How to Host the Best Fundraising Party for Animals

I pulled out all the stops for this uncommon celebration of my cat Waffle Cone’s 14th birthday. I sent invitations by mail, served ice cream in waffle cones, and offered party favors like tattoos and stickers featuring Waffle Cone’s likeness. I set up games like Pin the Tail on the Cat, where blindfolded participants spun around several times before trying to stick a paper tail in the most accurate position on a cat poster. There was also a drawing station where some partygoers sketched portraits of Waffle Cone.

There was a purpose to all of this festive goofiness. Waffle Cone’s birthday bash was a fundraising party, which raised hundreds of dollars for Compassionate Action for Animals, a Minnesota nonprofit that encourages people to cultivate their empathy for animals. It was such a well-loved gathering that I hosted another fundraiser birthday party for Waffle Cone the following year.

Fundraising parties are a great way to provide support for a cause, and animal protection is an area of tremendous need with limiting funding. More animals than ever before are slaughtered for food each year. Most of them spend their lives trapped inside factory farms, enduring horrific conditions. As a result, billions of animals live short lives of extreme suffering, never having a chance to play outside or roam through a pasture. And yet, animal and environmental causes only receive 3% of overall charitable giving, and the vast majority of giving to animal causes benefits companion animals. Limited funding stifles opportunities for change for factory-farmed animals.

That’s where you come in—your fundraising party can be a part of the solution, bringing us closer to a compassionate future for all animals. By hosting a fundraising party, you can increase awareness about an issue, raise funds for a meaningful cause, and have fun. Fundraising parties can be as simple as a picnic in a park or as sophisticated as an elegant dinner party.

Regardless of how much giving potential you have personally, organizing a fundraising party is a way you can make an impact for animals or another cause you care about. Whether you’re new to fundraising parties or consider yourself a seasoned host, this article will provide useful tips to help you host a memorable gathering that makes a difference.

What are fundraising parties?

Fundraising parties—sometimes known as house parties—are social events where raising money for a cause is the primary purpose of the gathering. These parties often include opportunities for guests to learn about an issue and make a donation. While nonprofit organizations host large-scale fundraising parties like galas and banquets, this article will explore small-scale fundraising parties, which typically have fewer than 50 guests, and are hosted by individuals or small groups. By combining entertaining with philanthropy, fundraising parties are a great way to make the world a better place while having fun with friends and others who care about your cause.

The benefits of fundraising parties extend beyond their monetary value. According to Unny Nambudiripad, Director of Movement Building for Better Food Foundation, these gatherings are also an opportunity to mobilize people around a cause. “Fundraising parties bring together folks who care about animals, develop community around taking action for animals, and of course raise funds for animal causes. Our movement needs folks who care about animals to be connected with one another so we can build the social and political power to make changes for animals,” Nambudiripad says.

Tips for hosting your fundraising party

There are many ways to host a successful fundraising party. However, there are a few characteristics that many successful fundraising events share. If you’re considering hosting a fundraising party of your own, keep the following tips in mind as you organize your event.

Tip #1: Set a goal

Priya Parker, a leading expert on event planning, identifies five rules of gathering, inspired by her best-selling book The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters. Rule #1? Have a purpose. Every gathering—especially fundraising parties—should have a goal.

“What are the ingredients for a sharp, bold, meaningful gathering purpose? Specificity is a crucial ingredient. The more focused and particular a gathering is, the more narrowly it frames itself and the more passion it arouses,” Parker writes.

Here’s a personal example. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I hosted a virtual “Birthday Barn-Raiser.” It was a Zoom birthday party with the goal of sponsoring a resident of Farm Sanctuary for one year. Each attendee was encouraged to make a donation, in lieu of a birthday gift, before the party. When we arrived on Zoom, we looked at how much we had raised. It turned out that we raised enough to sponsor three Farm Sanctuary residents for a year! We read the bios of various animal residents aloud and then voted to determine which three we would sponsor. Following the party, I sent the guests photos and written updates about the animals every few months throughout the year.

Setting a goal provides clarity for you and your guests, as well as a way to measure success. If you’re unsure of where to start, you can use Animal Charity Evaluators to find a highly-rated animal charity to benefit. (A few effective nonprofits benefiting animals include The Humane League, the Good Food Institute, and Faunalytics.) You may find that a specific purpose energizes your guests and brings you together in new ways.

Tip #2: Create shared experiences

Creating shared experiences is a useful way to bond your guests and make your gathering memorable.

At my “Birthday Barn-Raiser,” I created a shared experience for my guests as we learned about and voted on which farm animals we wanted to sponsor. Since it was a virtual gathering and most guests did not know one another, I tried to get creative with other ways I could create common experiences for the guests. For example, I sent a small package to each guest in advance, with each one containing the same contents:

• Newspaper: I invited each guest to make a newspaper hat to wear to the Zoom gathering. When people hopped on and introduced themselves, they shared about how they made the hat and why they chose the design they did. Some attendees made “animal ears” to stay on theme. Everyone got a kick out of seeing the creative hats. Plus, talking about the minor trials and tribulations of making our hats generated lots of laughs!
• Tea, popcorn, and chocolates: I included a bit of food and beverage in each package. Many of the guests were snacking or sipping on the same foods and beverages during the Zoom call, just like you would at any in-person party.
• Candle: A friend with experience guiding meditations led us through a short mindfulness practice related to animals at the beginning of the call. Each guest lit their candle at the same time during this experience.

Even though guests at my “Birthday Barn-Raiser” were scattered across the globe, we were able to have a sense of togetherness through these shared experiences. Similarly, during my cat’s birthday party, guests enjoyed applying tattoos featuring Waffle Cone’s likeness.

Shared experiences can also include advocacy activities that benefit animals. You might invite your guests to text a petition link to 10 friends or to write letters to your representatives in support of pro-animal legislation. You can even gamify these activities, awarding a prize to the guest who sends the most messages!

Shared experiences like these can give attendees something to do and something to talk about. If you can devise a shared experience related to the cause you’re raising funds for, even better!

Tip #3: Involve others in party planning

You don’t have to host your fundraising party alone! Ask friends, family members, or other people who care about your cause to get involved.

Involving others could mean having a formal or informal “committee” that plans the party together—or it could be as simple as having a couple friends help out with specific tasks to reduce the burden on the host. For instance, when I hosted one of Waffle Cone’s birthday parties, I was busy juggling a lot of logistics. I didn’t feel like I had the headspace to make a clear and compelling request for donations. So I asked a very well-spoken and outgoing friend, who knew most of the guests well, to make the ask at the party. I felt relieved, and he enjoyed having a special role to play at the gathering.

Nambudiripad agrees that finding helpers can be crucial to a successful fundraising party: “Find friends to help plan it and host it with you! Perhaps you know folks who are well connected, have a lovely home to host, can cook well, or have other abilities that help make great parties. Having others help will reduce the burden, increase attendance, and make the event more fun!” Nambudiripad says.

Tip #4: Be thoughtful about your guest list

I find it useful to reach out individually with in-person, print, or text invitations, customized for each individual, to show them that I’m genuinely hoping they will be able to attend. I try to highlight a connection the individual has to the cause or group that might motivate them to attend.

Remember to include your purpose in your invitation, and give your invitees a heads-up that this is a fundraising party (so that they’re prepared to be asked for money). By reaching out individually with invitations, you may be able to increase buy-in and attendance to your party. (Note: Canva has thousands of free invitation templates and can be a great free resource for creating a special invitation on a budget. No design experience needed!)

Nambudiripad advises: “Personalize your invitations as much as you are able. Asking specific people or groups to attend based on their relationship with you, your organization, and their interest in animal advocacy will greatly increase the likelihood of attendance and contributions.”

Tip #5: Don’t forget to make an ask!

It may seem obvious, but be sure to take a moment at your party to ask guests to make a donation. Collecting donations can be as simple as passing around a jar for gifts. (Make sure it’s clear in advance of the party that you will be asking for donations at the event, and let guests know how they can donate, in case they need to bring cash.)

Alternatively, you can ask guests to donate online beforehand if you’re using a crowdfunding platform, as I did at my “Birthday Barn-Raiser.” However, most experts would suggest you make an ask in-person, leveraging the power of the purposeful gathering you create to propel giving.

Be sure to highlight the “why” when you ask for donations, emphasizing what difference the guests’ gifts can make. Be as specific as possible. Are you trying to raise a certain amount to sponsor a sanctuary resident? Or raise $3,000 for an organization that benefits animals in honor of your 30th birthday? What exactly is at stake? Be clear about the fundraising goal and how gifts will make a difference for the cause.

Tip #6: Let gratitude guide your hosting

Your guests are your most important asset. Your fundraising party can only be successful if guests show up, and if guests make donations. Give them the appreciation they deserve! Be sure to thank them for attending and thank them for donating. Your gratitude not only reflects appreciation and strengthens your relationship, but it also increases the likelihood that your guest stays connected to the cause or attends another fundraising party you host in the future.

As mentioned, after my “Birthday Barn-Raiser,” I sent updates to guests about the rescued animals we had sponsored every few months for a year. In each message, I reiterated my gratitude for their gifts and highlighted the difference their gifts were making.

The bottom line? Thanking people individually for their donations is crucial because it acknowledges their generosity and reinforces their sense of making a positive impact. Thank people as much as you can, while remaining sincere in your gratitude.

Tip #7: Measure success holistically

Remember—the success of your party is not just about funds raised, but also connections, awareness, and fun.

Nambudiripad says: “I used to host a fundraising banquet. I was surprised to hear from a regular volunteer that the banquet was his favorite event of the year. I had thought of the event primarily about raising funds and cultivating donors. But the combination of great vegan food, a deep feeling of community, and volunteers with meaningful roles made the event more significant than raising funds.”

Like Nambudiripad, in my experience hosting, the gathering’s impact on hearts and minds has often been just as rewarding as the fundraising itself. Building awareness and sparking connections has a ripple effect that cannot be easily measured, but is extremely valuable.

Conclusion

Hosting a fundraising party, whether it’s a playful cat birthday bash or a sophisticated dinner gathering, can be a rewarding way to support a cause you care about. Fundraising parties not only generate critical funds, but also foster community, raise awareness, and create special memories. Using the tips above, you can host a meaningful gathering that makes a difference for animals. Happy fundraising!