Animal Welfare Professionals

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

I volunteer with a dog rescue and I am wanting to branch out the type of events that we attend/put on. One of the events that I'd like the rescue to do is attend a car meet-up/show, and I was able to get an invitation for the rescue to be a part of it. The problem is that the usual events team doesn't want to touch it since there will be no donation for our participation and that it's too early in the morning. I understand their point, but I really love this idea!

So my question is are there benefits to having/attending events in which there is no direct money made? 

#CommunityPartnerships*
#FundraisingandDevelopment

Yes! But, if your volunteers aren't interested, that might be a deal-breaker. 

I was learning from a marketing pro that sometimes it takes 7 "touch points" to get a person to notice your business or rescue. That means seeing your rescue's name 7 times in a variety of situations - email newsletter, social media post, at the car show, etc. 

I would think one of the important aspects to consider (outside of the volunteers) is how they want you to be involved - is this an adoption event? I would think one cute angle would be getting some pics of dogs with cool cars for promotions? Possibly you go solo this year with one outgoing dog and check it out first before selling the team on it? And, why not ask the car club to make a donation? All the best and thank you for what you do to help rescue dogs! 

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Annalisa Berns
Private Investigator
Pet Search and Rescue
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The events team might just be doing a cost benefit analysis - they might find that there are some benefits; but just not enough to justify the work it will be to put in (especially small teams have to balance this!). Also, maybe they've tried it in the past and found out it just wasn't their folks or too loud/scary for animals to join. We do feedback loops on all of the events we attend and sometimes that means we never attend that event (or one similar) again because of that feedback loop.

However definitely benefits even if there aren't monetary gains. You can bring informational pamphlets (how to volunteer!), you can bring a dog out for a doggie day trip and try to do some meet and greets with individuals. You maybe can ask if you can get a probono logo on a shirt (sometimes they have shirt give aways in these things). You can also ask for a donation from the Car Meet Up organizer. But I definitely agree with Analisa; maybe you feel it out this year and give feedback on how well it was received.

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Rachel Ide
Animal Services Director
Young-Williams Animal Center
TN
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Having been in the fund development profession for 45 years and do HUNDREDS of various events, what you are describing here is a "friend-raising" event.  It never hurts to get your name, brand and information about your organization out to the public in different ways.  This is one of those.  My suggestion is to have some cards printed with information about your rescue work with the QR codes for Venmo/PayPal/ApplePay etc printed on them and hand them out.  Never know who may decide to contribute!  I'd walk around the show and stop at each car and hand a card to the owners!   I've done this as I am a "car guy" and been to many shows!!  Best of Success!

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Bruce Thorsen
President of the Board
Purrfect Match Cat Adoptions Inc.
DBA Purrfect Match Cat Rescue
Millington, TN 38053
www.purrfectmatchcatrescue.org
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We do craft fairs (similar but different). We rarely make more than a few dollars  BUT it always amazes me how many Facebook followers we get over the next few days. That in itself is valuable to us.

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Bre Hoffman (they/m)
Special Little Whiskers Sanctuary Decatur IL
SpecialLittleWhiskersKittenRescue.com
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I am from Argentina and since I came to New Orleans, I have never understood the goal of the events. I think that it takes a lot of energy for volunteers, and also sometimes animals get stressed. I think that it is something regarding to the branding of the Non profit, rather to have a benefit to the dogs. If someone want to adopt, in general people know where to go. Maybe some dog has luck and get adopted, but I do not believe it is something usual. In Argentina there are not this kind of events. We do neutered events in vulnerable communities, and other things, but this is not something common. 

Best! 

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Nadia Barreiro
Journalist - volunteer
Kismet
LA
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There are benefits to events that don't raise funds, but the critical question is whether the benefits outweigh the costs.  Events require resources that can't be used for something else. For the events team at the rescue where you volunteer, the question isn't whether to participate in this event or not. It's whether to participate in this event or a different one. 

Years ago I served on the board of a cat shelter. I brought some ideas to the ED that I thought would really benefit the organization. The ideas were based on years of experience, I had thought them through carefully, and I was willing and available to help implement them, but they didn't go anywhere. At the time, I was disappointed and a bit frustrated. Then that ED left the organization and I stepped into the role. It didn't take long in that set of shoes to understand why those ideas had not made sense for the organization, at least not then. 

It seems like you have enthusiasm for events for this rescue. Maybe it would make sense to consider joining the events committee. I bet you'd learn a lot and be able to have a big impact from within that team. 

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Karen Green, CAWA
Ask Karen Green
http://askkarengreen.com
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Thank you for sharing your experience bringing forward ideas, frustration that they were not taken, and later understanding as to why, once you were in the role yourself. I think that's a great example for involvement in events!

We all hear, "You need to be out in the community" in reference to events like farmer's markets, street fairs, etc. ... which sounds great in theory, but if we're not being strategic with our time and resources, what's the point? If the purpose is to reach people who may need our services, great -- let's just make sure we're aware of who our audience is. I try to approach events in this way: Are we serving people who need our help, people who can help (potential donors, volunteers, etc.), both, or neither? If we don't really have a goal for the event or an idea of how it will best serve our mission, then it can be easy to fall into the trap of signing up for every event without really understanding the impact. 

TDLR: Develop and events strategy and analyze its impact.

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Victoria Ivankic
Director of Marketing & Communications
East Bay SPCA
CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-28-2026 09:42 AM
From: Karen Green
Subject: Are there benefits to having events that make no money?

There are benefits to events that don't raise funds, but the critical question is whether the benefits outweigh the costs.  Events require resources that can't be used for something else. For the events team at the rescue where you volunteer, the question isn't whether to participate in this event or not. It's whether to participate in this event or a different one. 

Years ago I served on the board of a cat shelter. I brought some ideas to the ED that I thought would really benefit the organization. The ideas were based on years of experience, I had thought them through carefully, and I was willing and available to help implement them, but they didn't go anywhere. At the time, I was disappointed and a bit frustrated. Then that ED left the organization and I stepped into the role. It didn't take long in that set of shoes to understand why those ideas had not made sense for the organization, at least not then. 

It seems like you have enthusiasm for events for this rescue. Maybe it would make sense to consider joining the events committee. I bet you'd learn a lot and be able to have a big impact from within that team. 

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Karen Green, CAWA
Ask Karen Green
http://askkarengreen.com
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I believe there is definitely a benefit to these events! An important part of events is either building community or advertising and, unfortunately, this does not alway equate to an influx of funds immediately. However, the benefits are often seen after the events. New donors, new fosters, new adopters, new volunteers! 

However, I do agree with what has been stated by a few – If there is low volunteer assistance or interest, that could be a deal breaker. If you are having to pay staff to attend these events, you are often using more labor costs to staff the facility and the event itself. Prior to this job, I worked in marketing for a few years. It is important for you to weigh the benefits against the costs. 

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Aslan Parsons
Grants Coordinator
CARE Humane Society
Auburn, AL
carehumane.org
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Yes! If you have a shelter employee or volunteer with the bandwidth to attend, I think it is absolutely a valuable opportunity. While making money is a huge goal for events, so is building community advocates, sharing information about clinic services, and networking with potential donors.

A huge goal for me this year is to be more present in the communities we serve. This will include attending events that are both revenue generating and community focused. Maybe by attending that show, your shelter will connect with a dealership that's interested in financially supporting your organization.

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Cassidy Atteberry-Leahy
Assistant Executve Director
Humane Society of the South Platte Valley
CO
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At our organization, if trained volunteers want to attend an event, we generally let them try it unless there is a good reason not to. Of course, it is important to understand what goals matter to the organization and the event team. If increasing awareness is a priority, for example, this could be an opportunity to introduce the rescue to a new audience.

Other goals might include gaining followers or email sign-ups, making useful community or business connections, promoting adoptable animals, recruiting volunteers, or even finding support for a rescue vehicle, gas, or repairs. There are also less measurable benefits, such as volunteers feeling trusted, having fun together, and becoming more invested in the rescue.

At the same time, volunteers may not know the organization's strategic priorities, staffing limitations, or brand considerations, and event teams may already be constantly hearing about one more thing they "should" do. If a volunteer of ours came to me with the idea, I wouldn't have our event team execute it, but if they proposed it as a (trained) volunteer-led opportunity with  very little work required from the regular events team, and a plan to report back on what happened, I'd likely say yes.

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Pamela Hill
Executive Director
The Cat Shelter
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I think there are several reasons you might host an event that isn't necessarily geared towards your cause-related fundraising. The first might be to rally existing and new troops that are aligned with your typical volunteer / donor / member profile -  sort of an "each one reach one" to educate others .  The event itself could be an off-brand but closely aligned cause or a general one that everyone likes to attend - like opening your facility for a game night. I recently offered our back room, tables & chairs for gaming to a comic book store that also hosts them. Our new cat cafe has dirty sodas, coffee & snacks...plus lots of cute cats & kittens to cuddle in between games, adventures, and quests! You MIGHT host community leaders that saw you supporting one of their causes, events, or programs and they return the favor. Events don't always have to equate to donor dollars collected. Sometimes spending some - for the right outreach - can raise awareness, set the stage for future fundraising wins, or bring in volunteers, fosters, and friends to the cause.  

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Jonathan Freed
Board of Directors
Cats' Cradle
NC
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There is absolutely a benefit to doing community events that make no "direct" money. While we try to make sure events have something in it for us in the form of donations, we do some community events just for exposure. It is also good for the dogs to have the experience of being around people and other dogs. You can learn quite a bit about the pets in your care.

You also never know where your next adopter/donor will come from, so while it may not make money that day, it could lead to a bigger relationship down the road. It's short-sighted to only consider events that make money that day.

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Julie Austin
Development Director
Humane Society of Pulaski County
AR
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