The article’s title, “Accept Donations Online: Tools + Steps to Raise More,” beside a donor sitting with a laptop and holding a credit card.

Accept Donations Online: 13 Tools + Steps to Raise More

by

Your nonprofit may have a loyal giving pool in your immediate area, but did you know that by using modern technology, you can grow your following tenfold? If you’re looking to fundraise and accept donations online, this means you can reach a wider audience than ever before.

According to the CAF World Giving Index, 4.2 billion people (72% of the world’s adult population) gave money, time, or helped someone they didn’t know in 2022. By collecting online donations, you can tap into the passion and generosity of a global community and raise more for your cause.

In this guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to know to accept donations online. Here’s what we’ll cover:

With the right tools and steps to follow, you’ll be well on your way to fundraising success.

Click through to start a free Fundly fundraiser and start accepting donations online for your cause.

The Benefits of Accepting Donations Online

When it comes to online fundraising, the possibilities are nearly endless. Whether you’re a nonprofit, an individual, an educational institution, or another organization looking to secure financial support, collecting online donations is one of the easiest and most effective ways to do so.

Accepting donations online brings a host of benefits to everyone involved, including:

The benefits of accepting donations online, as discussed in more detail below.

  • Increased donor convenience. The average internet user spends nearly seven hours online every day. Through online fundraising, you can meet donors where they already are—all they have to do is access your donation page on whatever device they prefer and submit their payment information to contribute.
  • Broader fundraising reach. When you accept donations online, you can allow people to give no matter where they live. Donors won’t have to worry about mailing in their contributions or attending in-person fundraising events to support your cause. Plus, if you add social media sharing buttons to your donation or confirmation page, you can encourage donors to spread the word about your fundraiser to their friends and family.
  • Reduced expenses. Online giving methods eliminate the need to budget for printing donation forms and mailing appeals to potential donors. Additionally, since everything takes place online, your staff have less manual data entry and record-keeping to handle.
  • Higher donor retention. Double the Donation reveals that 38% of online donors who make a gift one year contribute to that nonprofit again the following year. By adding a recurring giving option to your donation page, you can keep donors effortlessly invested in your cause year after year. With automated thank-you features, you can ensure that every donor receives a timely follow-up that expresses your appreciation.

Online fundraising often comes with enhanced tracking and reporting capabilities, so you can measure your performance in real time and improve your future results.

4 Essential Tools to Collect Online Donations

While accepting donations online is much simpler than offline fundraising, it’s important to equip yourself with the tools you need to collect and process online gifts. When researching potential platforms, follow these steps to pinpoint the right option for your fundraising needs:

  • Use your specific fundraising goals to guide you. Are you looking to start a crowdfunding campaign? Would you like to have peer-to-peer fundraising tools? Make a list of the must-have features you’re looking for and prioritize solutions that will keep your data and donor payment information secure.
  • Read online reviews. Explore online reviews written by individuals or organizations with causes similar to yours. Look for their insights into the platform’s user-friendliness, level of support, and whether there are any common issues faced by users.
  • Ask for recommendations. Consider reaching out to peers who are satisfied with the tools they use to accept online donations. They may be able to provide recommendations based on their personal experiences with fundraising platforms.

If you’re not sure where to start looking, we’ve got you covered. Jumpstart your search by exploring these top tools for accepting donations online:

Fundly: Crowdfunding Platform

Fundly provides a comprehensive set of crowdfunding tools for individuals and nonprofits of all types and causes. Whether you’re fundraising for a church, sports team, school, fraternity, or personal medical expenses, Fundly’s platform has everything you need to rally people around your goal.

A screenshot of Fundly’s home page, where you can start a free fundraiser and accept donations online.

Some of Fundly’s main features include:

  • Website and social media integration. Add a donation form directly to your website or your Facebook page to collect online donations wherever donors prefer to engage with your cause.
  • Giving levels and incentives. Encourage donors to give more by setting suggested giving levels and adding incentives for each level. For example, an art school might decide that $150 donations will receive a digital student art piece, while $300 donations will have a printed art piece shipped to the donor’s doorstep.
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising. Allow community members to fundraise on your behalf by creating individual donation pages that they can share with their networks. You can even organize fundraising teams and maintain momentum by viewing real-time updates of their progress.
  • Event management. If you’re hosting an in-person or virtual event alongside accepting donations online, Fundly has a built-in event module for creating sign-up forms, ticketing, managing sponsors, and more.
  • Donor heat maps. Embed a heat map onto your donation page to find out where the majority of your donors are located. Based on this information, you can adjust your fundraising messages to target donors in specific areas.

While some crowdfunding websites have an “All or Nothing” (AoN) approach, meaning you’ll only receive the funds you raise if you meet your fundraising goal, Fundly is a “Keep it All” (KiA) platform with 0% platform fees. This means that you’re guaranteed to take home the online donations you earn, regardless of how well your online fundraising performs.

Click through to learn how to start a Fundly fundraiser and accept donations online through crowdfunding.

NonProfitEasy: Donor Database

To secure long-term support for your cause, you need to focus on strengthening the connections you build with donors. By using a donor management system like NonProfitEasy, you can collect key donor details, target your communications, and increase your online donation revenue over time.

A screenshot of NonProfitEasy’s home page, which lists donor management features that will help you collect online donations.

NonProfitEasy comes with features that facilitate:

  • Online event ticketing
  • Email management and tracking
  • Pledge tracking
  • Grant management
  • Donor segmentation
  • Volunteer management

NonProfitEasy understands that all of your donors are unique. With smart tag and custom field options, you can customize the information you collect and sort through donor profiles according to communication preferences, average gift size, and other relevant characteristics.

360MatchPro: Matching Gift Software

360MatchPro by Double the Donation is built to help nonprofits make donors’ gifts go twice as far. Many companies, as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, run matching gift programs in which they’ll match the donations their employees make to charitable causes. However, 78% of donors are unaware that their company offers a matching gift program.

A screenshot of the 360MatchPro website, which describes how the software can help you earn more from online donations with matching gifts.

360MatchPro allows you to secure more matching gifts through:

  • An embeddable search field for donors to check their matching gift eligibility.
  • Automated matching gift email streams that encourage donors to submit a request.
  • An auto-submission feature that automatically completes matching gift requests on donors’ behalf.

Plus, if you have a donor management system like NonProfitEasy that integrates with Double the Donation, you can automatically store donors’ matching gift eligibility details in your database. This way, you can send follow-ups to eligible donors to ensure they’re aware of the opportunity.

Snowball Fundraising: Text-to-Give Tools

Worldwide, people send around 23 billion texts every day. With text-to-give software like Snowball Fundraising, you can take advantage of the popularity of texting and make it easy for donors to make online donations directly on their mobile devices.

A screenshot of the Snowball Text-to-Give page, which explains how the software helps with accepting donations online through mobile devices.

Snowball Fundraising’s features include:

  • Three types of text-to-give number choices (local, toll-free, or short-code)
  • Unlimited inbound text messages
  • Recurring donations
  • Affordable outbound text messaging

To participate in your text-to-give fundraiser, donors will text a specific keyword to the phone number assigned by your provider. Then, they can receive a link to your online donation page to make a gift.

9 Steps to Accept Donations Online

Once you’ve built out your toolkit, it’s time to start accepting donations online and promoting your fundraising efforts to potential donors. Follow these key steps to maximize your reach and inspire people to take action for your cause:

1. Create an online donation page.

A donation page is your number-one resource when requesting donations online. It should contain all the information donors need to know about your reason for fundraising, what funds will go toward, and how much you’re hoping to raise by a certain date.

To encourage giving, consider these donation page best practices:

  • Add suggested giving amounts. Help donors decide how much they’d like to contribute by adding suggested amounts that they can select with a single click.
  • Include a fundraising thermometer. Create a sense of urgency and progress by adding a fundraising thermometer or bar to your donation page, allowing donors to see how close you are to reaching your goal.
  • Ensure that the page is mobile-responsive. Access your donation page on a mobile device. Check that images are clear, text is readable, and your form is easy to fill out.
  • Enable recurring donations. For donors who would like to provide long-term support, allow them to opt into recurring gifts so they can effortlessly make donations to your cause on a regular, automated basis.
  • Incorporate social proof. People are interested in and influenced by the actions of others, especially their friends and family. Feature a combination of donor testimonials, comments, and names to motivate others to get involved.

The Eta Xi Alumni Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides scholarships and mentorship opportunities to support Black students through their higher education journeys, provides a stellar example of a strong crowdfunding donation page. Using Fundly, they exceeded their fundraising campaign goal of $113,000 well before their deadline:

Example of the Eta Xi Alumni Foundation’s crowdfunding page on Fundly, which the nonprofit used to collect online donations for its campaign.

As you can see from the example, the Eta Xi Alumni Foundation’s page includes a fundraising progress bar, a tab that displays supporters who’ve contributed to the campaign, a recurring gift option, and social sharing buttons to promote engagement.

2. Highlight the impact of donations.

Online fundraising provides opportunities for people to connect with like-minded individuals and join a community dedicated to a worthy cause. Inspire people to get involved by helping them visualize how their donations will make a difference.

For example, a high school sports team collecting online donations for its upcoming season might share the impact of specific gift amounts, such as:

  • “A $25 donation will provide an athlete’s game-day meals for a whole season.”
  • “A $100 donation will cover the team’s transportation costs to one away game.”
  • “A $300 donation will allow us to purchase new uniforms for the entire team.”

By getting more specific, you can boost transparency and build more trust in potential donors. They’ll feel much more comfortable giving when they know exactly how you’ll put their funds to good use.

3. Include multiple payment options.

With so many online purchases and transactions taking place worldwide, many payment options have emerged to provide convenience to users. By enabling these options when accepting donations online, you increase the chances that donors will find a method that appeals to them.

Some common payment options to provide include:

  • Credit and debit cards
  • Venmo
  • Apple Pay
  • Bank transfer

The more flexibility you provide potential donors, the more likely they are to give to push forward your cause.

4. Enable recurring gifts.

Pave the way for long-term support and increased funds by enabling recurring gifts on your donation page. Many platforms simply allow you to add a check box that donors can select to opt into the program.

While the default frequency is monthly, consider adding quarterly or annual options to appeal to different preferences. Additionally, make it easy for donors to adjust their frequency, update payment details, and opt out whenever they choose. This way, they won’t feel as though they’re blindly committing to something they might want to change later.

Since monthly online giving makes up 28% of all online fundraising revenue, recurring gifts can be a significant source of sustainable funding for your cause. Just be sure to follow up with recurring donors to maintain these relationships and express your gratitude for their continued support.

5. Encourage peer-to-peer fundraising.

Peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising is an excellent way to collect more online donations by leveraging the power of your community. The process usually follows these general steps:

  • Recruit P2P volunteers to fundraise on your behalf.
  • Help P2P fundraisers set up their individual donation pages.
  • Support P2P fundraisers by providing messaging templates and relevant images.
  • Encourage P2P fundraisers as they promote their donation pages to friends and family.

P2P fundraising allows you to widen your fundraising reach even further by tapping into the personal networks of your supporters. Consider creating a dedicated social media group and organizing celebratory get-togethers to make your P2P fundraisers feel like a close-knit community.

6. Increase awareness of matching gifts.

Despite how matching gifts can double or even triple the impact of many donations, an estimated $4 – $7 billion in matching gift funds go unclaimed every year. To avoid missing out on this valuable revenue source, start by including a brief description on your donation page to make more donors aware.

Example of including matching gift information on your donation page.

Additionally, you can maximize awareness by promoting matching gifts in social media posts, text messages, and email newsletters. Briefly explain the process of determining eligibility and submitting a matching donation request so donors know what to expect.

Click through to start a free Fundly fundraiser and start accepting donations online for your cause.

7. Leverage text-to-give.

Through text-to-give, donors can support your fundraising efforts whenever they’d like, on whatever device they prefer. To start accepting donations online with text-to-give, follow these steps:

  • Find a text-to-give provider that is PCI-compliant and provides comprehensive support.
  • Choose a short and memorable keyword, such as “DONATE4DOGS.”
  • Build a text contact list by promoting your text-to-give fundraiser on social media and other channels.

To retain your text donors, you can set up automated thank-you messages that go out right after they complete a gift. In these messages, you can encourage further engagement by inviting donors to sign up for your email newsletter, follow you on social media, or become a peer-to-peer fundraising volunteer.

8. Promote your online donation page.

After you’ve prepared your donation page with all the features and elements to inspire giving, get as many eyes on it as possible by promoting it on various online and offline platforms. For example, you can include links and QR codes in:

Whether you’re adding QR codes or colorful donate buttons, make sure they stand out in your marketing materials. Maintain a consistent voice and branding across all of your content so donors understand that gifts will directly benefit your cause.

9. Prepare tax receipts and thank-you messages.

Your relationships with donors don’t end after you accept their gifts. Expressing your appreciation is not only polite but essential for retaining their support for your fundraising efforts down the road. Plus, according to the IRS, donors must have a record or written communication including your organization’s name, the date, and the amount to be able to claim a federal income tax deduction.

In addition to ensuring that donors can claim tax deductions, make them feel especially valued by going above and beyond a simple donation receipt. Consider:

  • Sending eCards.
  • Creating social media shoutouts.
  • Producing a thank-you video.
  • Making personal phone calls.

Whatever method you choose, reference as many details about each donor as possible. For example, mention their preferred name, specific gift amount, and past contributions to demonstrate that you value them as an individual.

Maximizing the Impact of Accepting Donations Online

With the right tools at your disposal, you’ll be well on your way to reaching supporters all over the world and raising significant funds for your cause. Be sure to choose a platform, like Fundly, that equips you with the features you need to collect donations, spread the word, and engage donors again and again. You’ll meet your fundraising goals in no time!

To learn more about soliciting and accepting donations online, check out these additional resources:

Click through to launch a Fundly fundraiser with no startup or hidden fees and collect online donations for your cause.

On the left side, the title of this post. On the right side, an image of happy campers completing a ropes course.

Marketing Your Summer Camp: 5 Successful Strategies

by
Read more
The title of the post on the left and an image of football helmets on grass on the right.

Sports and Recreation Software: 6 Must-Have Features

by

People of all ages benefit from community recreation programs. From children excitedly heading to little league practice to the adults blowing off steam at an after-work basketball game, recreational activities are fun for everyone. However, as you add more of these programs to your roster, management will become more complex—you may need a sports and recreation tool to sort out the details.

That’s where sports and recreation software comes in. With a dedicated solution, you can support a whole host of community activities with less hassle. When purchasing software for your organization, look out for the following features:

A depiction of must-have sports and recreation software features, also covered in the text below.

  1. Online registration tools.
  2. Memberships and passes.
  3. Secure online payment processing.
  4. Facility management and scheduling.
  5. Marketing and messaging capabilities.
  6. Prompted donation requests.

With these six features in mind, your sports and recreation community will be well on its way to running seamlessly. Let’s jump into the first feature: online registration tools.

1. Online registration tools.

Every program starts with registration. Ideally, this process should be as quick as possible to keep community members engaged at the get-go. However, as your activities become more popular and a greater number of members register, it will be increasingly difficult to keep paper forms organized and processed promptly.

An online registration tool will allow community members to register for a class or activity, purchase event tickets, or register to volunteer through an uncomplicated online process.

Customizable registration tools like the online forms in CommunityPass’ recreation software ensure you have all the necessary information. This includes:

  • Name
  • Birthdate
  • Contact information
  • Emergency contact information
  • Medical information and allergy alerts
  • Waivers
  • Permission slips
  • Program selection

Additionally, your software should automatically verify an individual’s eligibility for activities during registration. This minimizes cancellations on your side and allows staff members to keep an eye on the bigger picture while the software takes care of the administrative items on your checklist.

2. Memberships and passes.

People come to your sports and recreation center for various reasons, so you should offer a wide range of memberships and passes to accommodate their needs. Your sports and recreation software should enable you to offer all the membership plans and passes you need, including:

  • Rolling or recurring memberships
  • Seasonal, day, guest, and free passes
  • Fixed duration passes
  • Family and multi-sibling discounts
  • Exclusive membership discounts and packages

With clear, easy-to-use memberships, you’ll encourage greater community involvement and increase participation in your sports and recreation center’s activities. A robust software solution will allow you to offer automatic membership renewal and automatic membership expiration reminders for added convenience.

3. Secure online payment processing.

Online payment processing is a must in today’s technology-centric society. Regardless of whether you run a school, nonprofit, or rec center, make your payment process convenient for visitors and staff members by moving it online.

Your software should come equipped with online payment processing that can:

  1. Handle single- and multi-tender transactions.
  2. Keep credit card information on file for ease of use.
  3. Offer the option to automatically bill membership charges.
  4. Provide the option to pay online by credit card, debit card, or e-Check.

As community members check out or donate to community fundraising events, they should feel confident that their information is secure. The software you use must be PCI compliant, ensuring the transaction data meets the security standard.

A safe and straightforward payment system will cut down drastically on missed or overdue payments and enable people to sign up and pay for your membership programs conveniently.

4. Facility management and scheduling.

The right parks and recreation software solution not only provides community members access to programs and activities but also makes recreational facility management much easier.

Instead of manually scheduling your programs in countless facilities, the software will allow you to access all the data you and your visitors need in one place. View bookings for buildings, rooms, and fields, and show them on a single, centralized calendar to avoid booking conflicts. Add any closures to the calendar that will affect bookings or your community’s program schedule.

With this information, you can facilitate online rental requests, effortlessly planning around your existing bookings. Plus, you can add photos of your facilities to your website and calendar so guests can see the space they’re reserving.

5. Marketing and messaging capabilities.

You need to be able to communicate with the people in your community, whether it’s about upcoming programs, building closures, or cancellations. While direct mail is a great communication method, digital marketing is a better fit for time-sensitive communication.

A robust sports and recreation software solution will allow you to market through the following channels:

  • Your website. According to Getting Attention, your website is one of the primary resources for community members who want to engage with your programs. Your tool should empower you to create and manage such a website, and even help you optimize it for search engines to increase your visibility and grow your audience.
  • Email newsletters. Segmentation is the separation of a large group into smaller subgroups based on shared traits and characteristics. Your software should allow you to segment community members into different groups based on their demographics and interests. That way, for example, families with young children will receive information about the new play park opening, and sports-oriented members will receive messages about the tennis court closing temporarily.
  • Social media. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok allow you to grow your organization’s audience substantially. Choose a sports and recreation solution that integrates with these platforms. Then, manage your social media strategy alongside your other marketing channels.

Don’t underestimate the importance of quick marketing and messaging for the success of your community’s recreation programs. Additionally, your software should help you compile data on the effectiveness of your communications by tracking key metrics such as open rate, click-through rate, and number of followers.

6. Prompted donation requests.

There are many ways for your organization to attain the revenue needed to provide great experiences for your community members. For organizations that accept donations, sports and recreation software can help with that too!

The best tools will incorporate online donation into the registration process so every registrant will be presented with the opportunity to give at the point of purchase, making it much more convenient for them to contribute.

However, that’s not the only way software helps you meet your fundraising goals. It should also support stand-alone fundraising programs, such as a crowdfunding program, fundraising event, or virtual fundraising campaign, that people can access to donate regularly.

Sports and recreation software is made with a simple goal: to make organizing, managing, and participating in community programs easier, faster, and better. As you search for the perfect solution, keep your organization’s unique needs in mind. Find a tool that effectively fulfills these needs and you’ll be on your way to managing an efficient community recreation program!

Author Bio

Joseph Oriente is the President and Founder of Capturepoint, creator of CommunityPass. Joe established Capturepoint in 1999 and launched CommunityPass in 2003, which  was initially created to provide online registration and payment for a local town sports council that was overwhelmed with an increasing number of paper registrations. Since then Joe has been responsible for expanding CommunityPass nationally to become one of America’s most well respected and complete online management solutions with registration, membership and facilities software serving the recreation and school markets.

 

Explore these top pet business fundraising ideas to support causes in your area.

Using Your Pet Business to Fundraise: 9 Ideas to Give Back 

by

As the owner of a pet care business, whether that be a grooming or boarding service, you and your employees likely have a passion for the health and safety of animals. However, providing top-quality care to your customers’ pets is just a small piece of the broader animal welfare puzzle.

While some 4.1 million shelter animals are adopted annually, more than 6 million animals enter these shelters each year. These organizations, and the dogs and cats they are committed to protecting, are in constant need of supplies, funding, and volunteers.

Your business is in the perfect position to support shelters and rescues by implementing internal CSR programs, engaging the community, and spreading awareness of organizations in need. In this guide, we’ll cover some ideas that can help you get started.

1. Start a crowdfunding campaign.

A crowdfunding campaign involves collecting small donations from a wide audience, generally through social media or other online platforms. While nonprofits can organize these campaigns on their own, it’s common for individuals and organizations to crowdfund on behalf of a specific cause.

To get started, choose a nonprofit to support, create a donation page on a crowdfunding website, and share the campaign with your followers. Make sure to include information about the nonprofit, its mission, and a link to its website on your donation page.

Reach out to the nonprofit to see if there is a specific need or initiative that they need funding for. Then, highlight the specific reason you are fundraising on your donation page. For example, these scenarios might warrant a crowdfunding campaign:

  • A nearby animal shelter needs to build an additional wing to accommodate rising numbers of shelter animals.
  • A rescue group needs funding to pay for vaccinations, food, formula, and spay/neuter procedures during kitten season.
  • One of your customers can’t afford an expensive surgery procedure for their beloved pet.

You can also encourage your followers to make in-kind donations so organizations don’t have to take the time to go shopping. Create or share an online wishlist of the supplies the nonprofit needs and urge your followers to buy a blanket, bag of food, or toy for an animal in need.

2. Launch a #GivingTuesday fundraiser.

Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving that occurs each year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It’s a recognized, highly-anticipated, and successful annual event that capitalizes on the year-end giving spirit.

If you (like most business owners) are new to nonprofit fundraising, Giving Tuesday can be a good way to dip your toes into the water since there’s already a general structure in place. Giving Tuesday campaigns allow passionate supporters to serve as ambassadors. Reach out to the nonprofit you want to support and ask them to help you create a page in support of their organization. Add a picture of your logo as the profile picture, make a donation yourself, add a brief story about why you support the cause, and share the campaign!

If you aren’t ready to create your own Giving Tuesday campaign, you can create a small marketing campaign to boost local nonprofits’ campaigns. This extra publicity will help expand the campaign’s reach and can make a big difference in revenue.

3. Start a matching gift program.

A matching gift program is typically part of a business’s larger corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts. With these programs, businesses match the contributions that their employees make to eligible organizations. Often, businesses have minimum and maximum gift size requirements and may place restrictions on the kinds of organizations they donate to.

In addition to supplying organizations with double the funding they would ordinarily receive, Re:Charity’s guide to corporate philanthropy outlines these key benefits for corporations:

  • A positive reputation in the community
  • Increased employee engagement
  • A stronger sense of community

To ensure that employees take advantage of your matching gift program, spread awareness for it. For instance, you might share a step-by-step guide for submitting a matching gift request with employees and include it in your onboarding materials, office handbook, and any communications requesting donations to a fundraiser.

4. Organize a dog walk fundraiser.

Dog walks are similar to traditional walk-a-thon fundraisers in which participants walk a certain distance for a good cause. During a dog walk, you get the furry friends involved!

To fundraise, simply charge a registration fee to participants or follow a pledge fundraising model in which participants collect pledge donations from their friends and family. You’ll need to plan a route for the dog walk, complete with starting and finish lines. Make sure to have a team of volunteers to assist you with set up and tear down as well as manning water stations (for both humans and dogs!).

To maximize revenue, you’ll need to leverage your business’s contacts, share about the event through your marketing channels, and get the community involved. Don’t forget that your customer base is a great place to start—after all, they are pet owners who would probably love to support an animal welfare organization. Using pet business software like Gingr, you can reach out to customers in your database by leveraging built-in marketing tools.

5. Create a “sponsor a pet” program for a local shelter.

In a “sponsor a pet” program, your business will encourage supporters to make a recurring monthly donation to a local shelter. This donation is meant to fill the needs of a single pet by providing food, shelter, medical procedures, and vaccinations.

First, you’ll need to work with a local shelter to secure names and pictures of animals at their shelter. For example, maybe they have a black cat named Wanda who is the mother of a litter of kittens. A donor might choose to sponsor Wanda with a monthly donation of $50, paying for her food, blankets, litter, vaccines, and medication for an eye infection. Over the months, the shelter sends updates about how Wanda is doing and eventually lets the donor know she’s been adopted.

Choosing fundraising ideas that directly benefit your local community can be highly effective. Donors will see the positive impact they are making on local organizations firsthand—and who knows, they may even be inspired to adopt!

6. Make in-kind donations to local organizations.

As we mentioned earlier, many organizations need supplies in addition to funding. Consider donating high-demand pet care items to shelters and rescues, such as:

  • Dog and cat food for a variety of ages and needs (e.g., wet food for puppies or hairball control food for cats)
  • Blankets and towels
  • Pet beds
  • Food and water bowls
  • Grooming equipment
  • Leashes and collars
  • Litter boxes, litter, and scoops
  • Toys
  • Offering free services
  • The opportunity to use your facilities for an event (e.g., holding a charity dog wash at your grooming facility)

To collect these items, consider purchasing them in bulk from a wholesale company to stretch your buying power further. If you have extra, unused items, like grooming products or equipment, consider donating these as well. To get your customers and employees involved, set up a donation box at your facility and encourage them to bring in the items local organizations need most.

7. Ask your employees for ideas.

Asking employees for fundraising ideas is an effective way to engage them in opportunities that help them feel more fulfilled and connected to the local community.

Consider using tools like employee engagement software to create surveys that ask questions like:

  • What nonprofit organizations and causes are you most passionate about?
  • What types of fundraisers would you like to see our business participate in?
  • What are some effective fundraising campaigns you’ve seen that convinced you to donate?
  • What level of involvement would you like to have in our fundraising initiatives (e.g., volunteering at events, donating, no involvement, etc.)?

When you launch fundraisers that employees are excited about, they’ll be much more likely to get involved and drive your initiatives toward success. By engaging employees directly in your charitable efforts, they’ll know that you value their input and interests.

8. Run a pet calendar sale.

When it comes to calendars, pets are one of the most popular themes. Who wouldn’t want to see an adorable animal each month?

Gather some photos of pets in your area to build a pet calendar. The pets can either be your business’s clients or adoptable animals from a local animal shelter. For example, your dog daycare might snap photos of its regulars or puppies on their first visit. To connect those who purchase the calendar with the pet, consider adding the dog’s name, their favorite treats and toys, and a short description of their background.

Print and sell your calendars online or on location at your business. Make it clear that sales will benefit a specific nonprofit organization and provide some information about the organization’s mission.

9. Donate a percentage of sales.

During a percentage fundraiser, your business pledges to donate a percentage of all sales made within a specified timeframe to a nonprofit. For example, you might donate 5% of all sales made during a three-day weekend event to a cat rescue in your town.

This is a simple way to incorporate fundraising into your business’s regular activities. Promote your percentage fundraiser ahead of time to boost foot traffic by encouraging charitably-minded customers to visit your store during the campaign.

Just because your pet business is a for-profit company doesn’t mean that you can’t invest in the community. Corporate social responsibility is on the rise, and consumers care now more than ever before that businesses commit to social good. With these fundraising ideas, build a strong reputation for your business and support animals in need at the same time.

A women putting a coin into a piggy bank with the text "150+ easy and lucrative fundraising ideas for any cause" overlaid on top.

Fundraising Ideas | 150 Easy Campaigns for Any Cause

by
Read more