Host your own fundraiser or event

From lemonade stands and car washes to golf tournaments and birthdays, people support causes they're passionate about through their own fundraisers or events. At Animal Humane Society, we're grateful for these creative spirits and their generosity! 

Interested in hosting your own fundraiser or event to benefit Animal Humane Society? Here's how to get started.

Host a digital fundraiser in lieu of gifts

A cat celebrating its 9th birthday

Do you have an upcoming milestone you're celebrating, like a birthday, wedding, or retirement? AHS makes it easy to ask for donations in lieu of gifts for your upcoming celebration.

There are two simple ways to create a digital fundraiser to benefit AHS:

  1. Create a personal fundraising page. Easily communicate with friends, family, and coworkers through your own digital fundraising page. Personal fundraising pages allow you to take credit card donations directly through your page and email your contacts using customizable email templates.
  2. Start a Facebook fundraiser. To get started, visit Animal Humane Society's Facebook page and click “Raise Money” under the “Fundraisers” tab. You may choose an existing AHS photo, or upload one of your own.

Host a fundraising event in four easy steps

If you're looking to create more buzz with an event, follow these four steps:

Dog washing a car
  1. Plan your event. Determine the kind of fundraiser you want to have. See a list of fundraising event ideas below.
  2. Review our event guidelines. Familiarize yourself with our third-party event guidelines and policies before submitting an event application.
  3. Tell us about your event. Complete the online event application form. The information you provide helps us offer tips or suggestions for your event. We'll respond to your request within one week of your submission to discuss next steps.
  4. Promote your event. The more people that know about your event, the better. Set up a personal fundraising page to easily communicate with your guests and organize their donations, or create a Facebook event and/or fundraiser to spread the word. Find more tips for how to plan and market your fundraiser below.

Note: Unfortunately, we cannot bring shelter animals to your offsite event.

Tips and tricks for your fundraising event

Fundraising event ideas
  • Bingo or casino night
  • Art show or a Paint and Sip-style class
  • Car wash
  • Chili cook-off
  • Concert
  • Garage sale
  • Fashion show
  • Denim Day (wear jeans to work)
  • Cookie bake-off or bake sale
  • Ice cream social
  • Movie night
  • Murder mystery dinner
  • Office BBQ
  • Office Olympics
  • Pancake breakfast
  • Pet photo contest
  • Silent auction
  • Talent show
  • Board game challenge or trivia night

Sports related fundraising ideas:

  • Create sports tournaments with friends, co-workers or on community leagues for bowling, golf, basketball, baseball, softball, dodgeball, flag football, kickball, Ping-Pong, or volleyball — the sky's the limit!
  • Make AHS your charity of choice and raise money while participating in a marathon, half-marathon, 10K, or 5K.
  • Raise money by participating in a mud run, color run, or bike challenge.
  • Host a fitness-tracker challenge with your friends or co-workers to see who can take the most steps in a day or week.
Planning and marketing your fundraiser
  1. Seek the help of friends and family. Getting help with an event will help you brainstorm creative ideas, divide the work, and have more fun.
  2. Crunch the numbers. In the early stages of planning, you should identify your expenses and potential sources of income and donations. You should also set a fundraising goal for your event.
  3. Keep expenses low. Increase the amount of money you raise by limiting the amount of money you spend. Keep your expenses low by asking people to donate or discount items such as venue rental fees, entertainment, decorations, food and beverages. Ask for donations for auction items and raffle prizes.
  4. Make a list, check it twice. Who will want to be involved in your event? Identify who those people are, how you want to get them involved, how you will ask them, and if they will be available when you need them.
  5. Shout it from the rooftops. Much of your success will depend on how well you spread the word about your event and the number of people you invite. How do you plan to let people know about your event? From yard signs and postcards to social media and email, the more ways you can get the word out, the better.
  6. Incorporate other ways to raise money. Think about creative ways to raise funds — live or silent auctions, raffles, 50-50 drawings, passing the hat, and sales of food or merchandise are just some examples of ways you can raise additional funds at an event.
  7. Don’t forget to say thanks. Send letters or emails to all of the supporters and volunteers that helped make your event a success. You will probably want their help again next year!
  8. Keep lists up-to-date. Having a list of your event contacts makes future planning much easier. Make sure all contact lists always have the most up-to-date information (email, addresses, and phone numbers).
  9. Mark your calendar. If you know the date for next year’s event, be sure to let everyone know as soon as possible so they can plan to attend!

Are you a business interested in becoming an AHS event and program partner? Learn more about sponsorship and partnership opportunities.

For caring, compassionate advice and resources to address all your animal concerns.

Contact the Pet Helpline