20 Animal Fundraising Event Ideas To Keep The Donations Coming

Everyone has a special place in their hearts for pets. Whether it is a dog or a cat, we take care of our pets as our own. But, there are thousands of animals that are abandoned, need urgent surgical treatment, or need basic shelter and food. Animal fundraisers help people donate money to animal and pet-related causes.

But spreading the word about the cause is a challenge. Crowdfunding is one such way to attract the attention of potential donors. There are numerous online fundraising platforms that help charities and individuals raise money for animal-related causes. Apart from these, animal fundraising events also help raise money for the cause. Let’s see 20 animal and pet-related fundraising event ideas here to help the donations keep pouring in successfully.    

 1. Pet crowdfunding

While animal fundraisers are popular, planning and organizing events take time. If it is a one-time cause such as raising money to get an animal treated or urgently repairing an animal shed before the monsoon, setting up a donation page on an online fundraising platform is the best.

Animal fundraisers on these platforms have proven to be successful and many have reached their monetary goals easily. GivingX offers crowdfunding options for both nonprofits and individuals and provides advanced features for setting up campaigns. Generate QR codes and links to share the donation page on various platforms and for events.     

 2. Adorable pet photo competition

Social media platforms are awash with cute photos of adorable pets. Many pet owners have a dedicated profile created for their pets and they keep uploading short videos and photos that are quite a hit among pet lovers. Taking this idea a step forward, organize a social media photo competition by encouraging people to submit a favorite picture of their pets. Charge an entry fee for each participant. Get it to trend online by setting up a unique hashtag related to your charity. Get your followers to vote for the winner. Boost your campaign by sponsored ads or inviting influencers to participate. Talk to pet food manufacturers or pat salons to sponsor the winning prize. You can gift salon or pet food coupons to the winners. This gets them their share of recognition while you benefit from the entries and fundraising campaign.

 3. Pet photoshoot

We have already mentioned how pet owners proudly upload snaps of their pets. So, why not arrange for a pet photo shoot? People love to have their pets photographed day in and day out. Capitalize on this opportunity. Team up with a local photographer. Arrange the setup and props to offer mini-photo sessions. Pet owners book it by paying a fee that goes for your animal fundraiser. The photographer makes money by selling prints or digital copies of the best pet photos to the owners.

 4. Selling coffee mugs, photo frames, calendars

Stretch the pet photo shoot opportunity a bit more and offer the pet owners coffee mugs, photo frames, key chains, notebooks, and other paraphernalia with the pet photos printed on them. If your charity has a logo, print it somewhere on these products so that it can be promoted as merchandise. You can also select the best 12 photos collectively from the photo shoot and publish them on calendars. Pet owners would love to buy them from you if it has a photo of their pet.

 5. Dog walk

There are quite a few ways to raise money for your animal fundraiser through dog walks.

• You organize a dog walk for pets. Gather your volunteers at the animal shelter and each one takes a pet from your community for a walk. You charge a fee for completing the job.
• You choose to go a set distance with your dog, say five miles. You ask people to sponsor this activity. They pay for it when you complete the task.      
• You ask people to pay a fee and join with their dogs for a group walk. This gives the pet owners an opportunity to socialize their dogs with others. Non-pet owners can also participate to encourage pet adoption.

Dog walking is a popular animal fundraiser idea and this has the added benefit of reaching a wider audience as people observe you and join in to donate to the cause.

 6. Pet food donation

Set up pet food donation points outside supermarkets or the village stores or at any point in your community. People coming to buy items for their homes see your stall and if encouraged buy pet food from the supermarket and pop it into the donation bin. Also, pet owners who have recently lost their pets can donate the pet food which they no longer require at these pet food donation points. Display the donation page QR code in the stall for people to donate money.

 7. Dog sports

As an animal fundraiser idea, set up a dog sport and invite all the local community pet owners to get their pets for the event. Obstacle race, barn hunt, flyball game, there are scores of games for pets you can organize to raise money for the cause. Before organizing the event, make sure that you have a team of pet experts and vets with you for guidance.

For elaborate events, you can organize a dog rally which combines moving the dog around a course made up of 10-12 signs like obstacles, jumps, tunnels, walkways, and A-frames. All must be completed as fast as possible to win the challenge.

Charge an entry fee for participation. Also, get corporate houses or pet-related businesses to sponsor the event. It’ll cover your event expenses as well as help you collect money for the charity.

 8. Doorstep pet grooming

Instead of taking their pets to grooming salons, what if pet owners got it done at their doorstep? As a part of the animal fundraiser, hire a pet grooming van for a day or week until your goal is met. You hire a pet grooming team and drive around the town offering pet grooming services. Schedule dates for specific areas around your locality and promote them on social media platforms. Share the link of the donation page set up on the online fundraising platform to make people aware of the cause. Pet owners relate to it and they’ll not hesitate to book a grooming session for their pets. Encourage them to donate to the cause by sharing the page link.

 9. Pet party

Just like humans, pets love to socialize too. So, why not set up a pet party! Select a place and set it up with party decorations. Get pet delicacies and yummy treats. Also, plan for a series of pet games. Invite dogs along with the pet owners for the party. Charge an entry fee for attending the animal fundraiser event. Let the pets enjoy the party. Set up a refreshment counter for the waiting pet owners. There’s nothing for the pets than a day well spent.

 10. Beginner’s pet care classes

There are many families who have just decided to adopt a pet and are unaware of the ways of raising and caring for them. Also, kids are desperate to have a pet at home but do not know the troubles of maintaining them. Organize a beginner’s pet care class to make people aware of the responsibilities. Take an entry fee. Make it a fun event by organizing quizzes and games, and inviting a pet owner for a pep talk. Talk about your charity and the various pet-related causes you are associated with to raise a bit extra.

 11. Funny pet video competition

Let’s leverage social media to raise money for the charity. Organize an online competition and tell the participants to submit a funny pet video. Upload these on your social media profile. Encourage people to tag you and share the posts so that maximum people participate in the competition. Each participating pet owner pays a fee. Ask your followers to like the videos to select the popular one as the winner. Talk to pet-related businesses to have them as sponsors for this online event. This will not only spread the word about the animal fundraiser but also get you more followers.       

 12. Pet clothes sale

Custom-made pet clothes are a rage and you can capitalize on this trend by offering pet clothes for sale. Form a team of crochet or knitting experts. Get some pet clothes ready for display. Set up a stall in any local community event and sell these pet clothes and take orders for custom-made ones. It’s simple. You can even sell these on your website or social media channels. When people know that you are associated with an animal fundraiser, they’ll be glad to buy it from you.

 13. Pet raffle

How about selling raffle tickets to raise money for your cause? Make this interesting by giving pet supplies and toys as prizes. If you cannot hold it offline, make it online so that more people can buy the tickets. Promote it on your social media channels. Talk to supermarkets or pet shops to sponsor the prizes or gift coupons. Use a free online random number generator to select the pet raffle winners.

 14. Pet cuddle booth

Do you know that pets love being cuddled and pampered? So, why not do it and charge a fee for it. This fee goes straight into the charity. But first, make sure that the participating pets are friendly and can handle the attention of strangers. Set up a make-shift cuddling kiosk and schedule dates at various areas in and around the locality. While cuddling, have a talk about your charity with the pet owners. You never know, they may end up donating quite an amount of money to your animal fundraiser.

 15. Pet fancy dress

How cute will it look when pets come dressed up for a fun fancy dress competition? Make it more entertaining by setting up a theme like Halloween, Christmas, or any color-based costume show. You can also let the pet owner team up with their pet to put up a funny act. Spread the word about the competition by printing and distributing flyers in your community. Also, post about it on your social media platform. Charge a small fee to enter the challenge and have any pet-related business owner come and judge the show. You can arrange for small mementos as participation gifts.     

 16. Quiz competition

How good is your knowledge about pets? Can you identify the different breeds of dogs and cats? Test the skills of pet owners by organizing a quiz show on pets. Encourage all the people to participate. If there are a large number of participants, divide them as per their age groups. And yes, you raise money for your charity by charging an entry fee for the quiz competition. Make the prize distribution ceremony memorable by inviting the winners to get their pets on stage to receive the winning trophy. 

 17. Nature expeditions

Organize expeditions and trails to natural reserves for animal and nature lovers. The pet owners get to bring their pets with them for these explorations. Get a wildlife expert to talk to the group about preserving nature and wildlife. Get volunteers to help you organize this event. Since it is about exploring natural reserves, obtain requisite permissions from the concerned authorities.

 18. Pet greeting cards

Print creative greeting cards related to pets with your charity logo and name on them. You can create it specifically for Christmas, Easter, or birthdays of your supporters or potential donors. You can also print postcards with photos of the cause you are supporting with a brief description of them. Mail these postcards on special occasions and don’t forget to include your contact details so that the recipient can contact you if they are encouraged to give money.

 19. Pet story

This animal fundraiser idea will particularly resonate with kids. Open a competition inviting kids to tell their best experience with their pets. It can be in the form of poems, short stories, sketches, or paintings. Each participant pays an entry fee. Promote it on social media and encourage your followers to like and share the post. You can also ask them to vote for the winner online. Gift pet goody bags to the winners. Print the winning poem, painting, or story on your annual report book or include it in the diary merchandise of your charity.     

 20. Name the pet

It’s simple and straightforward but entertaining and creative too. If you’ve adopted a new pet, run a competition to name it. Invite meaningful and creative names from all. Let them tell their thoughts on why they think the pet should be named so. And yeah, share the story of how you found out about the animal and decided to adopt it. This will resonate among the readers and they will be more than happy to not only name it but also donate to the cause.    

Wrap Up

We have listed 20 great and fun pet-related and animal fundraiser event ideas. Yeah, these are unique and easy too. But before organizing an animal fundraising event, set up a donation page on a trusted online fundraising platform. It will make your task of raising money easy. GivingX has all the features you need to make your animal cause crowdfunding successful. Visit the platform to get complete information on the setup process.

Do you have any other unique animal fundraising event ideas in mind? Share your thoughts with us.