“Tigers, lions, leopards and other magnificent animals like elephants and rhinos are being slaughtered by poachers for the illegal wildlife trade—a market,” said the nonprofit group Panthera on its LoveAnimals.org page. “We are putting boots on the ground, training park guards, and providing incentives and cutting-edge technology for effective patrolling to deter and prevent poaching.” The group has successfully raised the $1,000 it sought.
Photo: Philip J. Briggs

by Katerina Lorenzatos Makris ~

Maybe you’ve rescued an injured dog who needs spendy surgery. Or you’re head of an orphaned elephant sanctuary and desperately need to scrape up enough cash to pay off the coming month’s bills. Or perhaps, for your birthday, you’re feeling noble, and don’t want gifts for yourself, but want to organize a fundraiser so that friends and family can donate to your favorite animal charity instead.

On her LoveAnimals.org page, animal advocate Kezia Jauron tells prospective donors, “I’m turning 43 on September 18, and instead of gifts I’m collecting for Animal Place, [which] saves more lives than just about all other farm sanctuaries – combined. It provides refuge to hundreds of farmed animals rescued from abuse, neglect, exploitation, and indifference.“ Jauron seeks to raise $430–or $10 for each year of her life.
Photo: Animal Place

So you turn to that Internet phenomenon known as crowdfunding, where you make your plea online, hoping that dozens or thousands of folks will be moved to pitch in.

The problem is that animal and environmental nonprofits manage to capture scarcely 2% of annual U.S. charitable giving. And some say that most crowdfunding sites don’t always work very well for animal welfare or protection projects.

Enter LoveAnimals.org, “a progressive new nonprofit crowdfunding website that helps animal nonprofits in America connect with donors to raise money for critically needed projects,” as described on the organization’s site.

Just for animals—all animals

The site is one of the few crowdfunders focused only on animals—distinguishing it from the bigger sites that can be used to drum up financial support for every imaginable type of project or need.

“Francis doesn’t know what love looks like, but thanks to Animal Rescue of the Rockies, he will now know what it feels like!” proclaims one LoveAnimals.org page about an adorable orange kitten blinded by a painful eye condition.“We learned from a vet who contacted Animal Rescue of the Rockies that a kitten with a similar eye condition received a treatment that improved her eyes in three weeks. We’re going to try this treatment on Francis first to see if he has similar success.” The group seeks to raise $2,500.
Photo: Animal Rescue of the Rockies

It also bills itself as the only such site that is open to projects for all species of animals, as opposed to those who offer fundraising only for pets.

“What LoveAnimals.org is doing could be a game-changer for small (and big) nonprofits and rescues,” according to information provided by the organization. “The big crowdfunding sites really don’t work for animal protection projects. Kickstarter doesn’t even allow nonprofits to fundraise, and Indiegogo is so big that the small campaigns get totally lost in the shuffle.”

Small and rural nonprofits who have a hard time reaching large numbers of prospective donors, and who might not even have a way to accept online donations, stand to gain visibility and supporters. (Nonprofits must be located in the U.S., but the particular projects they seek to fund can take place anywhere in the world.)

Takes no percentage

Another possible advantage of using LoveAnimals.org is that it “takes absolutely no percentage of the donations individuals raise for animals… While most crowdfunding platforms are for-profit ventures, LoveAnimals.org is a nonprofit with a mission to help other charities.” Other sites, such as GoFundMe, deduct fees from each donation.

“Channel Island Cetacean Research Unit (CICRU) is a new nonprofit that just began responding to and collecting health assessment samples from dead whales, dolphins, and porpoises,” explains CICRU’s LoveAnimals.org page. “Our goal is to collect samples for health assessments as well as general natural history from as many animals as conditions allow.” The group seeks $5,500.
Photo: Channel Island Cetacean Research Unit (CICRU)

However LoveAnimals.org does ask donors to contribute an optional 15% “Admin Donation” upon checkout to support its operating costs, since the organization is itself a nonprofit, and needs funds to “keep our lights on, our computers running, and our rent up to date.”

To ensure transparency and accountability, LoveAnimals.org screens “every nonprofit partner before allowing them to post a project,” according to the organization’s website, and when the funding has been raised, “the nonprofit must provide photos of the project taking place, and supply a report showing how every dollar was spent. For veterinary fundraisers, all donations go directly to the vet’s office, so donors know that their contributions will be used properly. This allows us to ensure every donation is being used to help animals as intended.”

For more animal info, please FOLLOW Spicy Stories Save Lives by clicking the ‘SUBSCRIBE’ button above. It’s FREE, and we will NEVER give your email address to anyone else.

Here at Spicy Stories Save Lives, we depend on sales of our romantic fiction to help create real-life happy endings like those of Claire, of Noble, Granger, and Raza, and of Rhea and her Earthquake Puppies.

When we have a new Spicy Story  available (soon we hope!), won’t you please use a couple of bucks to enjoy a fun read, to spice up your life, and to replenish our rescue fund?

We, the animals, and our fellow rescuers will thank you kindly!

Spicy Stories Save Lives proudly sponsors needy animals in the U.S. and around the world.

For example we help Kefalonia Animal Trust (KATs) provide free spay/neuter for hundreds of animals per year, which is one of the best ways to prevent the abandonment and misery of puppies like Noah and Kyla. Please give to KATs via PayPal or bank transfer. Spay/neuter and education are the animals’ best hope for a better future.

Also please consider Animal Rescue Kefalonia (ARK), another group on the Greek island of Kefalonia who run a shelter  and work miracles with terribly few resources. 

Spicy Stories Save Lives and the author of this article have no affiliation with the rescue groups mentioned above, other than as a friend, volunteer, and donor.

Seen our book?  Your Adopted Dog: Everything You Need to Know About Rescuing and Caring for a Best Friend in Need, by Shelley Frost and Katerina Lorenzatos Makris, available through Amazon.com.