Crowdfunding and microinvesting are great tools for businesses and startups, but not so great for nonprofits, but a new site aims to change that, at least as far as wildlife and animal charities are concerned.
If the cute and cuddly kitten and puppy pictures flooding the web are any indication, the internet loves animals.
But unfortunately, that love doesn’t always translate into financial support, as many people are more likely to back tech and gadget startups on crowdfunding sites than to give money to organizations working toward wildlife conservation, animal rescue, or other animal-related issues.
“Crowdfunding and microphilanthropy has seen tremendous growth and popularity in recent years, but the leading sites were not well utilized by animal and wildlife charities, so they were missing this effective tool for raising money and connecting with new supporters. LoveAnimals.org aims to change the status quo for animal and wildlife nonprofits, which combined, receive less than two percent of charitable giving per year.” – Sarah Timms, founder and CEO of LoveAnimals.org
With the launch of Love Animals, which is itself a nonprofit (whereas other crowdfunding sites take a piece of the action from fundraising efforts), there’s a new way for animal welfare and wildlife nonprofits to connect with donors and raise money for critical projects.
“Initially, LoveAnimals.org is focusing on small, regional, and rural nonprofit organizations that often lack visibility beyond the communities they serve, and operate with lean budgets. Many groups like these struggle to raise enough to cover the basics, leaving few resources for projects that can alleviate long-term problems, such as capital improvements and habitat protection.
Animal nonprofits that have been vetted and approved are invited to post their most urgent funding needs on LoveAnimals.org; micro-funders then donate any amount to the group of their choice. All donations go directly to the animal nonprofit – LoveAnimals.org takes no percentage of funds raised – resulting in greater donor satisfaction, repeat giving, and ultimately more money directly helping animals. When projects are funded, nonprofits share photos and a report on their project so donors see the impact of their support.” – LoveAnimals.org
According to their press release, Love Animals is much easier to use than other similar sites, as users don’t have to wade through all of the other projects to find animal campaigns to back, and can search for charities that benefit their own favorite animals (or those nearby). The site divides campaigns into categories for wild animals, farm animals, aquatic animals, and pets, which helps donors to narrow down the results when looking for an appropriate project to donate to.
In addition to being a crowdfunding and micro-philanthropy site, Love Animals also offers tools that deserving nonprofits can use to help build and mobilize a community and promote their fundraising projects using technology and social networking.
Find out more at Love Animals.
