#GivingTuesday 2021 was one for the books: yesterday, we asked you to come together to donate $25,000 to Second Chance Pet Adoptions before midnight so our staff can rescue more stray and abandoned cats and dogs on your behalf. Little did we know the goal would be reached before 5:00 p.m.! And then, when we asked for a stretch goal of $30,000, you had already donated as much before our 7:30 p.m. live-streamed* adoption center tour! Just before bedtime, we challenged our supporters to hit a stretch stretch goal of $35,000 and woke up this morning to… drum roll please… $36,859!
It’s hard to even finish this letter to you, because you have truly left us speechless!
When we participated in #GivingTuesday for the first time in 2016, we were thrilled to receive $5,760 in donations. Every year since, you’ve given more and more to help our organization keep pace with the number of animals who need our help. On December 31, 2016, we were proud of having rescued 519 animals that year; so far this year, we’ve been able to rescue 853, and fund the spay/neuter surgeries of hundreds of additional (mostly feral) cats (and a few dogs) outside of our adoption program (our spay/neuter outreach efforts had not yet begun in 2016).
This kind of growth simply isn’t possible without financial support, so we are just as grateful as grateful can get that you’ve continued to provide for the animals in our community. With your investment in our shared mission–ending animal homelessness–we’ll continue to do this life-saving work, and we know that our partnership with you will be more fruitful than ever in 2022 as we celebrate the organization’s 35th anniversary.
But, before we can ring in the new year, winter is setting in and there are animals outside who need shelter, food, and medical care. Through this final month of 2021, we’ll continue to ask those who can to donate to Second Chance.
- If you know someone who cares deeply about animal welfare, please introduce them to our organization.
- If you’re looking to give a meaningful gift to a loved one, please consider making a donation in their honor this holiday season–we’ll send them a personalized, hand-written card letting them know that, because of them, more animals will get a second chance to know love.
- If you met an animal during the live stream* that touched your heart, please let us know (Rachel@SecondChanceNC.org) you’d like to donate a bag of food to them or sponsor their adoption fee.
- If you’re on Facebook and have the things you need in your home, please think about setting up a fundraiser benefiting Second Chance Pet Adoptions and asking your friends and family to donate to it in lieu of sending physical gifts to you. (Not on Facebook? You can quickly set up a fundraiser through our JustGiving page!)
- If your church, book club, neighborhood, or other social club/group is collecting supplies or donations for a charitable organization, please suggest Second Chance as an option.
- If your business is contributing a portion of sales this month, please think of the cats and dogs braving the cold, waiting in overcrowded shelters, or being surrendered by owners facing financial constraints that leave them unable to care for their pets any longer–we help all of them.
- If your office is hosting a chili cookoff, holiday party, or gift exchange, please brainstorm whether it’s possible to benefit Second Chance in any way.
There are so many ways that our supporters have shown love to the animals over the years, and while the ideas above are simply some of the most common, we have appreciated each and every gift we’ve gotten through all the clever fundraising methods our innovative Second Chance family members have come up with! We’re looking forward to continuing to accept donations in the run-up to December 31 so we can translate your passion into action!
With gratitude and love,
Your friends at Second Chance
*Did you miss the live stream? Catch up HERE!
