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“Tim is one of the few top professionals who can “do” and “teach”.   This book is for anyone who does or plans on doing any fundraising.  Whether you are just beginning or you have been doing it for a while, there is something to learn for everyone.  This is the best and most complete book I have read on fundraising as it walks you through from start to finish.  I especially love the “activity stars”, if you stop and do each activity not only will you have a fundraising plan at the end but equally important is that you will know more about your organization and your donors.   Opening a nonprofit where you exist on donations and grants 100% is quite a leap - since reading this book our organization has begun to implement its lessons and we are more confident than ever that we will reach our goals. “

 Katherine Johnson

President / Founder

Friends for Animals Sanctuary, Inc.  Melbourne, FL 

 "Finally!  We know we have to do it, but how to do it has always been the hard part until now.  An Animals Shelter's Guide to Fundraising provides the what, where, when, who and how to fundraising.  As you read, Tim carefully guides you through the preparation of several important exercises.  If you complete the exercises as you read, when you are finished you have a workable plan, designed for your organization, and can immediately put what you learned to work.  It's the perfect guidebook for the busy board member, volunteer or anyone looking to raise more funds for an animal shelter." Having a big sale, on-site celebrity, or other event? Be sure to announce it so everybody knows and gets excited about it."

 Kathleen Toth, Board Member

Friends of Animals Utah 

Park City, UT 

 "To think of all the time and effort I could have saved if I’d had this book years ago! Tim Crum has successfully compiled years of experience and know-how into an easy-to-understand guide on one of the most daunting tasks of running a nonprofit organization to help the animals. Creating a well-organized plan to raise funds is critical to ensuring you can serve the animals in your community for now and years to come. This book is a “must read” for any animal welfare professional or volunteer tasked with raising dollars.” 

Jill Tucker

 Executive Director 

Woods Humane Society   

San Luis Obispo, CA 

 “Any shelter or rescue organization looking for expert guidance on setting up a successful fundraising program need look no further. Tim Crum’s passion for animal welfare and his experience as a successful fundraiser in the shelter world makes him the perfect guide.  Having a well-organized plan is half the battle to raising all the money your organization needs and Tim helps you develop the plan that is right for you. Then he leads you through all the required steps and helps you understand the importance of each exercise you complete.  Along the way, you’re building your campaign.  Get started!  There’s money to be raised!”

Julie Duke

 Executive Director

Pedigree Foundation

Nashville, TN 

 “Tim has created an easy to understand, how-to guide to help fundraisers at any level raise funds for animals in need. This is a must-have guide for animal welfare organizations, large or small. “ 

Nadine Walmsley

 Fundraising Professional

Animal Sheltering Professional

Chicago, IL   

 "Tim’s book does a great job of guiding the reader through the thought process involved in planning for a successful fundraising campaign." 

 Board Member

A.S.T.R.O.

Oakdale, CA

“This is truly a great book for people who want to "get there from here." 

 Ruth Steinberger

Director

Spay First

Oklahoma City, OK

  “Tim Crum's book strikes the perfect balance between providing you just enough detail required to put your fundraising plan together without overwhelming those who may not have a fundraising background.   I would recommend this book as a recipe for building sustainable funding.”  

Suzanne Auckerman

 Director
Cat's Cradle of the Shenandoah Valley
Harrisonburg, VA 

"Animal shelters are a refuge for lost, homeless or abused animals,  but as author Tim Crum notes, they may not be proficient at raising money. Some employ a full-time fundraiser while others barely scrape by. Crum, for 28 years a professional fundraiser for the sheltering community, in An Animal Shelter’s Guide to Fundraising, offers help to shelters in developing fundraising programs.

Donors usually don’t give money unless asked. Emphasizing the important of asking, Crum’s e-book goes through the fundraising process, from developing the ever-important mission statement, to compiling a donor list, and using it.

Animal shelters lose money on program service. To ready an animal for adoption, costs include spay/neuter, de-worming, vaccinations, micro-chipping, and a medical examination, plus whatever promotional expense is invested in finding potential adopters. Adoption fees tend to be set much lower than the actual cost of rehoming the animal, in order for shelters to remain competitive in the adoption marketplace against free-to-good-home animals and pups from puppy mills. Fundraising makes up the difference, as well as covering costs for other shelter programs such as humane education, and paying staff salaries, doing maintenance, etc.

Crum’s begins by looking at where shelters’ operating budgets come from. Individuals (74%) are the biggest source of funding, well ahead of corporate giving, foundation grants,   government contracts, and bequests. Crum emphasizes that pursuit of grant funding tends to be pursuit of a mirage. Thousands of shelters compete for the limited available grant money, offed by relatively few sources. Further, grants––and bequests––may come with restrictions on how the funds are spent.

If you are a professional fundraiser, An Animal Shelter’s Guide to Fundraising may or may not add to your body of knowledge. However, if you lack fundraising expertise, I recommend it. Crum compares a fundraising plan to a GPS system. A plan, like a GPS, helps you to reach your destination. A shelter must have a plan to operate effectively. He then lays out the importance of a mission statement. Every shelter needs a mission statement. That tells donors who you are, what you do, what makes you special, and why they should write you a check as opposed to supporting another organization. Crum discusses the accountability requirements that apply to charities, how to set and achieve goals, and the value of sending thank you notes for donations. Crum also provides exercises to help readers understand how to build a donor base, since donors drop off each year. To stay vibrant, a shelter must replace those donors, especially large donors.

Animal shelters cannot stay in the business of saving animals without money. Fundraising may not seem as meaningful to most shelter personnel as saving a stray dog’s life but a shelter cannot survive without a dedicated, proficient fundraiser, whether paid or volunteer. Crum’s book has a lot of worthwhile ideas. Give it a read.

Debra White

 Appears on Animals 24/7 website