Category: Fundraising Events

In 2024, 5.8 million cats and dogs entered animal shelters in the United States. The average time these animals spent in shelters before being adopted increased compared to previous years. This only worsens the overcrowding problem many shelters face, underscoring the need for more funding, increased volunteer support, and expanded facilities.

As a nonprofit professional in the animal welfare sector, you likely already leverage digital fundraising and communications to attract and engage supporters. But are you connecting with those supporters face-to-face, too? While planning fundraising events can be more resource-intensive on the front end, it enables you to connect with your community, get animals in your facility adopted, and cultivate loyal relationships.

This guide explores tips for organizing animal charity events and creating memorable in-person experiences from limited time and resources.

1. Set Clear Goals for the Event

Setting a clear goal forces you to focus all of your efforts toward one defined outcome rather than splitting your attention between several objectives. This way, you’re much more likely to achieve or make progress toward key priorities.

The first step to setting a goal is to define the broader purpose of the event. Is it to raise money, grow your digital presence, or bring awareness to your cause? Once you’ve identified this central purpose, set your goal using the SMART goal framework. In other words, your goal should be specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and time-bound. 

For example, if you are planning a charity auction, your SMART goal might be to:

“Raise $10,000 through the auction event by procuring at least 50 auction items for bidding and attracting at least 200 attendees via online channels before the event date in 6 weeks.”

Use this goal to guide all of the following event-planning processes, including your marketing strategy. Shape your nonprofit marketing plan for the event around that central theme, confirming that each message and strategy brings you closer to the finish line.

2. Choose an Engaging Event Idea

To inspire supporters to attend the event, you’ll need to choose a unique fundraising idea, especially if you’re located in a saturated area like a large city. If you don’t have any ideas yet, pull inspiration from this mini list of fundraising event ideas:

• Pet fashion show: Have pet owners dress up their pets in creative outfits for a chance to win prizes. Consider adding a special segment to highlight adoptable pets, having your emcee describe cute facts or stories about each animal.
• Pet-friendly brewery crawl: Partner with local pet-friendly bars and breweries to coordinate the event, sell wristbands to attendees that they can use to get specialty drinks, and invite their pets to come along.
• Four-legged 5K: Organize a traditional charity race with one small twist: pet owners can complete it with their four-legged companions!
• Puppy or kitten yoga: Host a yoga class at your facility or partner with a local studio. During the session, allow adoptable puppies, kittens, or senior pets to roam around and sit or nap where they please.

If you feel drawn to more classic ideas, simply add a fun twist that will entice potential attendees to register. Let’s say you want to hold a raffle. You might promote fun raffle basket ideas designed for pet owners, like a Char-Cat-erie Basket, Puppy Parent Basket, or a Crazy Cat Lady Basket.

3. Offset Event Costs with Corporate Social Responsibility Programs

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to a company’s efforts to contribute to social good and improve society. Connecting with businesses that offer CSR programs allows your organization to secure much-needed financial and volunteer support.

As Double the Donation explains, there are three common CSR programs to look out for:

• Corporate grants: Corporations offer monetary grants to nonprofits with shared values. Typically, the nonprofits must undergo an application process.
  • How this could benefit your event: Use the grant to cover event expenses or scale up the event.
• Volunteer grants: Companies provide grants to the organizations their employees regularly volunteer with based on verified volunteer hours.
  • How this could benefit your event: Use grant funding to assist with event costs and spread awareness of these programs to encourage volunteer participation at the event.
• Matching gifts: Companies match the donations their employees make to qualifying nonprofit organizations, typically at a 1:1 ratio. This can transform a $50 donation into $100 at no extra cost to the donor.
  • How this could benefit your event: Educate supporters about matching gifts and provide instructions for submitting requests. They’ll be encouraged to donate knowing that their contribution could be doubled.

Many companies also offer corporate sponsorships in which they provide financial support, products, or services for events in exchange for brand exposure and marketing opportunities. So, you might feature the company’s logo on event signage and marketing materials in exchange for financial support.

In addition to financial and volunteer support, partnering with for-profit organizations can bring new perspectives and expertise to your organization. For example, maybe you partner with a dog daycare business, and, after discussing your struggles with capacity management, they recommend an effective kennel management tool.

4. Create a Strategic Marketing Campaign

Often, nonprofit event success is determined by the final fundraising revenue and attendance rate. But you can’t boost either of these metrics without a well-planned marketing strategy. Follow these steps from Gingr’s marketing guide to promote your event:

1. Define your niche and unique value proposition (UVP). Your nonprofit should already have defined each of these elements, and you’ll need to determine how to weave them into event promotions. Additionally, consider identifying your event’s UVP, or the thing that makes it stand out from other fundraisers.
2. Identify and research your audience. Conduct research to better understand your target audience. Dig into demographic data, pet ownership information, personal connections to your cause, and giving capacity and affinity.
3. Create campaign content. This is the creative phase of your campaign, during which you’ll draft marketing copy, gather photos and testimonials, and create custom graphics to promote the event.
4. Select marketing channels. Using insights from your audience research, determine the best channels to use to reach them.
5. Track results, iterate, and improve. Track performance metrics that align with your goals for the marketing campaign and event overall. Don’t just determine whether you met those goals—identify your most successful strategies and areas for improvement.

This process can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to balance marketing tasks, event planning, and your nonprofit’s daily operations. Make sure you’re using marketing tools that can automate repetitive tasks and target specific audience segments with personalized messages to enhance your campaigns.

If your animal welfare organization is feeling overworked, overcrowded, or even burned out, hosting a fundraising event might feel out of reach. However, your nonprofit can plan successful, engaging events with limited time and resources. These events could be the beginning of new donor relationships, adoption journeys, and memories that your supporters will look back on fondly each time they think of your organization.

Successful online fundraising is at the heart of every nonprofit’s mission. Finding the best online fundraising ideas that keep donors engaged can be a challenge, but with the right approach, your nonprofit can stand out and maximize donations. But with so many organizations competing for donor attention, finding original, engaging, and easy-to-implement ideas is crucial.

At Givergy, we specialize in online fundraising by offering innovative digital solutions for silent auctions, raffles, and virtual events. If you’re searching for the best online fundraising ideas, this guide will provide inspiration for engaging and effective ways to raise money. Whether you’re planning a live event or an online campaign, these 25 unique fundraising ideas will help your nonprofit raise more while strengthening community engagement.

Exciting Silent Auction Ideas to Wow Your Supporters

Silent auctions are a fantastic way to create excitement while raising significant funds. Here are five high-impact and unique auction ideas:

1. Ultimate Staycation Experience

Instead of a traditional weekend getaway, offer a curated staycation package. Include a boutique hotel stay, dinner at a top-rated local restaurant, a spa day, and a personalized city tour.

2. Private Dining & Movie Night

Auction an exclusive at-home chef-cooked dinner experience followed by a private outdoor movie screening, complete with a projector, popcorn, and cozy blankets.

3. ‘Adopt-a-Star’ & Planetarium Tour

Give the winner the chance to name a star, paired with a guided planetarium tour or private astronomy session for a unique, educational experience.

4. Behind-the-Scenes Sports Access

Offer an exclusive locker room tour, training session, or VIP tickets for a local sports team, giving fans an inside look at their favourite teams.

5. Hot Air Balloon or Helicopter Adventure

Provide an unforgettable experience with aerial sightseeing tours, ideal for thrill-seekers and those looking for a unique perspective on their city.

Creative Raffle Ideas That Keep Supporters Coming Back

Raffles create excitement and encourage broader participation. Here are five standout raffle ideas:

6. Mystery Travel Adventure

Partner with a travel agency to offer a mystery weekend trip, where the winner only learns their destination right before departure!

7. Ultimate VIP Concert or Festival Passes

Offer backstage passes or front-row tickets to a major concert, festival, or theatre production to make your raffle highly desirable.

8. Subscription Box for a Year

A year-long subscription to a popular service (meal kits, wine clubs, book boxes, or wellness products) ensures ongoing enjoyment for the winner.

9. ‘Bucket List’ Experience

Secure a unique adventure, such as a scuba diving lesson, skydiving session, race car driving, or horseback riding tour, to appeal to adventure lovers.

10. Personalized VIP Shopping Spree

Provide a personal stylist and shopping experience at a luxury department store, complete with a generous gift card.

 Quick & Fun Fundraising Ideas to Boost Donations

Need quick and simple fundraising events? These 15 creative ideas will help you get started:

11. Virtual Quiz Night

Host a themed trivia event and charge entry fees. Engage attendees with fun categories like pop culture, sports, or nonprofit-specific topics.

12. Community Yard Sale

Ask supporters to donate unwanted items and host a charity yard sale. This raises funds while promoting sustainability.

13. Home or Office Cleaning Services

Partner with a cleaning company to offer professional services as a raffle or auction prize.

14. DIY Craft Workshops

Host a creative workshop (painting, pottery, or candle-making) where attendees pay to participate and take home their creations.

15. Fitness Challenge Event

Encourage supporters to raise funds through sponsored physical challenges such as running, cycling, or obstacle races.

16. Community Fun Day

Organize games, food stalls, and entertainment to bring people together while raising funds.

17. Photography Sessions

Offer professional photoshoots for families or individuals as auction or raffle items.

18. Outdoor Movie Night

Set up a large screen in a park, charge entry fees, and sell concessions to maximize revenue.

19. Holiday Gift-Wrapping Station

Provide gift-wrapping services at shopping malls during the festive season in exchange for donations.

20. Crowdfunding Campaign

Launch an online crowdfunding campaign for specific projects and share compelling stories to drive donations.

21. Bake Sale

A timeless favourite, selling homemade baked goods is a simple yet effective fundraising method.

22. Skill-Sharing Workshops

Bring in experts to teach valuable skills like social media marketing, photography, or personal finance in exchange for donations.

23. Charity Car Wash

Recruit volunteers and set up a car wash event where all proceeds go to your nonprofit.

24. Local Celebrity Meet-and-Greet

Offer fans the chance to meet a local influencer, sports star, or celebrity through an auction or raffle.

25. Charity Concert or Talent Show

Organize a live performance showcasing local artists and sell tickets to boost fundraising.

 Why choose Givergy as your fundraising partner?

Givergy makes fundraising effortless with an innovative digital platform that helps nonprofits maximize donations while engaging supporters. Whether you’re hosting a silent auction, a raffle, or a virtual event, our tools provide:

✔ Easy participation – Mobile bidding, online donations, and user-friendly ticketing options.

✔ Greater reach – Expand fundraising efforts beyond local communities through digital solutions.

✔ Seamless management – Handle ticketing, payment processing, and donor engagement in one place.

✔ Higher revenue – Proven strategies and support to help nonprofits raise more.

With over $1 billion raised globally, Givergy has helped countless organizations implement the best online fundraising ideas to achieve their goals. Our platform ensures seamless online fundraising experiences, making it easier than ever to engage donors and maximize contributions. Get started today and take your fundraising efforts to the next level!