Last updated: 25 Jan, 2022
Published on: 26 May, 2015
Host an office fundraiser for the furries
Nothing beats a fundraiser to bring a team together and give everyone some well-earned down-time. And if you can give to a cause you care deeply about at the same time, that’s a triple slam-dunk for you and your team!
Perhaps you already have a charity fundraising program in place, or it’s been on your to-do list for some time. Either way, we want to make it as easy as possible for you to get your boss, colleagues or employees fired up to raise funds for PetRescue and help save the lives of rescue pets.
Why fundraise for PetRescue?
Every year, more than 186,000 dogs and cats are left unclaimed in Australia’s pounds and shelters. And without the generous support of pet-loving Australians, PetRescue wouldn’t be here to help thousands of these unclaimed pets every month through our website, adoption services and innovative programs.
Every $10 you raise helps one rescue pet in need that may otherwise go unnoticed. Your act of kindness gives them the best chance of finding a new home and a human to love for life.
Start planning your PetRescue fundraiser
Give yourself a little time around your daily work schedule to plan your event, starting at least eight weeks before you intend to hold your fundraiser. First, decide what format you want it to take – a morning tea, mini office olympics or an end-of-month get-together. Decide whether you’re going to raise funds by selling tickets to the event, or by holding a raffle or auction. You might also want to appoint an MC to host your event, and nominate a treasurer to manage collection and payment of funds. Once you’ve got the basic details, pitch it to your boss, business partner or line manager for approval, unless of course, you are the boss.
Create an online fundraising page
If you want to make it easy for colleagues or employees to donate and/or fundraise, go to our Fundraise for PetRescue page on Shout and click ‘Start Fundraising’ now. It only takes a few minutes to set up your page with your company logo. Then you’re ready to share, raise funds and keep your supporters posted on your event with photos.
Generate some intrigue and interest
To get your colleagues or employees engaged and keen to find out more about your event, send a teaser email. Then follow up with the invitation two weeks before your fundraiser, requesting an RSVP so you get an idea of numbers. You may need to send out a reminder on the day of your RSVP deadline to give people a gentle and friendly prod.
Keep it simple, casual, short and sweet
You and your people are busy, so keep your fundraising presentation short and sweet (or savory). Set up a screen, connected to a laptop (or get your IT peeps to do it for you) so you can showcase our video and a few furry faces from the PetRescue website. Put on some drinks and light nibbles. Allow time for your team to chat and mingle beforehand. And set yourself a maximum of 10 to 15 minutes to present.
Extra facts and stats for your preso
Of course, you don't want to lecture people. Our video will give them a good introduction to the cause, but here are just a few simple facts and stats you can choose to include in your short presentation. You might even inspire one or two individuals to take the adoption option next time they’re looking for a pet.
Here's our elevator pitch...
PetRescue is a national animal welfare charity with a vision of a future where every pet is safe, respected and loved. Every day, we deliver our free pet search and adoption services to thousands of pet lovers visiting the PetRescue website. And every month, we help save the lives of thousands of rescue pets.
Since the PetRescue website launched in 2004, we’ve been the first connection for more than half a million rescue pets and their new families. We’ve also earned the title of ‘Australia’s most visited charity website’ and grown to become the nation’s largest searchable database of rescue organisations and rescue pets.
We continue to use technology to drive social change, and build strong industry relationships with some of Australia’s biggest brands to bring millions of dollars worth of free goods and vital services to hundreds of grassroots community rescue organisations Australia wide.
Have a little fun with the furries
A great way to demonstrate how the PetRescue website works (and get a few laughs), is to use the website as a presentation tool. Search the pet profiles to find matches for three or four of your team members, display their profiles on the main screen and read a snippet from their description. You could match pet names with staff names. You could ask people to search for their own pet look-a-likes or character matches. But make sure your staff members are game first – show the individuals what you want to present and get their approval. The last thing you want to do is offend someone. Keep it fun and light-hearted.
Collecting donations
After your presentation, invite staff to make a donation, enter a raffle or bid on an auction (unless you’re generating funds by event ticketing). To keep costs to a minimum, you could ask staff to donate the prizes – they could even be unwanted gifts such as bottles of wine, cookbooks and vouchers make popular choices.
Give a big thanks on our behalf
Thank your team for their support at the event and afterwards. Let them know how much was raised and that their kind donations will help PetRescue continue saving thousands of rescue pets every month. You could follow up with an email, post a thank you on your company’s social media pages, submit an article for the intranet, or write a feature for the newsletter.
Pay the funds online
Once you’ve collected your cash donations, the easiest way to transfer the funds to PetRescue is to pay the money into a business or personal account and use a credit card connected with the account to donate the funds through the secure PetRescue donation page. Once your donation is made, you’ll receive a receipt for tax purposes and a thank you from the PetRescue team.
Don’t be shy
If you have any further questions or need a few PetRescue posters and stickers to pin up around the office, please get in touch by emailing supporters@petrescue.org.au. And be sure to let us know how your fundraiser goes, we’d love to hear all about it and post a thank you on our Facebook page.
And finally… Thank you, Catherine
We’d like to say thanks to Catherine Bridgland at Renewal SA for inspiring this article by sharing her top tips on hosting a workplace fundraiser. Catherine nominated PetRescue as the charity for the monthly Renewal SA function, and after a short presentation introducing the PetRescue website and a few South Australian furry faces, not only did they raise over $245 to save pets, they also found a home for Clyde the cat. Great result!