Learn important information on the best ways to get feral funding and in-kind donations from the masters!
Whether you’re running a small rescue or overseeing hundreds of feral cats in multiple colonies, raising funds to keep your operation going is imperative. The Feral Cat Summit brought some of the top experts in the field to share their knowledge and experience.
Paul Jolly from
PETCO Foundation was the first speaker in this session. They give out multiple grants per year to help animal organizations reach their goals. Here are some highlights on how their foundation can help you!
Request for Financial Assistance - Make you application neat & complete
- Justify your request
- Submit solid recommendations from others (BIG TIP!! have local PETCO employees onboard, anyone from the manager to a sales associate from their company will go a long way in your appeal!)
- The more the merrier! The more animals this grant will help, the better
- Make your proposal project oriented (please note: they do not fund salaries)
After you apply for support the turn around time is 8 – 12 weeks. Don’t call them if you haven’t heard back, you will, and calling only slows down the processing of applications. There are no deadlines for applications and you can apply as many times as you wish. Paul says it’s very important to ask for exactly what you need and not what you think they want to hear. Their funds go towards a gamut of programs, so if you need something unusual: speak up!
Request for Product Donations- Be specific in your request and provide the SKU number(s) [this is their product number]
- Make sure the item is available from PETCO
- BIG TIP: ask for PETCO house-brand merchandise!
- Indicate which store you would be able to pick it up from
- Pick it up all at once
- Collars and leashes are not available
They also have a Sponsorship program and an Adoption Partners program available! You can contact Paul Jolly for more info at
paulj@petco.com or (626) 287-0952.
Janine Alexander of
PETsMART Charities was also on hand to talk about their programs. She made the point of indicating that PETsMART Charities is a separate entity from the commercial pet store chain – so SKU numbers are not going to slow you down! They have been able to assist 3,000 adoption agencies adopt out over 3,000,000 pets.
Primary Programs- Adoption rewards
- Grants
- Emergency Relief
- Education
Request for Financial Assistance- You need to be a 501 (c) 3 or a qualified fiscal sponsor
- State grant cycles available on their website
- Ask for no more than 15% of last years income
- First time grant – no more than $10,000
- Grants will not be given for operational expenses
Demonstrate Good Use- Solid plan
- Solid financial records
- Solid Board Members – varied professionals will help your organization
- Solid evaluation plan
- Sustainability
In addition to the above suggestions, Janine offered more inside tips. Get letters of recommendation from collaborators, don’t forget to try to negotiate discounts and let PETsMART Charities know how much money you’ve been able to save through your bargaining skills, also don’t be negative about other animal organizations! If you don’t have anything nice to say…
What they do want you to say is: What is the money for? Why do you need it from them? How will you implement your plan? How much do you need? How will you measure success?
Don’t forget to follow directions, be professional and courteous and don’t forget to say “Thank you”! It goes a long way. And if you are not awarded a grant from your application, you can reapply. For more information you can contact Janine at
jalexander@petsmartcharities.org or Patty Finch at
pfinch@petsmartcharities.org .
Janine had some other great ideas on how you can get more assistance too. Are you looking for pet food? All pet food manufacturers have local sales reps – contact them, don’t contact their corporate headquarters. Tell them what’s in it for them, give them acknowledgements and thank them on your website, at your local adoption event, maybe a blurb in your next announcement!
Suzan Shaw of
CARE Feline Rescue & Advisory Board Member of Orange County Animal Services had some very innovative fundraising ideas that could not only help get you money, but help raise awareness in your community. She said the best resource any organization has it their volunteers!
The next best resources are the businesses right in your backyard. Partnering with local companies to help get money for the animals in their community can be very successful. Do you homework, and let the numbers talk. Champion the “What’s in it for me?” aspect of helping get good publicity for the businesses you’re approaching. Team up with other animal organizations before making your proposal. Talk to the County Commissioners and Animal Control, identify an authority that will help further your cause. Get your ducks in a row and get out their approaching vendors with a wonderful opportunity to support your Pet Supply Drive!
Suzan was able to get Publix, a grocery store chain to partner with them for their drive and in two weeks they were able to raise over $5,000 in merchandise. They were keen to not ask for a slot that would compete with any other charity drives – so if you see Girl Scout donations cans on the register, don’t ask for your drive to start now. Go to the store manager and ask what their drive schedule is, and then ask for a week or two that has not yet been claimed.
Another great way to get free stuff: ask for damaged goods. Dog food, kitty litter, chew toys – if it’s damaged in anyway, it is often thrown out and the packaging is sent back to the manufacturer. If you start a relationship with your local store managers they will often allow you to come and get the stuff (bring bags!) if the product itself is not damaged. While you wouldn’t want to sweep up kibble off the floor and feed it to your cats, you could a premium bag of cat food just because there’s a little hole in the packaging from transport! It’s a wonderful way to open up a dialogue with the local proprietors and help your animals too.
The Q & A part of the session offered some further interesting ideas: approach non-traditional venues for a fundraiser such as your local museum or high end boutique! One participant shared that they raised beaucoup bucks by selling art made by local High School students. He said that not only did they make money, they were able to educate the students to the plight of the animals in their area.
For anyone involved in feral cat rescue, if you haven’t made it to the Feral Cat Summit yet, it’s time and money well spent!
by Denise LeBeau, Best Friends staffphoto of elusive feral by Molly Wald, Best Friends photographer