Humane Society Fundraising:
How to Raise Money for an Animal Shelter

No matter what city or state you live in, you likely know someone who has owned a rescue animal. It’s estimated that approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year, and about 3.2 million shelter animals are adopted each year. As a result, millions of dogs and cats are in homes of families who love and care for them.  Animal abuse and neglect are unfortunately the reason that many animals end up in shelters, but there are countless organizations dedicated to putting an end to the mistreatment of animals. Many of these organizations are non-profits and rely on donations and charitable giving in order to operate and help as many animals as possible.

If giving to an animal shelter is something that you’re interested in but don’t know where to begin, click this link to find a shelter near you. You can start by contacting your local animal rescue to see what they would benefit from most, whether it be volunteering time or donating money. If a fundraiser is something that would benefit the rescue, here are some animal shelter fundraising events to host in your community.

1. Restaurant Fundraiser: A restaurant fundraising night will bring people together and allows the community to participate in a fundraiser for a good cause. If you host a fundraiser with Chipotle, your organization will receive 25% of all event sales during the time/location of your fundraiser, subject to achieving a minimum level of total event sales. With an added digital feature, supporters have the option to either order and eat in the restaurant or order online for pickup by using the unique fundraiser code provided. To host a fundraiser with Chipotle, apply here.
2. Organized 5k Walk/Run: This is a good option for a large group to spend time outside while raising money to help animals in need. To make it even more fun, encourage supporters to bring their dog!
3. Pet Calendar: For a fun way to raise money while also highlighting some of the animals that are up for adoption, organize a pet calendar. Work with the animal shelter to select 12 or more animals that are available for adoption and snap some fun photos of them. Consider organizing this fundraiser around the holidays when people are purchasing calendars for the coming year. Proceeds from all purchased calendars can go towards that animal shelter.
4. Dog Washing: This is a great event to host during the summer months or anytime the weather is warm. Work with volunteers and local pet stores to donate supplies and let owners from your community bring their dogs in for a quick wash. Dog owners will love to donate to a good cause while bringing home a clean pet in exchange. 

Animal shelters and rescues are doing amazing things in your community to help animals who may otherwise be in danger or mistreated. Whether you are hosting a fundraising event to support the shelter, veterinary expenses for the animals, or training fees, you will be helping those animals that need it most.

To learn more about Chipotle fundraisers and how to host your own, click on this link and visit browse our resources center for more tips and tricks on hosting a successful humane society fundraiser.

For other fun animal shelter fundraising event ideas, click here.