are with a rescue, your obligations are much larger and your options should match your Mission Statement! And I personally take a Mission Statement as the Word of God: It's an obligation and defines your duty!

But how do you rescue successfully without going broke? The government doesn't seem to offer much support for those of us that are trying to solve one of their problems: Overpopulation! Instead they are often making it rough on us. So how do you continue?

Grant writing is one of the things I saw in motion. Fundraising is yet another! So let me tell you a little about what I know about it and what some of the options are...

There was a actual 'Dog' Bakery that used to do small Fundraisers for a local rescue.
There was a actual 'Dog' Bakery that used to do small Fundraisers for a local rescue. | Source

Seasonal - Spring/Easter

I love Spring! I much, much rather walk my dogs in warm weather than in snow; especially my energetic ones that my drag me into unwanted territories if I don't watch it.

Spring and especially Eastern offers a great opportunity to do some Fundraisers. The heating bill emptied the bank account and the A/C bill will soon start again.

Here are some ideas:
- I am a big fan of dog walks, where I can meet other dog people and get my dogs some fun- and social-time. If you finish it with some games for the kids and maybe the American favorite, a BBQ, it would be a great opportunity for 'family' time.

- Easter Egg Hunt! My greatest memory was the one with the plastic (fake) dog poo we had to carry on small shovels around an obstacle course. I still remember the lady that dropped hers, caught it in the air, forgot it was fake, and shrieked like I do when I meet spiders! There is a wide variety of games for kids and animals and you can incorporate a simple agility/obstacle course or maybe even do a fly-ball event/demonstration, if you have enough people. You can also do it in the typical American County Fair style and have some local shops advertise themselves with booths. A Air-Show for Animals! Add a bake-sale and you will make my kids happy! We are suckers for food from anybody that cooks/bakes better than me (I refuse to tell you how easy that would be!)!

- A great time for your local groomer to come out and help get rid of that winter fur we all hate on our floors and furniture!

- Hold a bake-sale at the local flea-markets/farmer's markets! Not everybody is as lousy of a cook/baker than me! People like me appreciate home-made goods of quality! Especially brownies!!! (HINT!)

- Spring is a great time to take pictures of your pets! Find a beautiful spot with the back-drop of spring flowers and flowering bushes and offer photo-sessions. Your volunteers may have a talent within them or a local shop may be caring/pet-friendly/appreciative of a little advertisement; especially if they can offer future services!!!

These guys are amazing! They can turn a simple picture into a lot of fun!
These guys are amazing! They can turn a simple picture into a lot of fun! | Source

Seasonal - Summer

Summers are for Outdoors-ANYTHING and EVERYTHING!

BBQs, outdoor-workshops, walks and hikes, bike trips and even a bike endurance-test (the German Shepherd Club I used to belong to had a 20KM endurance-test their dogs were required to take for certain certifications.), runs and marathons for your local 'speed-demons' (especially if you are near a military base)....

- BBQs are one of my favorite things about America and you can have this either in a family-/4th of July type setting or, again, in a Fair style. This would be the perfect opportunity to get your adopters together and see how everybody is doing; maybe show off that new pup in the kennel that would be a perfect match with the one they adopted from you the last time! And if you are like me, you are a sucker for Happy Tails about those you came to care for! Make it a 'family reunion' or make a 'family reunion' a BBQ they will remember/remember your rescue with! You can do a Potluck and save some money!
-- If it is a great day and the sun is shining, add some water games! Happy kids make happy parents! Ever had a child lead his/her dog and try to balance a water baloon at the same time?

- Cook-offs! Work similar than the BBQs! Instead of Potlucks and such, have a cook-off for ...Spaghetti, Chili, BBQ in general. If you check around and talk to some of them associations that organize cook-offs, maybe you can work something out!

- This would be a great time to have some work-shops relating to outdoor activities or some things like plants/bugs and similar that could be educational. If you combine education with some kind of a fun activity, you make it 'tastier' for those that will take fun over education anytime, but REALLY could use some hints!

- Walks/Runs
Those I participated in where very well organized. Usually they have a 1 or 2 mile walk and a 5 or 10 mile run. A vet is available if needed and you get actual numbers; making the kids feel important and giving you the feeling you are actually exercising for your own health. grin
A lot of the larger ones had Fair-like events afterwards. Booths sold you everything your animal could ever need or provided education/information about spay/neuter options and such. Food was plentiful and SO GOOD. Some companies actually came out to advertise for their brands of dog/cat food and such. Games with/without animals entertained us adults as much as the children.
-- My personal favorite: Demonstrations!
We had everything from obedience-, tracking-, Schuetzen-, and Search & Rescue demonstrations. The Security Forces/Military Police showed off our K9 Soldiers, the Police Department showed off our local K9 Cops and Heroes, a Search Dog showed us that not all is lost if you are lost! And ever since Oklahoma and 911, these pups are my Heroes and deserve to be recognized!

- Hikes, bikes and rides
One would hope that your area has one of those beautiful American parks that really shows off the wonders Mother Nature provides us with. And those would be great to explore with hikes or bikes. I know that America is not as bike-crazy as Germany (probably because gas is a little more affordable around here), but especially the kids I know wouldn't go anywhere without their bikes. And with the younger ones you can combine a bike ride with a short walk. The professionals would probably love a bike trail or even a actual race. Coming from the Service and a office of crazy people, I used to do pet marathons with my Oldest one. We would take two of our crazy dogs for a short run, a short bike ride and go swimming afterwards.
BUT, this would have to be more organized and a vet should probably be present and keep an eye on things. Humans are so much more competitive than dogs!!! Any German Shepherd Club should be able to tell you what the rules/requirements are for a endurance test and such.
Rides are great. A local horse rescue in Texas and in Fulda, Germany would do annual rides around parks or the Country side (easier in Germany where everything is locally (city/county)owned, not privately owned). One would have a Blessing of the Animals once a year.

The trick is to cover all aspects: The everyday Joe-Schmo dog owner wanting some basic fun and the competitive professional. You can cover a large group of people by finding something for every taste!

A flyer/ad for their website I did for something called 'Project Warm Winter'. It was a simple design using MS Paint and MS Power Point.
A flyer/ad for their website I did for something called 'Project Warm Winter'. It was a simple design using MS Paint and MS Power Point. | Source

Seasonal - Fall

Fall is kind of in between things. The A/C times should be over and you should enjoy some warm times where you need neither and can take a deep breath for a while. The cold days are starting, but aren't quite regular yet. BUT, you know they are coming.
A couple of things can be done during those days.

- Year around you may have done some adoption events at local farm stores or with my favorite guys from Tractor Supply. At least around here they have been very generous and animal oriented; allowing us to set up at the front of the store and have a display table and some of our animals for adoption. A lot of dogs got adopted that way. People would see them and we send them off to the shelter for the required paperwork. Lots of Happy Tails. This time will come to an end, but you can always combine it with one more rabies or other clinic and one more spay/neuter event.

- Drives
Bring a truck or whatever your goal is, advertise the hell out of it and make sure you have a great price. Some large Retailers like SEARS and such require a request form filled out 30 days in advance, but it is well worth it. A 25lb back will get somebody... lets say 1 ticked for the 'Lotto'. A 50lb back will get them 3 (That's roughly $20-25 for three tickets!). Or you can say that every so many pounds of food will get somebody a ticket.
-- Another great thing was a drive some great folks did at a local vet. Their goal was 1,000lbs of dog/cat food and they spread out like a Domino effect. One asked another, asked another... They came up with over 2,500lbs of dog food for a local rescue!
-- Combine it with a 'human' drive. Maybe do a coat drive for a local organization you pick. Call it "Project Warm Paws" or something like that. Have people donate pet-food and unused coats. The options are only limited by your imagination!

- Winterizing
Throw a BBQ and invite folks (especially those skillful with hammers and such) for some Potluck food and a day of 'Habitat for Humanity' style work around the shelter. This also works great for any larger building projects you may have. If you advertise early enough, you may get some material donated.

- Flea Markets
Throw a major Flea Market at your rescue, if you are not too far out and have the room. If not, find a good area where you are easy to find and get to. Have people donate their unwanted stuff and/or offer booths for a donation. You can offer a large booth/table (tables can be rented) for a 50lbs bag of food and a small area for a 25lbs bag of food. Include some educational booths, local vendors, pet stuff vendors and your always appreciated food booths. Warm foods and backed goods make a great place to stop. Bring your animals you have for adoption and show them off! They have these great 'I am for adoption' vests for sale online! And it helps you get rid of some of the stuff that piled up at your shelter!

- Do a Dog Show
This would again be something 'Fair' style and be more for fun than for competition. Offer categories that cover 'Mutts' and have photographers available for that $5 picture. Show off your own 'charges' and allow them to be seen. If you have spend the time to work with them and teach them some manners, do a demonstration with your adoptable dogs! Bringing some of the local agencies using dogs (or other animals) for some demonstrations may make this even better. Did you know that a Police Horse won the Bronx Medal in Dressage in the Olympics a few years ago? Show off what you have and show what they can be! Of the 15 dogs that worked 911, a large amount was the often overlooked Black Labrador!

Santa Paws flyer. The Christmas Spirit is a wonderful thing! I find it impressive how many people include their animals into the Christmas Spirit.
Santa Paws flyer. The Christmas Spirit is a wonderful thing! I find it impressive how many people include their animals into the Christmas Spirit. | Source

Seasonal - Winter

Winter season has good and bad coming with it. What many of us not realize, looking forward to time off and family time, is that shelters get the same; at the expense of the animals dumped by those that rather go on a Christmas vacation than take a bit extra care about the life they had brought home long ago.
I'm not trying to take away from your family time and vacations, but it doesn't take much to ensure your pet is taken care of while you are gone and to allow it to keep the home it once had! I've done it as a single Mom!
Holiday season leaves a bad taste in my mouth; when tons of animals are dumped and shelters close early for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I don't blame the employees! I blame those dumping their animals!

Holiday season means extra work for rescues! They have to prepare for larger numbers of animals and often very high heating bills. But it also means that the famous Holiday spirit may include those animals we rescuers all care so much about. I don't see Fundraising during this season as an exploitation of that Spirit. It would annoy me if a company would do that! But I see it as a reminder of what goes on behind the beautiful lights and smells of cookies and turkey; and a request to open one's heart to all living creatures!

- Being a Christian, despite not a regular church goer (for what I believe ethical reasons), I am looking forward to that extra 'eye' of what I call 'The Man Upstairs'. I will happily take a few of my beloved creatures to a 'Blessing of the Animals', considering how many others would be happy with a simple roof over their head and some regular food; or a chance on life!
And a church that does more than speak of original sin (something I argue) and how much money we should donate to them to make to heaven (personal experience) has my respect.
My favorite church was a little Chapel deep 'in the woods'. What we donated went to those that needed it more than we did. If we needed repairs, we all pitched in and fixed it together! And no $150 each flowers had to be replaced weekly to make our church look pretty! The seats were soft because an older Lady had sown the seat cushions. The church looked pretty because we loved to make it that way with our own hands. Our preacher blessed anybody who walked in the door, no matter of background, race and believes. Or if they were two- or four-legged. j
Blessing the Animals for me is part of the Christmas Spirit and, at least in the eyes of a 'believer', may provide a little extra 'help' too many animals need so badly! And if it is only to remind somebody of what goes on and motivate them to donate to the care of a shelter animal or adopt another!

- Share the Turkey with your critters! While I do with mine, I don't mean it literally! To sit together around a table with people that understand my enthusiasm towards animals, share stories about our critters, learn from those stories, have some good food (remember: I am a lousy cook!), enjoy some fun, makes Thanksgiving a much warmer event!

- Even now my children still love to celebrate Christmas with their 'pets'. Children are open minded and don't see any reason why that animal is worth less than we are; at least if you taught them good values!
My children love to go to Christmas parties from rescues, eat cookies, feed cookies, get their picture taken with Santa and 'Fluffy', play Christmas games and create Christmas art. A well organized Christmas party can give you all kinds of options to bring in some well-needed donations.
-- Arts and Crafts for children can bring a few dollars and, combined with some well-thought-of educational means behind the 'creations', can educate 'our future'.
-- Pictures with Santa were a hit at any rescue's Christmas party I ever went to. Usually around $5, they are my favorite pictures: My entire family together!
-- Home-made things for your pets and those offered by local stores (especially the small family run stores I value very much) can provide us pet 'owners' with special ways to spoil those we love!
-- Bake sales are my favorite thing. OK, I am German and value quality food (no cuisine is as good as home-baked brownies and cookies!). And, again, as a lousy cook/baker, this is my perfect opportunity to get some good food!
-- 'Home coming'! I am a sucker for Happy Tails about those I love! Every 'Santa Paws' I went to brought back some of those I had cared so much about! To see these once abused and neglected babies so happy with their new families makes my day! And it gives me hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel! Make it part of your event and it will be beneficial for all of us!

- I know, rescue is not immune of politics! A lot of larger rescues see this at the time to do their formal events and invite some of their generous sponsors. My favorite place is a good local restaurant; fancy enough for a formal event! For me it is probably the closest I ever get to cuisine and a, while for me expensive, wonderful experience. With a bit diplomatic talent you can get a local restaurant to give you a great deal on pre-paid (in your own interest) meals of great quality and invite some former and possible future financial or political support for your rescue. It is often used to show what you as a rescue have accomplished during the year and maybe what you are planning. And if you have some major projects you are wanting to attempt, it may get you some much needed support!

For me Christmas is about showing my love to those I care for. Despite being one of those always broke rescuers I will spend an extra dollar on the guys with the kettle or any other worthy cause, rather than on some Christmas candy I really shouldn't eat anyway. I see it as a way to show my appreciation and help those that have less than me! And a way to make Christmas beautiful for everybody!

My favorite Cat Rescue came up with this American Favorite! Didn't take much to involve a little fun with making the flyer.
My favorite Cat Rescue came up with this American Favorite! Didn't take much to involve a little fun with making the flyer. | Source

Non - Seasonal/Small Fundraisers

There are no limits to imagination! Look around you and see what people, especially animal lovers, like and use it to save more!

- Horse Rides
Having good relationships can pay off. Having good relationships with your local horse lovers (usually also dog and cat lovers) and a great public park in the area may make you a lot of friends and some extra funds. Like a fun run or walk, a bike ride, you pick a great area and a route will make it lots of fun. Invite your local horse lovers, some vendors and some of those great cooks/bakers (remember: Love goes through the stomach!) and make it a day of fun! If you charge a small fee for participation and add a little competition or thrill to it, it should turn out to be a great family time (four-legged family members included!). Maybe get some prices donated from local businesses. Do ensure that you have a list of who you already asked that year and don't try to ask for too much from one business!!!
If you want to include the 'little league', have a local EXPERIENCED riding ?academy bring a few ponies and do a supervised/lead mini trail ride for the Younguns!

- Golfers are great people!
A formal affair that you can turn into something great is a Golf Tournament. BUT, as much as I don't know about Golfing (I would be rather dangerous swinging one of those things at a ball!), I don know that Golfers like a GOOD course! So do your research and make sure you pick one that is well liked. If you prepare it right, advertise it as much as if it would be the U.S. Opens, and get some good prices together, it can turn into a great Fundraiser. Of course you have to have refreshments and such! And a Hall of Fame picture on your website (both for sponsors and for the Golfers!)!

- Bingo
I am totally un-American and honestly have no clue about Bingo other than that it involves a piece of papers with numbers and a big marker! But it sounds like such a fun game that they use gigantic buildings such as former department stores to play it. So why not do it for a good cause and use some donated prizes for the lucky winners!? Would your vet offer a free examination? Would your groomer donate a free session? Would your farm store donate a bag of food?

- A new one I just heard over the radio: Haircuts! A barber school is offering haircuts for donations to support a very valuable organization! Combine that with a 'haircut' for the beloved 'critters' and turn it into a pet event!
I used to go for years to a local barber school. The haircuts were a third of what they would cost at a barber shop or beauty salon and the students were great (and supervised for those of you that are a little worried!). They got the training and I got a great haircut for less! Wish I could find one around here!!!

- I am a firm believer that my children have a right for education and shouldn't be going from house to house to sell things for school supplies I feel they are entitled for; but why not do this for a good cause that is not government supported (as much as I believe it should be)? There are tons of those things: Cookies, candles, snick-snack (especially around Christmas), chocolates and much, much more!

- There are quite a few websites that offer magazines with a small percentage going to the non-profit organization of your choice. Add them to your website and get yourself signed up for it!

- Offer advertisement spots for your local businesses on your website. Or get the large animal related companies to advertise!

- A little Twist...
A Thank You note on your website for a local company's donation may make them more willing to donate again!

- Offer companies to set up a permanent or temporary booth at your shelter. If they add a dollar or such to the price of what they sell, you will make a small profit. I know that Pedigree had a booth at some local businesses and had a local rescue come out to show their adoptable animals! Pedigree did the advertising and the rescue just showed up with educational/informational material and some beautiful animals!

Get creative! Everything in America is about money! Use it for your advantage! In the 'Life-Saving' business a lot of it is about honor, but sadly you can't save them for free!

A quaterly rabies clinic that definitely allowed me to do rescue on a affordable basis!
A quaterly rabies clinic that definitely allowed me to do rescue on a affordable basis! | Source

Ongoing Fundraisers

This is a category dear to my heart; but for different reasons that you may believe!

I am a firm believer that responsibility is 'until death does us apart'! If you take an animal into your rescue, you are responsible for it for the rest of its life! That means that if it needs a home due to whatever reason, you take it back! It means that you follow up with it and ensure that it is in a safe place (THAT is one of the most important things and can safe a life!) It means that you equip new 'parents' with the tools to success!

I miss Germany very much at times! Because in Germany we don't only have breed-specific dog clubs (most of mine wouldn't qualify), but also non-breed specific club.
I find it hard to believe that Americans, as social as they are, don't like to get together with their dogs to talk... dog! Germans love it! We meet in clubs, pay a small fee (used to be less than $10/month), socialize our dogs in fenced in areas, do obedience and agility, have annual dog-walks and other social activities for us and our critters.

Soooooo.... What does that have to do with Fundraising?

- Tools for successful pet-parenthood!
Here is my thinking: ...Teach him/her how to fish, feed him for a lifetime!
Imagine home much more successful pet-parenthood can be if both 'parties' learn to understand each other! If you are a rescue that has a good amount of volunteers and one or two of them have the qualification (certified or not, but certified would probably be better and easier to 'sell') to teach obedience classes, you can offer short obedience classes on your property!
-- Classes in profit-making schools are expensive, unless you go to Texas and see Evelyn Guitar and her used to be $30 classes in a YMCA gym. If you offer 30min to 1hr classes on a regular schedule and charge either a small fee such as $5 a class or $15 a month, conducted by a volunteer that comes out regularly to help out anyway, its a way to make money.
BUT, imagine the tools you can provide your new 'parents' with and the possibility that they may fall in love with another! Especially when your other volunteers participate with your animals and make them more adoptable!
You can start with maybe 30min of theory, teaching them basic care and rules about dogs/dog training. Then you take them outside/to your designated area and start showing them what to do. Simple print-outs with information (information I expect every good rescue to give their adopters) can round it up and make it even more professionally!
If you are really into helping your former/current 'charges' out, offer the Canine Good Citizen Course! It creates pride in your new 'parents' and makes your own pup so much more adoptable!

- Workshops in General
Workshops can cover anything that has to do with care or even creating interest in dog sports. Show children how to care and walk their pets and you may lay the stepping stone for a better future for our critters. Teach a 'parent' how to properly care for a 'fluffy' dog and you may make sure that this dog never ends up miserable and matted in a kill shelter. Give 'parents' an idea of what to look for when their animal may experience discomfort or worse; or get the Red Cross to teach a Pet First Aid class!
Another great workshop would be how to create things to spoil your pet with. I would love to learn how to make dog beds from scratch; especially since I have a few 'brats' that consider their bed part of their diet. I rather make one out of cheap/used material than buy a $30 one at a retail store that gets eaten up or torn in the wash machine.

- Clinics
In my eyes, and I could be wrong, clinics are our way to look out for the animals we care about. I am not trying to eliminate the vet visits, but jeeeeezzzzz, things can turn expensive. I am a firm believer in prevention! Give people options that they can afford and can be motivated to use and you may prevent a horrible parvo or distemper outbreak in a kill shelter or elsewhere!
A local rescue is an example. They have created awesome working relationships with a local vet that has a heart of gold. Every three months they have a $5 rabies clinic at a local, equally awesome, country club. They order the shots online in larger quantities and the vet provides the service. The record was over 500 rabies shots administered in one day! They also offered $5 parvo and distemper shots and, I am sure, have had a great impact on the county's animal health! It kills me to see how many, especially young, dogs die in shelters because they have never been vaccinated with a simple $5.99 at the farm-store shot and became exposed to something as horrible as parvo or distemper!
Some rescues offer micro-chip clinics or even (my favorite) heartworm test clinics! Or have a local groomer come out and provide discount grooming; putting themselves more clearly on the map if you advertise it right! The same local rescue also provides transportation service to a local spay/neuter clinic for a really great price for both surgery and transportation better! They are looking out for the community and at the same time raising funds for my favorite species, the kitties!
Talk to your local Farm Stores or Tractor Supply Company. Mine is awesome and very pet-oriented. The manager organized the local SPCA to come out once a quarter to sell tickets for the spay/neuter truck and is working on getting a regular low-cost rabies clinic out there. Advertisement for them and great low-cost services for us pet owners!

- A rescue I once worked with had a lot of great artists. One lady was making dog and cat beds at home. Another made some beautiful figurines. Another shop had come up with step stones and similar things for your yard or even as paper weight. These things can be displayed at your rescue for a donation (I know there are rules about non-profit, but where there are rules, there are legal ways!).

The options are unlimited and all it takes is a few great volunteers and an open mind! OH, and ADVERTISEMENT!

One of those days I want to shake the hand of whoever created petfinder.com!
One of those days I want to shake the hand of whoever created petfinder.com! | Source

Grants

Grant writing was something totally new to me and is still very much Chinese. But if you find somebody who can teach you the basics or are good in writing professional, this can be a mile stone in your rescue efforts.
There are so many grants out there available for animal rescue and some of my favorite ones are those that offer great tools and financing for spay/neuter programs.
If your cause is to save lives and make this world a better place for animals, there are uncountable grants available for you. But you have to be able to professionally, emphatically and HONESTLY convince those offering the grants that you are worth it.
Out of personal experience with a company I used to work for, the lack of integrity is something that personally disgusts me! If somebody gives you money to do a good thing, you are worse than a dirt-bag if you misuse it!

This is one of the greatest things I ever saw in Motion within the Military!
This is one of the greatest things I ever saw in Motion within the Military! | Source

Combined Federal Campaign

A lot of people consider the Military cold-hearted. Especially with the amounts of pets that have to be given up by Soldiers; due to PCS'ing, Deploying and the new Breed Specific limitations for base housing. But there is another side to military life: Soldiers take care about eachother!

One of those things the Military does is the Combined Federal Campaign. And I can only speak for the Military aspect of it, since that's what I know about it.

It's relatively simple:
Once a year the DoD dedicates, I believe, 3 months to collecting donations for the Combined Federal Campaign. Selected individuals are required to make 100% contact with their unit and the Soldiers are handed a newspaper style list of hundreds of non-profit organizations divided by what they do. The Soldier then choses a number of organizations he/she wishes to make a one-time or monthly donation to. This can be from $1 to however much. It can be cash, check or payrole deduction.

So how do you get on this list with your organization?

They have a website full of information and the application process involves proof of your non-profit status and a certain tax form. Applications are taken begin of the year and reviewed. If you make it, you are listed on that gigantic list; usually under the soldier's favorite local listing!

The list gives the name of your organization, a identification code and a bit of information on how the donation will be used (such as administrative etc). I personally always chose to give to an organization that uses the money for their cause, not to pay their secretary and buy paper clips. But that is just me!

This is a great way to make some money for your rescue and get your name out there. Don't let a chance for free funds get away from you!

For further information see link below!

It takes time and effort to do a Fundraiser. But you won't make it succesful until you advertise it and allow people to find out about it!
It takes time and effort to do a Fundraiser. But you won't make it succesful until you advertise it and allow people to find out about it! | Source

Don't 'hide' your Fundraiser!

What good does a Fundraiser do when nobody knows about it!?

No retail store or car salesman is successful without advertisement! Your intentions can be the greatest, but won't be successful unless you make them known and make a name for yourself 'around town'! That's why honesty and a good reputation is so important!

When you organize an event who's outcome is vital for the continuation of your Mission, you need to make sure that you treat it with the same importance as a certain Gecko does his insurance business! TALK ABOUT IT! Be the goose quacking off the roof-tops!

- Have your local radio station mention it in their shows!
- Pay for a reasonable ad in your local paper! Maybe they donate one!?
- Create fliers (and I am not talking about some boring, cheap looking one you can't see between the other stuff on a bulletin board!) and hang them out everywhere in town!
- Advertise yourself on your website!
- Crosspost your event with your friends and fellow rescuers!
- Talk about yourself to those you encounter!
- MAKE YOURSELF KNOWN AND TELL PEOPLE ABOUT YOUR EVENT!

Every restaurant, car dealership, realtor, department store does it! Some stores have made it a science to figure out where in a shelf to place certain items to catch our eyes better! That should be you looking at your own advertising strategy!

Nobody will come to your event unless they know about it! It's that simple!

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Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)