3 Ways to Raise Money for an Animal Shelter (2024)

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Co-authored byJessica Gibson

Last Updated: February 14, 2021Approved

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   Research reputable animal shelters. Decide if you want to support a national or local animal shelter. Try to choose a shelter that has a good record of caring for animals and helping out in the community. The shelter should be clear about how it spends its money and it should have strong leadership.^[1]

   • If you can't find this information on the shelter's website, call the shelter and ask about the charity's operating practices.
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   Contact the shelter and ask about their fundraising needs. Go into the shelter, email them, or call to ask if they have any fundraising drives going on at the moment. You can tell them that you'd like to help them fundraise and give them your contact information.

   • For example, the shelter might be holding an upcoming event, such as a walkathon, that you can participate in.

   Tip: Ask the animal shelter about how they typically use donations, so you can tell potential donors how their money will be spent.

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   Consult the animal shelter's wish list. Many animal shelters make a list of items they need or wish they had. You can raise money for their wish list or ask donors to contribute the actual items. An animal shelter wish list might include:^[2]

   • Dog, cat, or rabbit food and treats
   • Chew toys or cat toys
   • Feeder bowls
   • Cat beds
   • Dog leashes
   • Kitty litter
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   Challenge yourself to raise a certain amount of money for the shelter. You might already have a set amount of money in mind or maybe you just know that you want to help the shelter. To help you track your fundraising efforts, consider setting a goal for you to reach within a certain amount of time.

   • For example, you might want to raise $500 by the end of summer break in order to donate to the animal shelter.
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   Ask friends or family if they want to help you fundraise. You'll be able to gather more money and have more fun doing it if you have friends or family that are willing to help! Ask family or friends if they're interested in helping you.

   • Keep in mind you'll probably need a variety of help. For example, you might ask a family member to load pet supplies into their truck to drive to the shelter. You could also ask a friend to help you run a fundraising booth at a local festival, for instance.

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   Offer dog washes or grooming to make money. If you have some experience with grooming pets, see if you can set up a booth at the next community event your animal shelter hosts. You could also offer to wash dogs in exchange for a small donation.

   • If you don't have much experience with grooming, ask local groomers to volunteer their time to help with the event.
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   Hold a pet photo contest to raise funds. Set up a competition through your school, church, or community center and ask people to submit photos of their pets. Create different categories, such as hairiest pet, best smile, or saddest eyes. Then, ask someone to judge the photos and give out the awards. You can charge admission or simply ask for donations throughout the event.

   • Instead of judging the photos, you could let people vote for their favorites in each category.

   Variation: Instead of holding a contest, ask people to submit photos of their pets. Then, sell tickets to a viewing party and raffle off the images.

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   Hold a bake sale or car wash to get donations. Set up a bake sale at your school or community center. Decide if you'd like to sell treats for humans, animals, or both! If you don't mind getting messy, washing cars is another familiar way to fundraise. You could wash cars for a small fee that you donate. These are great events to do with friends or other people from the animal shelter.^[3]

   • Don't forget other classic ways of raising money, such as yard or garage sales. You could also hold a pledge drive and participate in a marathon or sports event to raise money.
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   Offer to give talks about caring for animals in exchange for a donation. Ask nearby schools, community centers, or libraries if you can come and speak about pet care. Let them know that you'll give an informative talk in order to raise money for the animal shelter. Then, determine what the focus of your talk will be.

   • You should tailor your talk to your audience. For example, if you're speaking to a group of school children, talk about basic pet care and the types of animals that the shelter cares for.

   Tip: Residents of a senior center might be interested in learning about the health benefits of keeping a pet.

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   Launch an online crowdfunding campaign. Find an online fundraising site that will let you set up a campaign for the animal shelter. Write a description about the shelter and how important fundraising is for the animals they care for. Then, share the campaign on social media platforms to encourage people to donate.

   Tip: Check to see if the fundraising site charges fees to launch a campaign or if it collects a percentage of the amount that's donated.

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   Walk dogs in your neighborhood to raise cash. Put up flyers or ask neighbors if you can walk their dog for them once or twice a day. Once you've collected a few weeks' pay, you can donate it to the animal shelter.

   • If you have the time, you could also dog sit. Let your customers know that the proceeds will go directly to the animal shelter.
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   Set up donation stations at local pet stores or vet clinics. Ask these businesses if you can place a small donation box at their front desk or check out. Include information about the animal shelter and describe how the funds will be used.^[4]

   • You don't have to limit yourself to animal-related businesses. Check to see if you can leave donation stations at your school, church, or neighborhood businesses.
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   Write donation request letters to people in your community. If you can't get out easily or want to help the shelter from the comfort of your home, get out your stationery and write some letters! You should introduce yourself in the letter and explain why the animal shelter is important. Let the potential donors know how their donations will be used and thank them for their time. Then, sign the letters and send them out.^[5]

   • Send donation request letters to businesses or people who support charities within your community.
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   Donate to the shelter in someone else's name. Instead of buying a friend or family member a gift for their birthday or the next big holiday, make a special donation to the animal shelter in that person's honor. Depending on the shelter, you may be able to print off a card to give the person. The card will describe the gift that was given in their name and will tell them how the funds will be used.

   • You can also donate in memory of a person or beloved pet.
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   Designate the shelter as your charity when you shop. Some websites or stores in your community will donate a portion of your purchase to a charity of your choice. This usually means you use a reward card or have an account on their website. Select the animal shelter so every time you shop, you raise a little money for them.

   • If you're unsure whether a local shop, such as a supermarket or grocery store, donates to charity, just ask at the customer service desk about their donation policies.

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