Animal Welfare Professionals

Have you ever asked (or considered) why people donate to your organization? 

I'm struggling to come up with a clear "why" people would want to donate to us unless they knew Jamie or they know me.

We raise money to help shelters and rescue organizations with programs that help people keep their pets rather than having to surrender them.  We don't take requests directly from the public. Right now we give quarterly donations to 3 organizations but our current funding isn't really sustainable.

We have several ways for people to help, but I ask myself why would they donate to us rather than directly supporting their local shelters/rescues? I need a good why.

In addition to the why, I really don't know how to reach and engage people. We're on Facebook but almost nobody sees my posts and even fewer people engage.  I do all the things the "experts" say to do, nothing seems to make a difference.

#FundraisingandDevelopment

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Sincerely,
Johanna Spielman
Founder of Jamie Brianna's Legacy Fund
https://jamiebriannaslegacyfund.org/
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Good morning Johanna,

First let me say I think what you are doing is wonderful. We have a nonprofit locally, that does the same and we are blessed to be one of their recipients. I think the "why" could be that some people are not sure who to donate to, and you take the guess work and leg work out of it for them. The local organization that supports us, as well as three other local rescues, hosts a once a year event. The call it the C&C rescue rally. It's hosted at a local venue who donates the space. Their is a local band and restaurant that donate their time & food as well and a ton of raffle items from locals. Each of the rescues set up a table and bring animals to meet the public. I know it is a lot of work but the community really gets behind it.  Social media can be discouraging for a small nonprofit especially when you see some of the larger ones with thousands of likes and shares, but don't give up, keep sharing and if you can add instagram to the mix. Not everyone is on facebook. I would also reach out to the rescues you help and ask them to share what you do for them on their social media pages as well as have their volunteers do the same. They should all tag you in the posts too. 

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Lisa Burn
Co-founder/VP
Farmhouse Animal & Nature Sanctuary
Myakka City, FL
https://farmhousesanctuary.org
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Thank you so much for the work you do for a very important cause. As hard as all of us work, it's a challenge to fundraise.  I think that very often people need something that strikes a chord in them personally to make them actually donate. I would try a very personal campaign putting it to people, "What would you do if you couldn't afford to care for your beloved pet?" or "Imagine if you hit hard times and..." Put this in their corner where they will imagine this happening to them...and there is your organization to answer the, "What if it happened to me?" and "What would happen to my pet?"  You need someone who can write up vignettes of the type of people and pets you help and make them relatable. You can also mention the struggle of getting funding because of the unique service you offer.  You might want to see about doing a fundraiser on Giving Grid that will get more pet-loving eyes on your organization. It won't cost you anything and the site guides you with how to start a campaign. We've been very successful with our campaigns on there and it establishes a mailing list for you for future campaigns.

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Susan Leavitt
National Coordinator, East Coast, President of the Board
American Maltese Association Rescue
New York NY
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