Three Things To Help Your Animal Shelter Raise Money

These days it is becoming increasingly important for animal rescue organizations to think outside of the box when it comes to generating much needed funds. While most shelters rely heavily on donations and adoption fees there are other, often unexplored ways to raise money.

1. Utilize your website

A nice looking website, even a simple one, allows your shelter to update people about current events, showcase animals for adoption, provide information about your organization and even take donations. If you don’t have a web designer that owes you a favor, a well done website can be costly. One option is to have the most tech savvy person you know create a website using a service like Webs.com. The cost is under $10/month and you have complete control of the content.

Another option is to contact your local web designers and see if they would be willing to create a website for you at a discounted rate or possibly even for free in exchange for advertising.

Once your website is up and running make sure to link it to your Facebook Fan Page and Twitter account. Create a community of people who care about your organization and mission.

2. Start an online store

I know, you are trying to raise money not spend it on inventory. However, there are a lot of other options for stocking the shelves. Ask around the community you have created and see if anyone is artsy or crafty. Maybe someone can do amazing portraits of pets or is a fabulous knitter. While many people are not able to donate money, they are happy to donate time and talent.

You can also look around the web for companies who make pet related products. Many of these companies offer amazingly low wholesale pricing for non-profit organizations. For example, www.bumperpetdecals.com sells their original bumper stickers to non-profits for just $1 each.

Once you have some products starting a store is easy. You can use a site like Etsy.com for handmade items or list them on your own website if you are able. Make sure to also put these items out at your shelter.

If starting your own store sounds too daunting, you can always contact established stores and see if they would be willing to donate a portion of the sale from a specific product. Many smaller retailers are willing to do this because they know that you are going to point everyone you know in the direction of their shop which means more sales for them.

3. Join affiliate programs

Many companies have programs where you promote their site or product and when someone completes a sale, you receive a percentage. One example of this is Bumperpet.com. They provide you with everything you need such as custom ads, links and information. You pass these on to your community and put them on your website. Every time someone clicks your link and completes a purchase you receive 15% of the sale.

While these ideas won’t solve the problem of a lack of funds, they are a start. Creative thinking is the most powerful tool you can have when helping animals in need.

Start raising money for your shelter