Fundraisingology Lab member Sophia Grewal — Fundraising Manager at Pets of the Homeless — faced a challenge. Her organization, which serves homeless people and their pets in Australia, faced a big increase in requests for support. These requests doubled in the first two weeks of 2025.
At the same time, monthly giving cancellations increased.
They needed to increase revenue, and fast.
They turned to their thriving social media following to make a spirited request for new monthly donors to support the cause. Here’s what they posted:
Hey everyone, it’s Yvonne here.
I’ve got to be honest with you all… things are looking pretty bleak right now. We’re not even a month into the new year, and we’re already inundated with requests for support. In just the first two weeks of January since we’ve been back, we’ve received 42 requests for support – double the number we had the same time last year!
From emergency veterinary care to save a beloved pet’s life, to those who need a safe place to stay while their person finds their feet, the demand has skyrocketed. We’ve been around for almost 10 years and I’ve never seen anything like this before.
The cost of living crisis is hitting all of us, and for charities like ours, it’s impacting us on two fronts. On one hand, we’re seeing an urgent need for support grow by the day. On the other, the support from our generous community of ‘Best Friends’ who give monthly – those who allow us to plan ahead and respond to those needs – has been impacted too. Many of our loyal monthly supporters have had to cut back, or cancel entirely. We’ve had donations bounce due to insufficient funds. Times are tough for so many right now.
Together, I know that we can overcome this to ensure that we can continue to help as many vulnerable people and pets as we can.
If you can spare $20 a month – the cost of just one coffee (or puppuccino!) each week, you’ll make an incredible difference. To give you an idea of what that could do: just 50 new regular supporters at $20 a month will cover 20 foster packs each month (including food, bedding, and parasite protection) for pets coming into our care with nothing.
I truly believe that small contributions, when combined, have the power to create something huge. Every little bit counts. And together, with your support, we can keep saying yes to more people and pets in need.
Whether it’s someone fleeing an abusive home or an animal in urgent need of surgery, everyone deserves access to our support. We need this community now more than ever. Your support, in whatever form it takes, will make all the difference.
With love and gratitude,
Yvonne
P.S. I’ve popped the link in the comment section
The message was also included in the email newsletter for two issues, which went to around 8,000 subscribers.
The results: Impressive:
- 73 new monthly donors
- 2 lapsed monthly donors renewed
- 3 existing donors increased their monthly amount
- $925 in one-off gifts
It all totalled $2,134 in additional monthly income for the organization, with projected revenue over the next 12 months more than $25,000.
As Sophia put it, “We were absolutely over the moon with the result!”
A few things you should notice about this social media post:
- It’s urgent. Not business-as-usual. (“things are looking pretty bleak”). The need is clear and unusual.
- It has an authentic and personal tone, supported by the photo.
- It has a specific call to action: (“foster packs … including food, bedding, and parasite protection…”)
- It features pets. Pets (especially dogs) are powerfully motivating in fundraising.
- The message is longer than many social media posts. This allows for good specificity and storytelling.
Sophia drew some additional lessons from this experience:
- “The importance of keeping a close eye on your charity’s program demand and donations.”
- “The need to be flexible and adapt our fundraising plans to maximise any last-minute opportunities that arise.”
- “The power of authentic and personal storytelling.”
Could you do this for your organization? Possibly. Especially if you can include dogs in your message!
Let us know your experiences with raising support on social media.
The last few weeks of the year are the heart of the Fundraising Season. It’s “go big, or go home” time for many of us. Download the Moceanic Calendar For Successful Year-End Fundraising, a simple guide to year-end fundraising, full of tips, ideas to help you maximize your fundraising during those critical weeks.
Related Blog Posts:
- How Greed Can Undermine Your Monthly Giving Program
- Is Your Fundraising Career Like a Hamster Wheel? Jump off Now and Start Making Progress
- 5 Steps to Launch a Successful Monthly Giving Program
