As the summer progresses and many nonprofits schedule fundraising events in your community, take note of the events they sponsor. You may find some new ideas to use in fundraising for homeless pets. Keep a file of events that appeal to you and think of ways you can tweak those events to work for your shelter or rescue.
Kitchen Angels here in Santa Fe is an amazing group of volunteers. They prepare and deliver nutritious meals to homebound individuals living with life-challenging conditions. They have listed twelve 2011 Adventures a la Carte in their summer fundraising initiative. Some of these adventures are limited to small groups, cost $75 to $150 per person, and are not readily available to the general public. Here are a few of their adventures:
— Two Kitchens Plus Two Chefs Equal One Delicious Day – Visit two gourmet kitchens and sample meals prepared by two professional chefs. Recipes of the dishes are given to attendees. Ask a well-known chef in your area to offer a cooking class from his own kitchen or at a home with a gourmet kitchen.
— Guided tour of private ancient Pueblo ruins – Tour ruins located on private property in Galisteo, NM, and enjoy lunch afterward. Do you have areas of historical significance in your area? Ask an expert to offer a tour.
— Tennis tips from a professional tennis player and lunch afterward.
— A session with a professional animal communicator for you and your pet.
Operation Kindness is the largest no-kill shelter in North Texas. This group sponsors many fundraising events throughout the year which are listed on this page.
— Central 214 VIP (Very Important Pets) Patio Party Benefiting Operation Kindness was a fundraiser a short time ago. Walk the red carpet with “Pup”arazzi, enjoy grilled burgers and hot dogs! Admission is $10 per person and includes a raffle prize. Central 214 is the restaurant located in Hotel Palomar, an upscale pet-friendly hotel in Dallas.
— 2nd Annual 4th of July Cruise for a Cause. This fundraiser was a benefit for Operation Kindness and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Admission was $65 for those 21 and over to enjoy a 4-hour cruise on a 200-person yacht with a Video DJ, food, and drinks.
— Kamp Kindness is a day camp combining hands-on animal activities, art projects, and character and humane education plus time spent with the animals. Space is limited to 25 children per session.
— Operation Kindness has ongoing adoption and fundraising events with local retailers including Starbucks, Petsmart, Whole Foods, Ikea, and more. Can you establish ongoing offsite adoption events or fundraisers with businesses in your community?
More fundraising ideas that are very inexpensive to set up:
— Sponsor a class on the new CPR guidelines (no more mouth to mouth). Find a qualified instructor and ask for a donation for a family to attend.
— Organize a fundraiser to sell traditional fruit, flowers, decorations, etc for your area. For example, farolitos are traditional Christmas decorations here in Santa Fe. Kids at a private school in our area sell these every year as a fundraiser for their school. Fall pumpkins are sold by a church group.