Have you ever wondered how animal rescues, animal shelters and animal; sanctuaries use donations? What impact does a donation actually have on the dogs, cats, pets and wildlife most in need?
When first setting up Paws for Giving a couple of years ago, it was a question I had to ask - when you choose to donate 50% of your profits to a cause, you would be crazy not to look into the nuts and bolts of how those causes are funded, and how they use their funds.
I realised back then that I wouldn’t be the only one who was interested in this information. So here it is, my breakdown of what happens to donations made to registered (I’ll explain this more as we go on!) animal shelter and rescue charities.
To date, your own experience in donating to animal charities may have meant choosing a dollar value and entering your card details online. Or perhaps you went a step further and purchased some extra tins of pet food during your weekly shop, then dropped them off after a quick Google of ‘dog food donations for rescues near me’.
And maybe you haven’t done these things. It could be that you would love to, but don’t have the spare change to donate. Or perhaps you see the responses to a request for donations on Facebook and it seems like others are donating and your contribution would be negligible.
I’ve been in your shoes, and these are all very real barriers to donating.
Sure, we all know that, theoretically, donations are important. After all, rescues are always asking for donations on Facebook, Instagram or their websites.
Maybe these requests were related to a sick cat in need of vet care at a pet shelter, or a dog with behavioural issues in need of intensive training at a dog rescue, or a general drive for donations to rebuild depleted food supplies for a wildlife sanctuary.
But there is a difference between seeing the requests for donations and actually understanding the operational costs for animal rescues to keep doing what they do.
So my goal in this blog is to arm you with the knowledge of the ways in which donations to Aussie animal rescues are used.
The first place I always start my search to find out more about any Charity in Australia is the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).
The ACNC is the regulatory body for all Australian Charities and Not-for-profit organisations, and you can find a huge amount of publicly available information on every registered organisation on their website.
To keep things really simple, I have put together a step-by-step guide on exactly how to find where donations to a Aussie animal rescues go. But if you are looking for more of a general overview of where donations to Aussie animal rescue organisations go, this blog post has you covered.
In general, whilst we may expect the largest chunk of our monetary donations to be used to feed, medically treat and care for the animals - there are a number of other ‘behind the scenes’ areas of the business which also rely on this financial support.
For example, monetary donations can go towards:
So whilst your donation may not be fully spent on the animals directly, what the rescues do spend these funds on is equally as vital in saving animals.
Just think… If your local dog rescue for example didn’t have enough money to put fuel in the tank, there’s a chance they would be unable to take a sick pup to a vet appointment.
Or if a wildlife sanctuary was short on donations, they might not have enough money to pay a yearly subscription to their accounting software, they might be unable to keep up with their accounting and maintain that transparency we so appreciate!
The answer to this question is more obvious. After all, there’s only so many things that your local pet rescue can do with your donated dog blankets, for example. But the important thing worth mentioning about item donations is the flow-on effect they have on the receiving animal rescue.
For example, if you donate cat food to your local pet shelter, that shelter now no longer needs to spend money to buy the cat food that you donated. The money that they may have spent on that cat food can now be spent on something equally vital, like veterinary costs for an emergency surgery.
The golden rule when it comes to making item donations to any kind of Aussie animal rescue is:
Check with the rescue directly about what items they want, before you donate anything.
Otherwise your item donations might end up in the bin, or taking up space where something else could be stored!
Some ideas of items animal rescues may appreciate (confirm with the rescue first!)
As mentioned, if you’re considering donating any of the above list to a rescue, make sure give them a call first.
Some rescues may have a policy against accepting certain items or they may be desperate for one thing in particular, so it’s always worth checking out. Plus, if they have a wishlist, the items on it may surprise you!
Alternatively, if for example you’re quite crafty, artistic or love a bit of woodwork, you could donate your creative projects to a rescue for them to use for fundraising.
Check out our article on 7 Easy And Inexpensive Ways To Donate To Animal Rescues for a range of helpful tips and resources on how you can support Aussie animal rescues, without breaking the bank!
The answer to the question of ‘Where do your donations go?’ is…
Lots of places!
As we’ve discovered, both your monetary and item donations to animal rescues are absolutely crucial to supporting a rescue’s operations. It’s only through our backing and voluntary aid that they can continue with their fantastic work of caring for our lovely furry friends. So the more we can support them, the more of an impact they can make.
I hope you’ve found this blog post informative. Reach out if you have any questions, and remember, 50% of the profit from all from Paws for Giving sales
goes directly to a rescue, so it’s well worth making the change in the way you buy gifts for your loved ones!
Together, we can pull together and achieve so much for our furry pals. Every dog, cat or other furry friend deserves to live a life full of love, health and happiness. And you know what? There’s nothing holding us back from making this a reality.
Comments will be approved before showing up.