Without Animal Sanctuaries and Rescues millions of animals would be left to die. Since most sanctuaries are not open to the public and are usually nonprofit, public help is required by sanctuaries in the form of volunteering and monetary contributions. People know this and that’s why they are apt to help by donating to animal sanctuaries and rescues. The problem is that many don’t think about things like this until they come across the opportunity to make a donation.
As someone in charge of fundraising for an animal sanctuary, it is your job to encourage these donations so the sanctuary will remain open and available to animals in need of rescue. Like many other non-profits, you may have been using Facebook’s fundraising service to seek out donations, but relying on Facebook alone is not a very good idea. Read on to find out why.
Since Facebook introduced its fundraising service in 2016, many non-profit organizations began using the platform to seek out donors to aid in their cause. At the time, Facebook also had its hand in the collections as they took a small percentage of the funds gathered. It is understandable for Facebook to charge some type of fee since it costs to run features like this on the platform. Funds have to be processed and disbursed securely. So why would the platform stop collecting fees from fundraisers? Is Facebook that generous, or did they have a better way of making money with this service? In 2018, Facebook announced that its fundraising services would no longer require a fee. The service was free to help charities and non-profits raise money.
This was recognized as a great opportunity by non-profits looking to grow their fundraising campaigns, never realizing that there is a dark reality for this sudden change. In truth, when someone uses Facebook to make a donation to their favorite charity, they provide important details that are more valuable than the small fee previously collected for accepting donations. This data is gathered by Facebook and stored into groups in categories that include demographics and geo-locations. These individuals are then targeted and used for advertising purposes for big businesses. Yet, the one who creates the fundraiser never gets to see the details of their own donors since Facebook keeps this information for itself.
Are you the product?
In today’s world, advertising has become the biggest business online, especially when it’s data-driven. Think about this, how many times have you chatted with a friend about a certain subject then later seen an ad posted on Facebook, similar to what you were talking about? That’s not a coincidence. It’s Facebook monitoring people to know what ads to send them. Users never think to read the fine print when joining Facebook or any website for that matter.
Just by joining the platform, you are giving them the right to use your important details for advertising purposes so they could make money off you. People are just starting to see the reality of using Facebook. Those who have given donations to fundraisers in the past are also starting to become aware of how their information is used. So don’t be too surprised if you don’t make nearly enough to reach your goal when starting a fundraiser on Facebook.
You Don’t Control The Algorithm
Thus, another important point worth mentioning is that Facebook controls how often people see your posts. This means there is no guarantee that the right audience, who would be interested in donating, would even see your request for donations. However, by sending emails to people who have expressed interest in hearing from you, you can rest assured your message will reach them. And if Facebook is using the data of donors, how can you be so sure that other fundraising platforms aren’t doing this as well? It would be wise to avoid using fundraising programs altogether and raise funds for your rescue shelter on your own.
Email campaigns
Email campaigns are an effective option for fundraising. You have the opportunity to collect the email addresses of every person who visits your website or has donated to your mission in the past. Offer free information in exchange for email addresses and start creating email lists of your own. This makes it easier to send out newsletters to people who have expressed interest in animal shelters and are willing to help with the funds to care for animals. Remember, there are many people out there who want to help provide a safe environment for animals who have nowhere to go. However, they may not know where to go to make a donation and maybe too busy to search around for fundraisers collecting for this cause. Another reason why people hesitate to donate to causes is that they are afraid to provide their information online. Can you blame them after learning about how Facebook is using their personal information? By starting your own fundraisers, you won’t have to worry about other programs taking a chunk of your donations for their fees. And you will be the only one who gets the details of your donors and can keep their information private and safe. People may feel more comfortable providing funds directly to an animal shelter. This can help ease their minds that their details are kept safe. If given the opportunity, they would be happy to make a donation to help keep your animal shelter available for lost or abandoned animals to have a home.
Let Us Help Build You A Donation Driven Website
We can help you collect your own donations by developing a donation-driven website for your animal sanctuary, rescue, shelter, or any animal mission. We take all the tech work off your hands so you can tend to the animals while we help you raise the funds needed to care for them. If your animal rescue organization or animal sanctuary needs more funds to help cover basic costs, we can help. Stop wasting your precious time on multiple fundraising programs online where you have had little to no success. Partner with us and we can help you to start a recurring monthly donation program to where funds will be coming in each month that will ensure your establishment is always open to caring for helpless animals. The following are just some of the animal sanctuaries we have already helped:
- Heartwood Haven
- Elephant Aid International
- Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
- Lamb Care Australia
- Dachshund Rescue Australia
- And many more
With our services, you have the opportunity to collect donations right from your own website. This is a great investment option that would bring in returns you don’t have to share. You no longer have to worry about trying to keep up with technology since we do this for you. Thus, you can stop wasting time on donation platforms that only want your data to make money for themselves, and your donators will be happy to know that their data is kept safe, which will make them feel more comfortable when donating to your animal shelter.
Contact us to learn more about what we can do to help you raise the funds you need to keep your pet rescue facility available to provide shelter for stray helpless animals.
