48 Fundraising Ideas for Pets, Animals, and Shelters | Raise Money Today! (2024)

Chances are, your organization relies heavily on its volunteers. These valued supporters can make their impact go even further in helping animals in need with volunteer grants.

Volunteer grants are a form ofcorporate givingin which companies give donations to nonprofits where their employees regularly volunteer.

When someone volunteers a certain number of hours or reaches a specific volunteering hours threshold, their employer makes a financial contribution to the charity where their employee volunteered. For example, an employer might promise to donate $25 for every hour volunteered.

The benefits of volunteer grants are two-fold: employees are inspired to engage in hands-on volunteer work for animal causesand nonprofits receive much-needed funding via corporate giving programs.

Launch a recurring gift drive designed to secure ongoing financial support for your animal welfare organization.

For this fundraising idea, encourage supporters to make a recurring gift. These gifts are automated donations that usually occur on a monthly or annual basis.

This fundraiser helps to create a reliable and predictable source of funding, ensuring you can provide consistent care, shelter, and medical treatment for animals in need.

Beyond providing financial stability, recurring gifts also cultivate a donor base that’s deeply invested in the well-being of your animals.

An in-kind donation drive involves collecting tangible supplies and items rather than monetary contributions.

Within the realm of animal fundraising, these drives help to gather items like pet food, beds, blankets, toys, and cleaning materials.

Donors will feel inspired, knowing they’re making a tangible impact on the animals in your care. Companies like pet stores can get in on this fundraiser, too. They can donate supplies, food, or anything else they have in stock. Just be clear about what type of items you need from donors to focus gifts and make sure the majority of donations are usable.

This fundraiser will ensure you have the necessary resources to provide food, comfort, and medical attention to the animals in your care.

With a giving kiosk, your donors can give at any event using their credit or debit card. Supporters can contribute without the inconvenience of needing cash or a check.

The process usually takes just a few steps. For example, when donors give with DipJar,all they have to do is dip their cards into the device and wait for a sound that tells them the transaction is complete.

Kiosks are becoming a popular way to give because they add another easy-to-use option during events and other fundraisers.

To get started, you’ll need to find a kiosk provider and teach your donors how to use the device. Place your kiosk in a prominent location (like near the entrance of your event) and start raising funds!

Everyone’s heard of Happy Hour, but what about Yappy Hour? Yappy Hours are great fundraisers for animals that can help individuals and animal organizations raise money for man’s best friend.

To start a Yappy Hour fundraiser, you’ll first need to partner with a local establishment like a restaurant or bar. Then, invite all of your animal-loving friends to come out for drinks, food, and fun. You can charge an admission price and ask people to make donations throughout the night.

If the restaurant or bar is willing to donate a percentage of the night’s profits, then you’ll raise even more!

During the night, you can even raffle off pet-related prizes to generate even more revenue.

No, this pet fundraising ideadoesn’t raise money by having dogs wash cars. It’s all about washing cars and pooches. Many people would be willing to pay to have their carand dog cleaned.

You’ll obviously want to plan for a warm and sunny day and advertise by hanging up flyers and posting on social media. Then, set up two stations: one for cars and one for dogs. Have someone be in charge of explaining the prices for each wash and collecting the money from customers.

Make sure that you explain where the funds are going during the car and dog wash and encourage more donations.

People will drive off with shiny cars and fresh-smelling pups, and you’ll raise money for your cause!

A walkathon is a common fundraising event that many nonprofits host to raise money and get people up and moving. A dog walkathon is the same thing but with adorable pooches!

Of course, people can still participate, but they can bring their (leashed) dogs along to keep them company while they walk. You should make sure to have water stations set up for humans and pups alike, especially if you host your dog walkathon on a really hot day!

You can charge an admission fee to raise money, but you can also sell shirts, caps, water bottles, and leashes to raise more.

With the proper promotion, your dog walkathon can be a major hit. Try it next summer to raise money!

For a pet picture day, you can ask a local photographer to donate their time and set up a “studio” at your shelter or organization. Then, invite pet owners to come and have their pets’ pictures taken!

You can have props that can be used during the photoshoot and a snack station for animals and pets owners alike.

To raise money, you can charge a fee for the pictures, but you can also sell packages of other merchandise with the pet pictures on them. Who wouldn’t love a t-shirt or a mug with their pet on the front?

A pet party can be as elegant or laid-back as you want. It could be a fancy gala-type event where pets and humans alike get all dressed up, or it could be an informal gathering at a local park on a Saturday.

Either way, you should set up a donation table so that pet owners can donate to your organization or cause.

Make sure that you have plenty of bowls of food and water set up for the dogs and other pets. You can even buy or make pet-themed snacks for the pet owners to munch on while their pets play.

Many coffee shops have an outside sitting area where customers will sit and sip coffee while their dog sits nearby. These types of cafes are perfect for fundraising partnerships! All you have to do is ask!

If you know that a coffee shop owner is a dog-lover, ask them if they would be willing to host dog fundraising events.

You can host human-exclusive fundraising events, but it’s much more fun to get the pooches involved too! You can have pet fashion shows, competitions, and other events at the coffee shop.

If you or someone you know enjoys cooking, you can have a dog bake sale (or “barkery”) in your neighborhood (or at a dog park if there is one in your community!).

Find a dog treat recipe and make enough batches to sell to the dog owners in your community. Plus, you can even sell your dog treats online.

You can make a variety of different flavors, so there is a treat for every dog!

To promote your dog bake sale, post flyers around the community and share the event on social media.

If you’re looking for pet fundraising ideas to raisemoney for your own pet’s medical expenses or to help support your local animal shelter, you can create a pet sitting (or dog walking) service.

When pet owners go out of town or have a busy work schedule, they want to know that their pet is taken care of. You can chargethese owners to taketheir dogs out for walks, feed their birds, and clean their cats’ kitty litter.

Start off by taking care of your friends’ and family members’ pets, and then promote your services on social media.

There is nothing cuter than a pooch dressed up for Halloween! You can host a party for families and pets to raise money for your pet or animal shelter.

For your party, you’ll need to plan the entertainment and food as well as where you’re going to host your event. Ask local venues and restaurants if they’d be willing donate space for you.

You can charge a $3 entry fee as a way to raise funds. If owners and their pets don’t come in costumes, you can charge a little extra (like $5).

Raffles are easy fundraising ideas for nonprofit animal rescues, but theycan be tailored to meet any fundraising initiative, including raising funds for a pet’s medical expenses!

For this raffle, you can create the ultimate pet care package with toys, treats, a dog bed, and other items to raffle off.

Let your friends and family know about the event and share it on social media to spread the word. Sell raffle tickets for $1 and announce the winner at a pet event or picnicwhen everyone can be present.

Every owner likes to show off their pet’s tricks. Why not capitalize on that desire and plan a pet talent show!

To organize your talent show, you’re going to need volunteers, interested pet owners, an audience, and a place to host the event.You could get permission to host your event in the park on a Saturday afternoon when the most people can attend.

You can raise funds by charging an admission fee to watch the event. Plus, if you have enough interested pet owners, you can charge a small fee to enter into the show.

Every pet needs a dog tag, and you can start selling cute designs to your friends, family, and community members to earn some extra cash.

The trick to maximizing your funds with unique animal fundraisers like this one is to be on the lookout for local pet shopsthat may have deals on purchasing bulk tags. If not, you can always find an online store that sells and ships tags for a reasonable price.

Let people know about your pet tag sale by tacking up flyers around town, posting on social media, and telling your friends and family to spread the word.

Peer-to-peer fundraising is a great fundraising idea for organizations of all shapes and sizes. Not only does it enable youto raise more moneyfor your pet or animal-related cause,it also helps you expand your existing donor base!

In a nutshell, peer-to-peer fundraising enlists the fundraising help of your current donors and empowers them to ask for donations on your behalf.

Each supporter builds his or her own donation page from a template that is tied back to your nonprofit’s main fundraising page. Then, your supporters reach out to their friends and family members and ask for donations for your cause or project!

Charity auctions can be a fast-paced and energetic way for your organization to raise more money for your animal-related cause. You also have the opportunity to interact with supporters face-to-face.

Ask for charity auction items from local businesses; try to get as many items donated for close to nothing. That way, you can put your budget into creating a great atmosphere for your attendees.

Hire an auctioneer, send out invites, and cater in food and drinks. Make sure that everyone is aware of the rules of your charity auction beforehand. People will walk away with some unique items and experiences, and you can raise more money!

Writing letters is a great way to raise money for your cause, project, or event. You can send out letters asking for general donations, sponsorships, charity auction items, volunteer time, and more!

Your letters should be genuine and personal. Always start with your donor’s preferred name and try to reference any past relationship or donations.

You can use fundraising letters to direct people to your online giving pages or crowdfunding campaign, but you should also include a self-addressed envelope within your letter to encourage people to send in checks (make sure you tell donors not to send cash!).

Silent auctions are a fun way to get a little more face time with your donors while they bid on unique and appealing items up for grabs. Plus, if you find the right auction items, you have the potential to raise a lot of money!

Ask local businesses and individuals if they would like to donate items to your silent auction. Common items include gift cards to restaurants, signed memorabilia, lessons from a professional of some kind, gift baskets, and more!

You can enlist the help of a mobile bidding tool to create a tech-enhanced bidding experience for your attendees. Mobile bidding software also makes checking in, checking out, and item monitoring easier on your auction volunteers and staff.

Walkathons are perfect for active supporters who like to show their passion for a cause.You can make it a “two-legged participants only” event or have people bring along their pups!

You’ll need to determine a location and time for your walkathon. Choose a season that is a good temperature with minimal risk of rain. Make sure you have a backup location just in case!

Then, send out invitations and design some merchandise like t-shirts and water bottles. You can sell these for an extra fee to raise money above anyentrance costs you charge. Make sure you have medical and first-aid supplies nearby in the case of an accident.

Text-to-give is a relatively new way for organizations to raise money, but it’s an effective way to accept donations while supporters are on the go. Nearly everyone has a smartphone, making text-to-give a natural fundraising technique.

You’ll need to choose a text-to-give provider that offers all of the features you’re looking for. From there, it’s all about promoting your text-to-give option to your supporters! Post your text-to-give number and short code on promotional materials and mention it in your communications.

Soon, donors will be using your text-to-give tool to give from wherever they are! You can even incorporate text-to-give into your next event or gathering and encourage all of your attendees to pull out their phones and make a donation right then and there.

While there’s no guarantee that a challenge you start will go viral like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge did, there’s no time like the present to try!

Challenge your supporters to record themselves doing something crazy (yet safe, of course) — maybe with their pet! Try having them see how high their dog can jump for a Frisbee or teach their pet to do a cool trick, and then challenge their own friends and families to do the same.

If they accept the challenge, they send your cause a small donation. If they don’t accept, the donation is even larger!

T-shirts are the perfect product to pair with your crowdfunding campaign. Everyone can wear them, and if you can customize the shirt to highlight your cause, people will always remember it!

When you set up your crowdfunding campaign, you can set up giving levels. Each level can correspond to a different combination of items.

For instance, a $25 donation might get a donor a t-shirt, but a $50 donation might result in a t-shirt plus a hat.

You can organize a trivia night by pairing up with a local bar or restaurant. Advertise well in advance and charge an admission fee for trivia teams who want to put their knowledge to the test.

You can also ask the restaurant or bar manager if they would be willing to give you a portion of the sales from the trivia night to bring in even more money to help raise funds for your furry friends.

Make sure that you have a good system for asking questions and getting teams’ answers. You don’t want to have a disorganized trivia fundraiser!

We all have to eat! Why not turn dining out into dining out for good?

Many restaurants — Panera, Zaxby’s and Moe’s, for example — will host fundraising events where a percentage of the money raised will go towards your cause.

Since your supporters are already going to these restaurants for meals, you don’t have to spend much time planning an event! Just let supporters know about the fundraiser in advance. Plus, depending on the policies of your chosen restaurant, you may even be able to set up an information table to educate other patrons about your cause!

Themed parties are more common fundraising ideas for nonprofits, but anyone can use them to raise money for their cause or project!

Charge a few dollars at the door. People that show up in a themed costume can pay $3 while those in “normal” clothes can pay $5. You can even invite attendees to bring along their pets — in costume, of course!

You can also sell concessions during the event to raise extra money. Just don’t forget to promote your themed fundraising party on social media. You want supporters to invite as many people as they can to help you raise more money for your medical expenses!

A potluck can be a great to enjoy food and conversation with your friends and community. It can also be an easy opportunity to raise money for your furry friends!

People can bring along tasty dishes and a donation to help you reach your goal.

You can either ask people to make a contribution or charge a small fee ($2) for people to bring food to the potluck.

Hosting a candle sale is one of the best ways to raise money for pet and animal welfare causes. It’s easy, effective, and fun for everyone involved!

There are many wholesale candle companies that you can purchase from. Some may even offer discounts for charitable causes.

Choose seasonal scents that will make people’s homes smell delicious. You can sell the candles to individuals in the community.

Guessing games are classic ways to raise funds for many different causes.

All you need is a jar filled with the candy of your choice. Think something small, like jelly beans (or, for a twist, you can make the game all about the pooches by putting small milk bones in the jar!).

People can guess the amount of candy that they think is in the jar, paying $1 per guess.

The winner takes home the entire jar!

Everyone loves a good cookie! Why not capitalize on that craving by selling cookie dough? It’s a fundraising idea that you can host year-round.

You can either sell cookie dough to your community or have family and friends sell to people within their networks. If you have a webpage for your pet or animal fundraiser, you can also advertise treats there to reach even more people.

First, you’ll need to find a wholesale cookie dough provider with various cookie options. Then you’ll need to start selling your items!

A fish tank fundraiser is such an easy and low-cost way to raise money for pet and animal welfare causes. You’ll wonder why you never planned one before.

All you have to do is acquire a large fish tank. You don’t even have to buy one; try to get it donated if you can! Then, set it out in a prominent place in the community. Ask a local business if they’d be willing to keep your fish tank in their restaurant or store.

Supporters then drop in their spare coins and bills to see how quickly they can fill the fish tank. This fundraiser can take place all year long as well, so you’ll be able to raise quite a bit of money!

Host a game night where your friends, family, community members, and/or coworkers can enjoy a few board games! In fact, you can make it a regular weekly or monthly event and sell food and refreshments to raise even more funds.

Make sure that you have a variety of board games to host your fun night. You can play games like Monopoly, LIFE, chess, dominoes, and so much more!

To make your game night a reality, you’ll need a space where you can host your event as well as a few volunteers to help set up and handle admissions.

Seasonal fundraisers can take many forms, but their unifying feature is that they are related to the current season or holiday.

For instance, you can sell wrapping paper during Christmas, set up a pumpkin patch in October, or sell tulips around Mother’s day. The options are endless!

Seasonal fundraisers are great because you will always have a way to raise money for your pets, regardless of the temperature, time of year, or occasion. Additionally, you can make your seasonal fundraiser as involved or hands-off as you want. The fundraising decisions are up to you!

Everyone loves a good old-fashioned barbecue. Whether you’re making ribs, chicken, hot dogs, or veggie burgers, a barbecue is a great way to bring your community (and their pets!) together for a common cause.

You can use your summer barbecue as a way to raise money for your pet and animal causes. All you have to do is advertise!

You can either charge a fee for your barbecue or simply set up a donation table with a jar for change. Make sure you explain why you’re raising money!

A 50/50 raffle is an easy fundraiser for any individual looking to raise money for pet- and animal-related causes. 50/50 raffles are usually paired with other types of events.

During a 50/50 raffle, individuals will buy a certain number of raffle tickets. For a normal raffle, the person with the winning number will receive a prize of some sort.

But with a 50/50 raffle, the prize is half of the money raised from the raffle ticket sales. The more tickets people buy, the more they might win!

Balloon raffles aren’t usually a stand-alone event; they are often paired with other fundraisers like carnivals, field days, and family fun days.

But they’re so easy that you’ll be able to raise money in no time!

The only cost to you is a bag of balloons and some raffle tickets. Place the tickets inside the balloons and sell them to children and adults for a dollar each.

Whoever has the winning ticket gets a small prize at the end of the raffle. Depending on how many people come to your event, you could make quite a bit of money.

Chances are, many people in your community are excellent cooks and have lots of family recipes they’d like to share.

Help to bring your community together by creating a cookbook. Ask friends and family members to provide beloved recipes to be included in the book. Then, you can sell the cookbook online or in your wider community to raise funds.

It’s sure to be a big hit!

Once the holidays roll around, it feels like everyone is in a mad dash to buy and wrap presents for everyone on their list.

You can help these frenzied people out and earn a little extra money by offering gift-wrapping services.

You can partner with a local department or retail store or offer gift-wrapping services in a well-trafficked (but spacious) area. Offer extras like bows, ribbons, and tags to earn a little extra money.

Bingo is a fun and easy game that even the youngest children can play. Use a weekend night to host a bingo night to raise money!

A bingo night can be a great way to educate people about your pet or animal welfare cause as well.

Throughout the night, remind attendees of what you’re raising money for and encourage them to make contributions during the event.

However, the majority of your proceeds will come from selling admission tickets, concessions, and products (if you have them).

A swap shop is a great way to raise money while helping you clean out your garage, basem*nt, and closet.

Designate an area to be your “store.” Then, have people donate their gently used clothing, books, home goods, and knick-knacks. You can also emphasize the pet aspect of your fundraiser by asking people to donate pet supplies such as toys or crates.

You then resell the items to other members of your community. Whatever you don’t sell can be donated to a thrift store, homeless shelter, or animal shelter to be put to good use.

Wall or desk calendars are the perfect fundraising product. They can promote your cause and are easy to create and sell.

Start creating your calendars in the middle of summer. That way, you’ll have plenty of time to advertise and sell them to members of your community before the new year starts.

You can add images of the animals that you serve and add quotes, statistics, and other facts that educate supporters about your cause. Sell the calendars in your community and in your online storefront so that anyone can purchase one and support your pet or animal welfare mission.

Writing letters is a great way to raise money for your cause, project, or event. You can send out letters asking for general donations, sponsorships, charity auction items, volunteer time, and more!

Your letters should be genuine and personal. Always start with your donor’s preferred name and try to reference any past relationship or donations.

You can use letters to direct people to your online giving pages or crowdfunding campaign, but you should also include a self-addressed envelope within your letter to encourage people to send in checks (make sure you tell donors not to send cash!).

Take a fun twist on a traditional date auction by including dogs in the mix!

Come up with some dog-friendly date ideas and recruit volunteers (and their pups!) to be auctioned off. Have audience members bid on the date (and dog!) they like the most. You can even sell concessions to raise more money.

Make sure that the auction is all in good fun and that everyone understands why your organization is raising money.

If you’re someone who loves books, you likely have stacks of publications that you won’t read or have read too many times to count!

If you need to raise money for pet or animal welfare projects, you can try to sell some of your gently used books for some extra cash.

You can also ask family and friends for additional used book donations to raise even more funds!

Hand-crafting a quilt is a great way to bring an old-school art form into your campaign.

Contact people who support your cause, and ask them to sponsor a square on your quilt via an online donation in exchange for a message or image you agree to stitch on it. Along with the square in their honor, your patrons will receive a raffle ticket for the quilt.

Once you’ve finished it, raffle off the quilt. Another alternative is to combine both these routes. Have patrons sponsor a square, but instead of raffling it off, host a live auction with your quilt as the centerpiece — and invite your supporters to share an honorary dinner afterward!

You’re probably familiar with #GivingTuesday, a national day of charitable giving that started a few years ago. In fact, you might already participate in #GivingTuesday, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create you own giving day.

Giving days work so well because they create a sense of urgency and community. Your supporters will rally together to raise as much money as possible in the 24-hour period.

Your online giving day will require a lot of online promotion to reach as many supporters as possible. Share the details about your day via social media, in your emails, on your webpage, and through text messages.

Help rally your entire community around your pet- or animal-related cause through a donation match drive!

Reach out to local businesses within your community to see if they would be willing to participate in a program where they will match contributions made to your cause.

Donation matching is often dollar-for-dollar, but some companies may be willing to give double or even triple the original donation!

Share your fundraiser a few days before the big day and promote the business that will be matching gifts. Don’t forget to let people know why you’re raising funds!

A fun way to raise additional money for your cause at various events or big fundraisers is to set up a photo booth.

Use a big piece of cardboard (or get creative with streamers or colorful paper!) as a backdrop and make sure to bring in fun props for people to embellish their photos. Then, charge people a small donation per photo. Don’t forget to get their pets in the picture!

Not only will this provide event attendees with a fun way to remember the day, but it will also give you a little extra cash to put towards your furry friends!

Reach out to your local bowling alley to see if they would be willing to donate the use of several lanes for you to host a fundraiser bowling event.

Invite friends, family members, coworkers and local community members to come and bowl to help raise money for your pet- or animal-related cause.

For participation in the event, come up with a suggested donation amount that can be made to your online fundraiser or at the bowling alley.

An easy and effective way to give your fundraising efforts a little boost is to pick a date and ask people to each give a specific dollar amount on that date.

For example, you may ask supporters on your Facebook group or email list to donate $15 on the 15th of January.

Asking for a certain amount of money on a certain date helps because it creates an extra sense of urgency and makes things more tangible for your donors.