We are big advocates for fundraisers that not only raise much needed funds – but help solidify the closeness of your supporters and build a sense of team.
The Shelter Slumber Pawty does both of these things and we love this idea!
There are actual 2 variations to this event and we are going to talk about them both!
The Fundraising Shelter Slumber Pawty
In 2017 Gateway Pet Guardians, a 501(c)(3) animal shelter located in St.Louis, MO did their first Slumber Pawty event. The goal was to have every kennel have a human in it for 24 hours to help create awareness for homeless animals and of course raise money.
Every person raised funds on their behalf for their part in the event and clearly it worked because they raised over $30,000 dollars!
The following year resulted in another nonprofit joining in the fun and they welcomed aboard the Belleville Area Humane Society and combined they raised over $50,000 for the homeless animals in their combined communities.
This year – it expanded and now includes 15 St. Louis organizations!
They are expected over 200 staff and volunteers will join in on the fun and take a chance at seeing what life is like as a shelter pet for 24 hours.
Their 2019 goals are to raise $300,000 from this event!
The event will have a lot of social media shares and live streaming – which in turn will bring much needed attention for the animals currently in their care.
So if you are in the St. Louis, MO area and are free on August 10-11, 2019 – this is an opportunity you do not want to miss.
Purina gets a special thanks for being a supporter and sponsor of this event. Being they are based is St. Louis it makes sense for them to show their support!
August 13, 2019 UPDATE! The 2019 slumber pawty resulted in just under $300,000 in donations!
The Animal Awareness Slumber Pawty
This is a much different concept that is more geared towards finding animals homes than raising money.
The Slumber Pawty will allow potential adopters to take shelter pets home for a few nights (each shelter has different rules!) – this can not only result in adoptions, but also gives pets much needed breaks from the stress of shelter life.
Most shelters who offer this program offer it year round – this event is particularly popular around the holidays which is an extra bonus for the volunteers who keep things running all year round.
The Arizona Animal Welfare League has been doing this since 2013 and accounts that 72% of the animal that participated in the Slumber Pawty program were adopted.
This is an exceptional way to help dogs or cats that do not show well in the shelters.
Often dogs can be incredibly shy – some may even seem overly aggressive, but when they are removed from the environment their personalities are 100% different. This is why this program works so well!
There was even a study done on how even one night out of the shelter can help a shelter dogs stress level – proving that this program is needed!
