Nonprofit animal shelters and rescues rely on donations to “keep their doors open” and the majority of these donations stem from fundraisers and special events. Each season brings its own benefits for fundraising options and spring time is one of the strongest times to conduct fundraisers because the summer humidity has not quite arrived and the lull in donations after overspending on the Holidays is gone. It can be difficult to pinpoint the best fundraising ideas for your animal shelter or rescue. The key is to make sure you are thinking outside of the box, you are delivering value in what you are offering while at the same time you are still achieving your mission.
Here are the top 8 spring time fundraising ideas we brainstormed:
1. Organize a yard sale. One persons junk is another person’s treasure and yard sales are a great way to offer something of value to your community. There are two ways to organize a yard sale: If you have a parking lot, you can rent spaces to vendors to set up and sell their goods or you can ask community members to drop off unwanted items to sell. The money raised from the sales in the latter would go directly to your shelter or rescue. (Any unsold items can then be donated to your local Good Will or Community Aid store.)
2. Organize a Community Fair or Open House. This is perfect for those animal welfare organizations that own/rent a building or property. Invite the community in to see what services you provide to the animals you rescue by providing tours and meet and greets with the animals available for adoption. Having food vendors and games for the children is a nice touch to promote community involvement and raise funds.
3. Organize a Car Wash. Set up at your shelter or in a local store’s parking lot and wash cars for a donation. You can set the donation amount or ask that customers donate what they are able.
4. Host a Flower Sale. Partner with a local plant farm or greenery to sell flowers to your community. Many greeneries offer a discount for bulk purchases and you can sell them at market price to raise money for your animal shelter or rescue.
5. Host a 5K Walk/Run. 5k runs are a great way to raise funds and promote healthy living in your community. Most 5k registration fees range from $25 to $50 and can be arranged on scenic routes in your town. Contact your Local Township or borough to see what paperwork or permits are necessary.
6. Homemade Wreathes or Garden Rocks. Do you have crafty volunteers? Making homemade crafts like wreathes and garden rocks are typically inexpensive to buy supplies for and easy to sell. In early spring, you are likely to find community members looking for outside decorations to beautify their houses and flower beds.
7. Sell Easter egg Hunts. It may sound like an off the wall idea but too often baby chicks and bunnies are purchased as Easter gifts and then animal shelters and rescues tend to see an increase in these animals shortly after the Holiday is over. Promote animal welfare awareness by offering your community a different option. To sell Easter egg hunts, you will need some volunteers who are free Easter Eve or early Easter morning and can hide 20 filled eggs at cost (set or donation) at houses in your community.
8. Organize A Garden Tour. Do you have a local community that loves to garden? Garden tours are becoming more popular and require minimal work. You can start by contacting those in your community that have beautiful gardens and see if they would be willing to allow visitors on a certain day and time frame. Once you have gardens set, you can start to advertise to the community and charge a registration fee. This type of fundraiser is best if the gardens are within walking distance of one another.
Spring time fundraising gives your animal shelter or rescue an opportunity to work closely with your local community. Think outside of the box this year and organize fundraisers that give you an opportunity to reach more members of your community and educate them on the importance of your animal shelter or rescue.
