Let’s face it. Fund raising is not the most exciting thing on the planet. It’s about as exciting as plucking your nose hairs or waiting at the DMV.

If you’re running a pet rescue organization, the LAST thing on your mind is fundraising.

Sure, what you’re doing is very commendable, yet like any person running an organization, for- or non-profit, you can’t ignore the bottom line. Because, well, money does make the world go round.

Ok, you might’ve heard that doing online fundraising is great… but where do you start? What do you do? Carpet bomb your existing members with spam mail asking for donations?

Even if the emails DO get delivered and people don’t click on “Spam”, what are the odds that people will give you money, say through paypal?

Unless your organization is REALLY well known AND you keep in touch with your fans and subscribers, AND you’re really good at copywriting, the odds are very low.

On top of that, people are constantly bombarded with spam, people trying to sell them stuff, and donation requests.

In another words, your message will drown in a sea of chatter. But don’t lose hope just yet!

Remember, key to any fundraising is really emotions. You’re selling something: an idea that people should give you money so you can help more pets in need. They’re buying something: that giving you their money will give them a sense of satisfaction.

In another words, if you can tap into their emotion, that raw human emotion, that connection between man/woman and dog/cat, you are above the game. In another words, emotion sells. And that’s why selling online will NEVER be “better” than selling offline.

So what’s the best way to sell? IN PERSON. That’s right. The best way to raise money “online” is to bring people “offline” into your physical world of fundraising event.

(Yes, you actually have to do some REAL WORK and create an event. *gasp*.)

But why an event?

Because psychologically speaking, something that has

1) an upcoming event that has a finite end

2) a limited quantity

will cause a sense of scarcity. Of course, if people perceive scarcity, they want it MORE. Their “greed” kicks in:

So you a one day fundraising event where you bring people in, maybe even give them some free food + drinks, and perhaps even let them schmooze with the people and animals from your organization. (Remember, emotions? Can’t really drive emotions when people are staring at their computer screens.)

But you still need to bring people in, right? So the question remains: “how do I get people, lots of people, to show up?”

Excellent question, Sherlock Holmes.

Where do you know, on internet, where lots of people just “hang out” on daily basis? Yes, correct-o-mundo. Facebook!

Here’s how to create an event, step by step:

Part 1: Create the event

1. Login to your Facebook. (Give yourself a pat on the back)

2. Click on “Events” on your left hand side

3. Click on “Create Event” on top middle

At this point you should see something like this:

Tip 1:

For event photo, use a picture of a closeup of a really CUTE puppy or kitten. Why? People on internet love clicking on puppies and kitties. I’d say even use funny dog or cat images.

Tip 2:

Make sure “Anyone can view and RSVP” is checked off!

Tip 3:

For “Show the guest list on the event page”, it’s a total judgement call whether or not you want to show it. This works really well if you have a lot of people who RSVP “yes” because it gives social proof that this event is really worth it.

However, if you have 95% of the people RSVPing “no”, it might backfire. Who wants to eat at an empty restaurant, right? You want to go to a restaurant with LOTS of people in it. Why? Because, we innately “follow the crowd”.

So you have to use your discretion on whether or not you want show this.

Tip 4:

Give you event plenty of time, but not TOO much that people forget. There is no “rule” for this but larger the expected turnout, the more time you should give. And as far as when, I would personally target Thurssday night or weekend afternoon when people are most seeking events to go to, and do not have other social or work obligations.

One thing to note is that you should “push” the event marketing harder towards the end. Why? You’ll notice 60-90% of the “yes” RSVPs come towards the end. People sitting on the “maybe” line will eventually shift when the “critical mass” RSVPs “yes”.

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A common concern of my client’s is that their dog is guarding/owning them. This is a serious situation that should be addressed and resolved right away.

Unwanted guarding or ownership of a person by a dog is a symptom of a much bigger issue – lack of leadership. This occurs when the human has inadvertently relinquished (or never was) the pack leader.

Some people may at first, find this type of behaviour cute or be proud their dog’s ‘ownership/guarding’ behaviour. The problem is, if you do not know how to control the behaviour the result can be traumatic for both dog and human. When a dog is being protective of you it is not the same as owning you.

To help you better understand the dangers inherent in allowing your dog to ‘own’ you, I am going to provide a real life example below. This happened to some one I know in an animal discussion group that I participate in.

The other group member posted the following:
I have had a French Poodle, pitch black, of high pedigree. He was very possessive over me, nobody could pass me or come close, either animal or person. I also had another Maltese x Poodle at the time, who I was I was very fond off. One day I tried to pick the Maltese x Poodle up for a bath and French Poodle turned around attacking me, but I still think it was because he was jealous and did not like the idea that I took noticed of my other dog. I landed in hospital and when I came out I was told that my French Poodle has been taken to the Vet and put down. I will never forget the grief – and even though it is more that 10 years ago, I sometimes still feel sadness for him.

This person still has dogs, as do many others in the group – the need to understand and avoid this situation in the future was of concern to all. They asked my advice on how to avoid and or treat this situation should any one by currently dealing with it, or encounter this type of behaviour in the future.

When working with clients I always start by explaining the psychology of a situation. Having a clear understanding of the root causes, effects and outcomes of behaviour is vital to understanding the solution and preventing the development of the same situation in the future.

PART ONE – Understanding the Psychology of the Situation

This dog was dominating and owning it’s human. To teach personal space boundaries you have to show them by ‘owning’ space. By moving into the space he occupies, you take the space back from him. If your reaction to him being in your personal space has always been for you to withdraw from the space (even fractionally) you have not taught him. If your reaction has always been to allow your dog to remain in your personal, close space and own you, you have enabled the behaviour.

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I work in research for the most part dealing with human physiology, and often thermoregulation – I am also a loving dog owner. I have participated in research with human subjects investigating cooling strategies for work in the heat including the military, and recently began to wonder how thermoregulation in dogs differs from humans. Many people understand the cooling strategies of the human compared to the dog, mostly, dogs pant and human sweat.

Humans can thermoregulate by using 5 mechanisms, (1) Evaporation, (2) Convection, (3) Conduction, (4) Radiation, and (5) Metabolism. Metabolism is what happens when we exercise and always results in heat gain. Evaporation is how we lose heat from sweat evaporating off of the skin. Convection is the loss of heat by moving air (fans feeling cool on your skin) and Conduction is the loss of heat when we touch a surface that is cooler than our skin temperature (or gain warmth by touching something warm). Radiation often refers to the sun warming our skin.

Dogs gain heat by the same mechanisms that we do, Metabolism from exercise, Conduction from hot surfaces and Radiation from the sun. However their furry coats can help to prevent heat gain from Conduction and Radiation, therefore when you shave your furry dogs coat, you may be doing them a disservice as this may prevent their ability to insulate themselves from the heat.

To lose heat dogs take advantage of Convection, Conduction, and Evaporation. When dogs are outside and there is a breeze or they are moving they can lose heat from Convection, however tied up at home, in a crate, or in a car, they lose the ability to dispel heat this way. Dogs try to use Conduction every opportunity they have, this is why your dog (and mine!) decides to lie down in the mud puddle after a run at the dog park, the mud puddle is slightly cooler than the air and water removes heat from the body 25 times faster than air, so if they are already in the mud puddle, give them a minute to enjoy the cooling effect.

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