{"id":18317,"date":"2020-04-21T14:17:39","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T18:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/?p=18317"},"modified":"2021-06-02T11:46:19","modified_gmt":"2021-06-02T15:46:19","slug":"suggestions-for-animal-shelters-fundraising-during-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/suggestions-for-animal-shelters-fundraising-during-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Suggestions for Animal Shelters Fundraising During COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Many animal shelters are in a tough spot during the COVID-19 outbreak. Stray animals still need a place to go; the animals in your shelter still need food, medical care, and new homes; and volunteer animal foster parents still need support from your organization. Fundraising, for animal shelters, is of even greater importance these days. Times may seem bleak, but there are steps your organization can take to operate safely and smoothly in these difficult times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Post a call for fosters<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Having a full shelter can mean stretching your resources very thin when families are reluctant to bring home a new furry family member. It\u2019s often in the best interest of the animals in your care for them to await adoption in the care of a dedicated foster home. Placing an adoptable pet with a foster family can decrease expenses. This means animal shelters can focus on fundraising while cutting costs. During the outbreak, many people are understandably on the fence about adopting a new pet. Instead of holding every animal at your shelter, post a call for volunteers to foster some of your available animals. In-person volunteering may be discouraged in your area. If it is, engage your volunteers by asking them to become fosters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Write a foster appeal<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
The first step in asking for fosters for your pets is to create a foster appeal. Here’s a great example from SPCA of Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This is a win-win for your organization. Not only are you able to get some of your adoptable animals out of the shelter, you\u2019re creating an opportunity to engage existing volunteers as well as find new fosters you can rely on. Be sure to put the call for fosters on your website and make it highly visible. You can also accomplish this by adding an image to your website with a call to action explaining why fosters are desperately needed. Add navigation on your website to a sign-up form tied to the email of the person who manages your foster volunteer relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Curbside pickup of foster pets<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
When new fosters come to pick up their pet, make it clear what their responsibilities are and provide them with any resources they need. Try to stagger foster pet pickup times to keep your risk of exposure low. You may even want to offer a foster pet curbside pickup program where you bring the animals out to the foster family\u2019s vehicle. This helps keep your staff and volunteers safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let your supporters know what you need<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The need for supplies at your shelter will likely increase as fewer families will be traveling to your facility to adopt a new pet. If you\u2019ve closed your doors to the public to limit contact with visitors, you may not be getting your normal amount of supplies donated to your shelter. Don\u2019t be afraid of letting your supporters know you need help! Like your call for fosters, you should add information to your website and donation forms explaining what your needs are and how supporters can help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asking for monetary donations<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Let your supporters know you still need funds. Animal shelters need to be actively fundraising to meet the needs of their adoptable animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Donation Forms<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Create and embed a coronavirus-specific donation form on your website. You can ask for funds to purchase supplies or even offset adoption fee costs to entice people on the fence about adopting a new pet to take the leap during the outbreak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region did a great job creating a donation form linking to their community relief fund. They made this special donation form more noticeable with a pop-up that appears when you land on their website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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