Grassroots Fundraising How individuals and small groups can raise money to help feral cats

Overview Goals ♦To learn where the money is. ♦Why people should donate. ♦How to get people to give you their money. Method ♦We will follow one caregiver’s grassroots efforts from raising money alone to forming a small group on the way to becoming a 501(c)3.

What is grassroots fundraising? Grassroots fundraising is when individuals or small groups raise money from the local community.

Who gives donations to charity? Source: AAFRC Trust for Philanthropy/Giving USA 2002

How do we get cash gifts? Ask! Ask! Ask! Ask! Ask! ♦ 85% of people who can remember their last donation report that they gave because they were asked. ♦ 50% do not remember the name of the organization to which they donated. ♦ 90% remembered something about the person who asked them even if the person was a complete stranger.

Why will people give you money? Because you have made your “case.” ♦Who are you or what is your organization? ♦What work are you doing? ♦What still needs to be done? ♦How can the donor become involved? Your group’s case provides a base for all future fundraising campaigns and grant applications.

Bottom line… ♦People will give you money because you are helping cats. ♦People will not give you money if you whine, complain, or act desperate. ♦Appeal to people’s emotions, but do not be melodramatic. Tell people all the good things you are already doing for cats and the money will follow.

Help! I’m all alone! ♦People may be more comfortable giving “things” (in-kind donations) than money. ♦Hold fundraising events such as yard sales, bake sales, car washes, donation cans in stores, etc. ♦Establish legitimacy through community meetings, advertisements, contact with public officials, etc. ♦Set up a specific fund through a bank or your veterinarian to which people can donate for spay/neuter costs. ♦Ask others to help you.

In-Kind Donations Non-monetary donations: Cat food ♦ Humane traps ♦ Cleaning supplies ♦ Printing costs ♦ Humane box traps♦ Vaccines and medication ♦ Medical supplies ♦ Office equipment ♦ Advertising space Volunteers: Caretakers ♦ Veterinarians ♦ Vet Techs ♦ Vet Assistants ♦ Fundraisers ♦ Clerical ♦ Shelter Builders ♦ Advertisers ♦ Artists/Designers Grassroots Organizers ♦ Speakers ♦ Legal Experts ♦ Writers ♦ Publicists

Example: Food Bank Marci has been a caretaker for a colony of feral cats for two years. She recently started caring for two other colonies and the food expenses are rapidly rising. Occasionally someone gives her a bag of food but she has decided to make an effort to have food donated for the cats. ♦She talked to the owner of a local pet store and the manager of a grocery store and asked if she could set up boxes by the checkouts where people could drop off cat food. ♦The boxes included a picture of a cat, a brief explanation of what she was doing, and contact information. ♦She agreed to stop by the stores once a week to pick up the food. ♦Marci also asked the pet store and grocery store to donate any broken or recently expired bags of food.

The food bank… ♦Saved Marci money. ♦Heightened community involvement and awareness. ♦Recruited new donors and volunteers. ♦Made people feel good that they were directly helping the animals.

Types of Special Events Bike-a-thon Food Tasting Concert Dinner Phone-a-thon Car Wash … Silent Auction Yard Sale Car Show Walk-a-thon House Party Fun Run Bake Sale *Laws regulating non-501(c)3 groups may differ in various jurisdictions

Special Events… 1.Increase visibility. Introduce your organization to the community. 2.Raise awareness of your issue. Educate neighbors, elected officials, media, etc. 3.Bring in new donors and volunteers. Be sure to have sign up sheets at all events. 4.Raise money. Realize that some special events often do not raise a large amount of money.

Example: Yard Sale Marci now has much of the food for the cats donated but she still needs money for additional food and spay/neuter costs. ♦She asked friends and family to donate used items. ♦Marci asked her friend, Jen, to gather the donations and hold the yard sale. Jen believes in Trap-Neuter-Return but isn’t able to commit to caring for a colony. ♦She advertised in the local paper and put up posters explaining that the proceeds would benefit the cats. ♦She had a sign-up sheet for people interested in helping the feral cats. ♦Jen had TNR literature available at the sale.

Outcome: Yard Sale ♦A few people donated modest amounts of money by paying $1 or $2 more than what the items would normally sell for at a yard sale. She made a little over $200. ♦A professional designer who stopped by the sale offered to design Marci’s posters and literature at no cost. ♦She collected a list of names of people that were interested in helping the local feral cats. Some people on the list became donors and some became volunteers. A few never responded to her follow-up inquiries.

Example: Party and Silent Auction Marci now has a growing support base and a handful of volunteers. She and her colleagues have decided to call themselves the “Frederick Feral Friends” (FFF) and are thinking about becoming a 501(c)3. Marci is busy caring for the colonies and administrative tasks, so two volunteers agree to be responsible for the event. ♦Marci found volunteers to organize the event. ♦They agreed to keep the program short so people had time to interact. ♦They asked for in-kind donations for silent auction items, printing services, advertisement space, a room in which to hold the auction and refreshments.

Outcome: Party and Silent Auction ♦FFF raised over $500 after deducting non-donated advertising and printing expenses, which were about $100. ♦Their list of interested donors and volunteers grew. ♦Marci and other volunteers were able to talk to people in attendance including a public official, a vet tech and a local businesswoman.

Grant Basics Marci and the other FFF volunteers realize that special events are a good way to get cash, but can be time consuming and don’t make much money. They decide to become a 501(c)3 and want to apply for grant money to cover start up costs. ♦Remember that grants are not intended for long term programs or operating costs. ♦Follow the grant guidelines. Some ask for an initial one page proposal, a complete grant using their outline, or a form that needs to be completed. ♦Do your research. Don’t ask for feral cat funding from a group that is notoriously anti-cat or only funds inner-city health projects. ♦If possible, form a relationship with someone from the foundation. ♦Develop the “case” that you have already written. ♦Some foundations now offer application forms and offer grants specifically for spay & neuter and TNR.

Donor Basics Marci and the FFF’s recognize that the largest source of income and the only way to sustain their organization is to concentrate on individual donors. ♦Thank your donors! ♦Continually develop your mailing list, even if you are not doing mailings yet. ♦When working as an individual or small group, take advantage of your ability to interact personally with your donors. Get to know them and encourage them to stick around for the long haul. ♦Tell your supporters specifically how you are using the money they donated (we spayed/neutered 37 cats…). ♦Thank your donors!

Suggested Fundraising Resources Online ♦Grassroots Fundraising Journal ♦The Chronicle of Philanthropy ♦The Foundation Center ♦Brown, Bonney ♦“Getting Your Paws on More Money: Overcoming Fundraising Phobia.”: ♦“Building a Mailing List From Scratch.” Feral Cat Activist, Spring : ♦“Creating Fundraising Appeals that Work.” Feral Cat Activist, Fall : ♦“Non-Profit Fundraising for Animal Protection Organizations.” Online: ♦Animal and Wildlife Grants: ♦Fundraising articles:

Suggested Fundraising Resources, cont’d… Periodicals ♦The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Washington, DC: The Chronicle of Philanthropy. ♦Grassroots Fundraising Journal. Oakland, CA: Chardon Press. (Free to nonprofit agencies). Books ♦Burk, Penelope. Thanks! A Guide to Donor-Centered Fundraising. Burlington, Canada. Burk and Associates, Ltd ♦Klein, Kim. Fundraising for the Long Haul. San Francisco, CA. Jossey-Bass, ♦Klein, Kim, and Stephanie Roth (Eds). Raise More Money: The Best of the Grassroots Fundraising Journal. San Francisco, CA. Jossey-Bass, 2001

Summary Original Goal: To learn where the money is, why people should donate and how to get people to give you cash donations. Where is the money? ♦With individuals. Why should people donate to you? ♦Because you are already doing good things for feral cats. How do you get people to give you money? ♦Ask! ♦In-kind donations: Get as much as you can without asking for money. ♦Special Events: Use events to raise your visibility and grow your donor base. ♦Grants: Apply for grants for short-term needs. ♦Donors: Cultivate your donors to provide long-term support.

And finally… Remind people that they can help you continue to help cats like these. All photographs are © Gina Mantero.