How to Fundraise

Fifteen Ways to Fundraise

1. Product Sales
If you have some money to invest, you can purchase animal rights T-shirts, buttons, bumper stickers, and books to sell when you set up tables and hold meetings. For help, contact one of the “Promotional Merchandise/Products” companies listed in the Yellow Pages.

Your group can save money on selling such products through licensing, authorizing a vendor or manufacturer to market its products with your group’s name and logo on them. You make a profit by receiving the royalty. Have an attorney look over the contract before signing a licensing agreement.

2. Food Sales
Vegan bake sales can do well either as an independent fundraiser or when combined with another event. Groups should appoint someone to be in charge and to get each member to contribute a baked item (or try offering tofu hot dogs or veggie burgers). Choose a busy spot or a craft fair or festival and check ahead with the police and health department about permits and food regulations.

3. Garage Sales
You’ll make more money if your goods are clean and well displayed. Tag clothing with size labels, and make sure prices are clearly marked.

4. Thrift Shops
Set up an ongoing thrift shop at a church or unused garage. You’ll need a staff of volunteers to sort, price, display, and do the sales and bookkeeping.

5. Annual Sales
Restrict your sales to either books or clothing and hold the sale at the same time each year. Plan ahead to get a good location and publicize the event. If you have a good spot for storage, you can collect donations year round.

6. Raffles
The two keys to a successful raffle are a goodprize and lots of ticket sellers. Print the name of your group, the date and place of the drawing, and a list of the prizes you’re offering. Make sure ticket sellers always have enough tickets on hand. Try setting up a table at the supermarket on Saturday or outside a church to sell tickets during the weekend. Ask local merchants to donate prizes or have a “50/50 raffle,” in which the prize is half the money that you collect. Make sure that you comply with local solicitation regulations.

7. Auctions
Auction antiques, collectables, or other items at a local outlet or on an online auction site.

8. Sponsored Events
In a dog walk or bike-a-thon, for example, a group of people commit to participating in the event and then ask family, friends, and local businesses to sponsor them for a certain amount of money (such as 50 cents a mile). Choose a safe route and check it first with the police. You’ll need to prepare sponsor forms with the name and address of the group, the purpose of the event, the date and time, and the route. Also include columns for the sponsor’s name, address, and amount pledged per mile (establish a minimum). Encourage local athletic groups to participate.

9. Chores and Odd Jobs
Have all your members spend a Saturday cleaning, painting, raking leaves, or putting up storm windows. Advertise ahead of time and schedule as many jobs as possible.

10. Recycling
Many communities have recycling facilities that will pay you for cans, bottles, or other items. One person raised enough funds by collecting
aluminum cans to pay for an anti-fur ad on TV.

11. Requesting Goods or Discounts
Another kind of fundraising effort is to ask for something other than money. Ask print shops, typesetters, or art supply stores if they will give you a discount. Ask local businesses to donate new or used office equipment, a computer, a VCR, or movie tickets or other products to use as raffle prizes. Ask a Web design firm to do pro bono work for your group. Send each business an individualized request describing your group and its goals and asking for a specific item or service. If you are tax-exempt, that will encourage donations. But don’t be afraid to ask even if you’re not tax-exempt.

12. Membership Donations
Another good source of financial support is your supporters—people in your group as well as people on your sign-up sheets. Ask them to pay a yearly membership fee. Set varying levels for dues, such as $10 to $20 for regular members, $50 for sponsors, $100 for sustaining members, and $500 to $1,000 for lifetime members; student and senior citizen memberships could be offered at discounted rates. Consider offering members an incentive, such as a free book or T-shirt, with a large donation. Ask for regular donations either monthly or quarterly, and always be sure to send a thank-you note promptly. (If you are tax-exempt, your thank-you note should inform donors of the deductible portion of their gift, i.e., the amount of the gift minus the value of any incentive you give them in return.) A Web site makes it easy for people to donate money. Allow supporters to use credit cards to make online donations, or offer a printable donation form on your Web site. Donating usually falls into three categories

Capital giving—A few people give relatively large sums of money over a specified time period, usually three years, to be used for a specific purpose, such as the purchase of a mobile spay/neuter clinic.
Annual giving—Many people give smaller sums of money after being solicited through telethons, direct mailings, or special events, such as formal vegan galas or luncheons. Annual gifts can be used to support yearly shelter-operating costs, for example.
Planned (deferred) giving—Members continue to support your group’s work after they pass away by leaving your organization money through wills, bequests, or trusts.

13. Grant Money
Several foundations or corporations give money to organizations to be used to fund animal-control training initiatives, spay/neuter clinics, humane education, or for the general care of animals.

14. Help From Retailers
Register with an online retailer and place a link to the retailer on your group’s site. A percentage of all purchases made through the link will trickle down to your organization. Or post a link on your site toward certain products, such as books or companion-animal products. If your link results in a purchase, your group will get a cut.

15. Miscellaneous
Ask people to give up smoking for a week or lunch for a day and donate the money they save. Place donation cans in stores, go Christmas caroling for donations, sell heart-shaped vegetarian dog biscuits on Valentine’s Day, have a car wash… use your imagination!