Fundraising For Ferals

Everything you need to know about fundraising for feral cats. This complete marketing and fundraising guide will help you raise more money in less time. Click here to download the free guide! 

Complete Fundraising Guide

Fundraising Outline

1. Introduction
2. Strategy
3. Appeals
4. Events
5. Content
6. Channels
7. Other Sources
8. Networking
9. Campaign Checklist

Intro

Here’s what I know now about raising money for cats that I wish I had known earlier. I’ve helped hundreds of animal charities and rescues with their fundraising programs over the past eight years. As a professional fundraiser, I’ve run GoFundMe campaigns, won grant funding, raised millions through galas, launched viral videos, and helped a lot of people help more animals. Whether you’re a solo rescuer or you have a fundraising team, these tools and techniques can help you raise funds for felines.

Before we jump in, I want to dispel any notions that you can’t do marketing or you can’t be successful in raising money. This road map doesn’t require any technical skills that you can’t master in a few tries. It doesn’t require eight hours of work every day, and it doesn’t require a massive social media following. If you follow this process, you’ll incorporate the majority of the work into your existing efforts, while building a fanbase and audience that will financially support your cause.

Strategy

Here’s your strategic high-level roadmap to fundraising for cats.

The Rescue community is tapped out. We’re all funding our own rescues and fosters. To generate small-dollar donations, you need to look outside the rescue network.

Content is King. Leverage your compelling imagery and stories, but focus on positivity. You’ll reach a wider audience with hope and love.

Do many things often. Create a schedule and invest in marketing. A fundraising campaign can produce thousands of dollars per hour of development time. A few hours a week can really help fund your program.

Cultivate your community by adding value. Try a content mix of about 70% value and 30% ask. Focus on developing your fan base by sharing positive stories often. That way, when you make an ask for donations, your fans will know the good work you do and see this as a legitimate request for support.

Communicate the impact of their donation. Transparency is important when donors are making decisions. The more you can share about the impact they are making, the better you will do.

Share your personal story and dedication to the cause. The rescues that I donate to have a hardworking and dedicated team. I can see it in the social media posts, and they reply and thank me when I donate. Seeing the team behind the mission is more important in the long run than only seeing the kitties you are supporting.

Appeals

Sure cash is the best, but if you limit your asks to cash only, then you’ll miss out on other resources you could use.

Single cat stories – Stories sell. Stories help people connect with your kitties and the circumstances they are in. This creates a long-lasting emotional connection to your cause. Post frequent updates to keep your supporters engaged.

Food, supplies, equipment – Some people would rather buy or give supplies that you can use. Try local advertising such as Nextdoor or flyers at coffee shops or bulletin boards.

Amazon wish list – This is an easy way to ask for much needed supplies. Plus, everyone has an Amazon account! Keep it organized and only ask for one or two things from each category with varying price points. Make it easy for the donor to pick something without having to scroll through 100 items. 10 items is a good limit.

Gala/Events – Galas and usually going to be most beneficial for larger rescues, but events in general provide great networking and exposure for even small rescues. The main downside to events is that they take a lot of time to host. The upside is they are great opportunities for exposure, partnerships, and donations.

Events

Time to pawty! These fundraiser events are easy to host and can raise lots of money!

Here are a few smaller-scale events you can try that have good networking potential. Try pairing hobbies or local establishments with your mission.

  • Cats and Cocktails. Partner with local breweries, restaurants, or bars to host a cat-themed event.
  • Comedy for cats. Connect with a cat comedian and a comedy club to host a fundraiser.
  • Bowling night. Ask your local bowling alleys if they will donate space if you bring in guests. This is a fun event to also host a raffle or silent auction.
  • Cat Bingo or Cat Trivia Night. Find cat loving bars and restaurants that already offer these events, and see if they will donate the space.
  • Movie night. Connect with a community center for a movie night.
  • Crafts for Cats. Connect with craft stores for donations and advertising partnerships. Local craft groups online. Sell a craft kit and Instructions for cat related toys.
  • Paint and Cats night (Vino y Gatos). A modern take on a paint and wine event. Find a restaurant and an artist to support the event.

Content

Content development begins in the field and ends on the couch. Take pictures and videos of your rescue work while you are doing it. Make it a priority to get good quality images. Once you have the content, editing and enhancing before you post can be done on your phone while you’re watching Netflix. I do all my editing on my phone during downtime while on the couch. I even once made a video at 1 am while sitting in my car trapping a cat (I caught a skunk instead).

Canva – Canva is free and offers nonprofits the Pro version for free as well. Canva is a design platform that has templates for everything you could need as well as images and icons you can use. It also has light editing options and filters to touch up your photos or videos. Here are a few things I’ve made using free Canva templates:

  • Fundraising flyers
  • Trapping in progress signs
  • Business cards
  • Social media graphics, photos, and videos
  • Cat colony tracking sheet

CapCut – Editing video has never been easier, and it’s the best way to reach more people. I use the free app, CapCut, because I overheard a teenager talking about how they made TikToks. I figured if she could do it, so can I. All you need to do is trim the video, put a nice free song to it, and maybe add a title. Here’s a video I made in 20 minutes that reached over 1.5 million people and has more than 2,600 hours of watch time.

Photos and Videos – Let’s face it, no one will like your posts if you use low-resolution crappy photos and videos. The first step to great content comes with taking great photos and videos. Here’s our full resource to photograph cats like a pro.

ChatGPT – Ai platforms can be extremely helpful and save you a lot of time. If you haven’t used ChatGPT yet, you should try it out right meow. It’s free and easy. Try these prompts to help you get started.

“Write a fundraising email that asks for donations of cat rescue supplies such as food, litter, and other common items.”

“Write 10 email subject lines for a cat rescue fundraising email.”

“Write a compelling social media post fundraising for a cat rescued that needs to see a veterinary and taken to a shelter.”

“Write 20 headline ideas for a Crafts for Cats fundraising event.”

Channels

Here are some of the most popular and best channels you can use to get the word out and raise funds for your kitties.

Social Media – Vertical video is the most popular these days and algorithms prioritize video which means they reach more people. Instagram and TikTok are the best for video, but Facebook and Nextdoor are also great platforms because of Groups and networking. 

Emails and Newsletters – If you have an email list then you’re probably already doing this. Emails are a great way to share a story and ask for action.

GoFundMe – This is a free platform that allows you to make fundraising campaigns. All you need to do is fill out the details and enter your banking information to receive the funds and promote your campaign. Some people may find your campaign on GFM, but you’re going to have to promote it on other channels as well.

Website – Your website is a great place to feature fundraising asks and timely requests. Your homepage likely gets the most pageviews, so header placement or just below the fold (their first scroll down) are prime locations. You can embed your fundraising video and link to your GFM campaign for payment processing.

Public Relations (PR) – You can kick off your PR campaign by sending emails and DMs. Reaching out to news organizations can pay off if you have a good story. Otherwise, local influencers and cat lovers with a big following can help you share your message. 

Mailers – Mailing postcards and other appeals has never been easier. Companies like Vistaprint offer designs, printing, and mailing to an address list, all at an affordable price. 

Flyers – You can design some flyers in Canva or use Vistaprint to design and print them. Canvas your community with flyers about your organization and mission. Include a QR code or URL to make it easy for people to connect with you. You can also link directly to your GFM campaign. Placing flyers in coffee shops, gyms, shops, and any place that has a bulletin board. Place 100 flyers and see what happens! You’ll spread awareness locally and be networking at the same time.

Other Sources

Cash isn’t the only resource you need, and there’s one easy and guaranteed grant all nonprofit rescues can acquire. It’s the Google Grant (details below). Most other grants will require winning an RFP or submission. Many grants also have requirements or are Challenge Grants, which means they aren’t always easy money. In addition to grants, there are also other fundraising programs that turn assets into cash. Here are some great fundraising programs for 501c3 nonprofits, big or small.

Google Grant PPC – This is available to all 501c3 nonprofits and gives you $10,000 a month in free Google advertising. This allows you to promote adoptions, fosters, and fundraising for your rescue directly on Google! United Spay Alliance Challenge Grant – If selected, grantees must create and implement a brand-new fundraiser. Grantees must raise $2,000 (net) to receive a matching grant of up to $2,000 from United Spay Alliance.

Car donations – This might surprise you, but nonprofits raise over $200 million a year nationally from vehicle donations. It’s a free service for nonprofits, and you never even see the cars. They’re picked up and sold by the vendor and you receive a check. The best car donation program is careasy.org, partly because they offer free marketing materials that work. CRAN raised 10k in its first year. Best Friends, ASPCA, Peta, HSUS, and almost every large humane society have a program.

Networking

In order to cultivate community support, you need to put yourself out there. Here are some places that will welcome you with open arms!

Cat Cafes – Strategy one is to reach a non rescue community. That’s where cat cafes come in. They actively support shelters and rescues but their food and beverage appeal brings in a new audience. Some are adopters, some are just cat loves. Connect with your local cat cafe, or better yet, start one yourself!

Online Groups – You should join and participate with your local rescue and lost pet groups on Facebook and Nextdoor. You can also connect with other groups, like for hobbies. That way, you can promote your Crafts for Cats events!

Jackson Galaxy’s Cat Camp – Cat Camp is here to amplify and share stories of individuals who do great things in the name of cats. Whether you’re interested in improving the lives of your own cats, creating content and sharing animal stories, or helping community cats, we are going to discover the many ways that individuals can make a real impact.

CatCon – CatCon is the biggest cat-centric pop culture event in the world dedicated to all things feline, with a community of cat lovers that spans the globe. Part expo, part symposium, CatCon engages, educates, and entertains thousands of fans, featuring the latest in groundbreaking products and ideas for cats and their people.

POP Cats – POP Cats is not a convention; it’s an annual immersive festival where the worlds of cats and pop collide. Join us for a weekend filled with awe-inspiring environments, adoption catios, art, workshops, merch, cattoos, and endless photo opportunities.

Checklist

How To Do Your First Fundraising Campaign – A Checklist

Prepare Content

  • Determine your ask
  • Write a short story
  • Collect photos and edit videos
  • Create a GoFundMe campaign

Promotions

  • Feature the fundraiser on your website
  • Make several posts on social media
  • Send a newsletter and dedicated email
  • Post 100 flyers around town
  • 1 to 1 email or outreach to local companies, news/PR, and supporters.

Cultivate Donors

  • Send Thank You emails, reply with comments, direct messages, and make phone calls to every donor you can.
  • Create a donor database and list for future outreach efforts