What types of donations does Second Chance accept?

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Second Chance offers a variety of ways people can donate to this life-saving work. All donations (unless sent anonymously) will be acknowledged with a receipt in accordance with IRS regulations and applicable laws.

Make a Direct Donation
Second Chance happily accepts all unrestricted donations through cash, checks, or credit cards. Any restricted donations, or donations with attached conditions, must first be approved by our Board before they can be accepted. A donation made for a specific pet, pet program, or for a particular project (e.g., a building fund) is not considered to be restricted/in need of Board approval.

Make a Donation in Honor or Memory of Someone Special
Donations as gifts to honor and/or to memorialize a person, event, or pet can be accepted and the honoree or the loved one grieving a loss can receive a handwritten card or an email letting them know of your donation if you’d like. Learn more HERE.

Organize a Fundraiser

Hosting a block party, chili cook-off, or game night? We receive many donations from informal gatherings among friends or work events with colleagues where a collection is taken up for our animals. From cash/checks and gift cards to pet supplies, everyone can contribute in the best way for themselves!

Facebook also makes it easy for people to host digital fundraisers for our organization. It’s quick and easy to set up, you control the goal, and best of all, Facebook sends the money directly to Second Chance so you don’t have to worry about being responsible for it. Get started by clicking HERE.

Donate Supplies
Second Chance has many needs outside of strict monetary donations. We need lots of supplies to take proper care of our animals, thoroughly clean the adoption center, and conduct our business affairs. You can see our shopping list HERE. If you would like to donate food, visit our food donation page HERE. If you would like to donate supplies to Second Chance, please have them shipped to us, or drop them off at Second Chance any time we are open to the public.

We do not accept pillows, mattresses, cat towers/trees, blankets, fitted sheets, homemade toys, or human furniture.

We cannot take any open bags of food. If you have an open bag of food you wish to donate, we recommend you reach out to Friends of Wake County Animal Center (FWCAC), SAFE Haven, or local food pantries. Click HERE to learn more about our food donation policies, the types we need most often, and how you can increase your impact.

How do I donate to Second Chance?

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On  behalf of all our pets, thank you for considering a gift to Second Chance!

To donate online, simply go to our Donate Now page.

Checks can be mailed to, or dropped off (as can cash/supplies) at, our adoption center:
Second Chance Pet Adoptions
6003 Chapel Hill Road, Suite 133
Raleigh, NC  27607

To see which supplies we need most, check out our Shopping List. Some items can even be ordered directly from our Amazon Wish Lists.

If you are interested in donating food, please visit our Food Donations page to learn more about how and what we need!

Ask your employer if your company has a giving program. If you donate through your company giving program, it will not only be convenient and automatic for you, but your employer might even match your gift to the animals!

Have you considered your estate plan? Learn more about leaving a gift to the animals through our Planned Giving page.

Are you an employee of the State of North Carolina? Select Second Chance Pet Adoptions (#1571) in the State Employees Combined Campaign!

Employees of the federal government can select Second Chance (#14762) in the Combined Federal Campaign.

For more ideas or questions (for example, about how to donate stocks to Second Chance), please contact us.

What does it take to become a Second Chance foster home?

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Because we try not to have dogs, puppies, and kittens/nursing mama cats living at the adoption center, foster homes are vital to our rescue efforts! We’ll provide the food, medication, and necessary supplies–all you need is room in your home and in your heart, and some availability to work with us for vet care and adoption appointments. Please click HERE to learn more if you’re interested. We would love to add your home to our list of fosters!

I want to volunteer with Second Chance. How do I become involved?

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COVID-19 Update: While we are still closed to the public due to COVID-19, resulting in our new volunteer orientations to be postponed, we still encourage you to fill out an application if you are interested in volunteering with us. We will alert you when we are able to resume orientations, and let you know if there are any opportunities available that do not require orientation. 

Thank you for your interest in wanting to volunteer with us! We have many diverse opportunities available for you to make a difference. We invited everyone 16 years or older to become a volunteer. 12 to 15-year-olds are welcome if accompanied by a parent or guardian. To learn more in-depth about the different volunteer opportunities we have available, please visit our Volunteer Opportunities page. To apply to become a volunteer, please fill out our online application.

Cat Care

Cat care volunteers are responsible for daily cat care in our Adoption Center, which includes food and water, scooping litter boxes, sweeping rooms, cleaning cages, doing laundry, and socializing the cats.

Fostering

Foster homes are a very important part of our program. Without them, we would not be able to save as many cats and dogs. Lack of foster homes is the primary reason we often cannot help strays in need.

Dogs

All of our dogs live in foster homes. The adoption center does not have permanent living facilities for dogs, so foster homes are a critical component towards saving lives. If you are interested in learning more and applying to become a foster for our canines, visit here.

Kittens

The adoption center has permanent living facilities for adult cats and kittens over 6 months of age. Therefore most of our feline foster home needs are for kittens or a mom and her kittens. If you are interested in learning more and applying to become a foster for our kittens, visit here.

Other Opportunities

If you want to help Second Chance without being directly involved with pets, then you may be interested in helping us plan our major fundraisers, performing administrative duties at our adoption center, and other duties that are less likely to trigger allergies, etc. To learn more about these opportunities, please click here.

Note: We are so sorry, but we are unable to accommodate the need for court-ordered or school-mandated service hours.

What is Second Chance’s mission?

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Second Chance’s mission is to champion homeless cats and dogs who are healthy or treatable in the quest to find their forever home and engage with our community to promote responsible pet ownership, ultimately reducing future generations of homeless animals.