Im an still not 501-c3 yet and I run an in-home rescue.

A few things that have really helped me.

Doing displays in pet stores. I have come up with many free cages this way. I also always put out a donation dish. I start it with a few dollars. I do offer stuff like beanie babies for a $5.00 donation. Places like Oriental Trading offer many of these types of cutesy things at very cheap prices.

I also do several displays with my herp society. I get involved in things like Reptile Fest and Reptile Rampage. This past weekend at Rampage I made 70 dollars donation. One of the donations just killed me. I had taken our Boa that is up for adoption down and when I took him out he was shedding. By mid day he completed the shed so we displayed it at our booth. Someone gave the rescue a $10.00 donation for a snake shed. They had a corn snake and were impressed by a 5 foot boa's shed. It was a perfect shed but I was KICKING myself for all the sheds I had tossed out in the past.

I have sold Christmas ornaments made out of pictures of rescue animals. Mini Christmas stockings stuffed with candy.

Adoption fees are another way to raise funds. My fees vary. Stuff like geckos, the fees are around $20.00. Iguanas start at $30 and go up to $75.00 if they come with complete caging. Larger Snakes like burms, boas, retics as well as larger monitors go for 75-200. I tend to put a higher fee on things that can become potentially dangerous. I have found that this seems to rule out impluse and idoit factors.

When accepting animals in I often ask for a donation as a surrender fee.

All of the money I receive in goes directly back to the animals. I have lucked out this year with business donations. I have my insects covered. A wonderful feeder company located in WI is donating my insects. I also had a wonderful donation from RepCal Labs. I go to the vegetable warehouses to get my greens for the iguanas and grow my own wheat grass. Come spring that food will be free as well since i will be growing my own foods.

Petco will donate stuff occasionally to 501-c3 groups. I will be participating in a rescue event there the beginning of may and all 501-c3 groups at the store that day are being entered into a $1000.00 shopping spree drawing. With probably 10 groups your odds are good.

Hope I gave you some great ideas. One last thing is a cafe press store. I know lots of rescues have them. Im not sure of the profit level from them, but as I always say, every little bit helps.
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Cindy
PHFaust

Email Cindy

Land of the Outcasts!

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