Loading Page...

Virtual
Sponsor: Available! 

Do you have a platform for sponsoring pets, children, road, trees, or anything else? Tell our fundraisers all about it!

Sponsor This Idea

How does sponsoring a pet work?

1. Choose pets to be sponsored.

Some of the animals at your shelter will be better for a sponsorship than others. For example, a pet who needs medical care will likely be in greater need of having dedicated funds than most of your other animals. 

Additionally, choose which pets are the most likely to receive sponsorships. For instance, if your shelter gets in a batch of new puppies, chances are that there will be multiple sponsors happy to support each one until it finds a new home. By contrast, some breeds, while still certainly lovable, may not be as photogenic and have a harder time finding sponsors. 

2. Create a promotional page.

Sponsors will want to get the know the pet they’re helping, so create a place on your website where they can browse potential pets to support and choose the one that they connect with. For each pet up for a sponsorship, include the following elements on their page:

  • Add photographs. Take multiple photos of each pet that supporters are able to sponsor and add them to the sponsorship page. Consider creating an image carousel so supporters can scroll through multiple images of each pet. For some energetic pets, consider including videos on their page of the pet performing tricks, playing, or otherwise being adorable. 
  • Share details about the pet. For each pet, write a short paragraph introducing them to the sponsor. Get creative with these by including fun details about the pet like their favorite toys, things they like to do, and information about their personality like if they love making friends or tend to be shier at first. You can even write these ideas from the perspective of the pet as if they’re introducing themselves!
  • Use suggested giving amounts. Many of your supporters will be new to the idea of sponsoring a pet and may be unsure how much to give. To give your supporters a little guidance, try adding suggested monthly giving amounts. You can even go the extra mile and help sponsors visualize how each amount will help your pet by writing out possible ways the money could be spent. For example, you might share how many bowls of food $15 will provide or how $100 helps contribute to a pet’s upcoming dental surgery fund. 

Make sure to update your pet’s pages regularly as new pets come in, current ones get adopted, or you accumulate new cute photos to show off to sponsors. 

3. Share your supporters’ impact.

Your supporters’ contributions can make a big difference in the life of each pet, so let them know the good they’re doing by sharing their impact. When supporters first agree to sponsor a pet and send in their initial payment, reach out to them with a personalized thank you email that includes a photo of their sponsored pet. 

Then, whenever there is a major development in your pet’s life related to sponsors, be sure to let them know! For example, if a pet gets a surgery done and has made a successful recovery, tell your sponsors about how their contributions made this possible and will improve the pet’s health and overall quality of life. 

Additionally, share the impacts that your sponsors make as a whole. If your sponsors come together to raise $100,000 for your pets, send everyone a message thanking them for their contributions and letting them know how their generosity has benefited all of the pets at your shelter. 

Sponsor a Pet Best Practices

Let supporters pick a new pet.

At an animal shelter, your goal is to get pets adopted, and when one of your sponsored pets finds a new home, it’s time to get in touch with your donors and tell them the good news. While your donor will likely be happy to know their sponsored animal has a new forever home, to retain their support, you’ll need to pair them with a new animal, quickly. 

When getting in touch with your supporters about their sponsored pet’s adoption, write a message from the pet thanking them for all their generous support. You can even end the message with a request to keep supporting their friends, then add a few photos of other animals in need of sponsors. 

Of course, you should also link to your sponsored pet page, so supporters can browse and choose a different pet if they’re having trouble making a connection with the pets you promote in your message. 

Take pictures and videos. 

Letters by your pet are certainly cute, but most animal lovers appreciate nothing more than sharing pictures and videos of their favorite furry friends being cute. To help your supporters forge a deeper connection with their sponsored pet, take and share a variety of photos and videos of them performing both basic activities such as eating their food, running around outside, or playing with other animals. 

Of course, if your pet does have a major development such as recovering from a surgery or learning a new trick, be sure to take a photo or video as well to commiserate the event. 

Encourage supporters to meet their pet.

While some supporters may be content to only interact with their sponsored pet through still images, many will want a closer relationship. There are a few ways you can facilitate meetings between sponsors and their pets.

The first is to invite sponsors to come visit your shelter on a designated day, giving them an opportunity to interact in person and learn more about daily life in your shelter. Of course for busy supporters or those who live far away, you can still help them connect with their pet by scheduling a brief call or live stream where they can watch their pet in real-time. Be sure to have something fun scheduled during these times so supporters can see their chosen pets at their liveliest. 

What else can be sponsored?

Children

Animal shelters aren’t the only nonprofit that can use this type of fundraiser, and in fact, many international nonprofits make use of this fundraising strategy and have donors sponsor children in developing nations. Just like with pets, these nonprofits can create individual profiles for each child, though with the added bonus of the child being able to contribute to the page by sharing their own stories.

For sponsor a child fundraisers, be clear about how the funds are helping the child, whether it’s providing education, food, or medical care. In some cases, the donor might even opt to sponsor not just a child, but an entire family. 

Roads

Have you ever seen a sign asking if you’d like to adopt a highway while driving? While you can’t take a highway home with you, donors can pay to have specific roads and highways maintained through trash and debris removal. 

Plots of Land

Trees, especially in old-growth forests, are often in danger of being cut down. However, donors can protect them by sponsoring a specific plot of land. But it doesn’t just have to be forests; donors can sponsor all types of environments from beaches to rainforest jungles. 

Or, to stay a little closer to home, donors can support organizations like schools, churches, and community centers by sponsoring a plot of land in a public garden. In this case, they might be able to use the plot to plant what they desire or have a vote in what the school children or church congregation plants in their plot. 

Classes

Instead of sponsoring a specific child, supporters can donate to help buy school supplies, clothes, lunches, and other necessities for a class of school children. Like with sponsor a child fundraisers, sponsor a class fundraisers can encourage donors to keep giving by continuing to provide updates on the class as a whole as they advance from year to year at their school. 

Wild animals

Similar to sponsoring a pet at an animal shelter, donors can also sponsor an animal in the wild. For example, for endangered species, donors can sponsor specific animals and their funds will go to help the scientists and conservationists who track the animal and advocate for their continued care. For example, you might sponsor a named wolf and get updates on its journey across the wilderness. 

Similar Fundraising Ideas