1. pets

Banfield Charitable Trust
Pet Champion
Toolkit
Everything you need to help pets in need
Tools include:
15 easy and fun fundraising events
Sample fundraising letter
Talking points
How to handle your donations like a pro
Banfield Charitable Trust information flyer
Annual report
15 WAYS TO RAISE $100
TO HELP PETS IN NEED
Maybe you’re passionate about food, exercise, movies, or board games. Maybe you love
writing letters. Or maybe you’ve been looking for a reason to clean out the garage. No matter
what your situation, there’s an easy way to raise funds to support Banfield Charitable Trust and
keep pets in their loving homes.
#1 Just ask: The easiest way to raise money is to ask your friends, neighbors, relatives, and
anyone you know to make a donation to Banfield Charitable Trust to keep pets and their people
together. Explain your commitment and why you are involved.
Tip: The power of 10! Ask 10 people for $10 and you will be surprised how quickly you can
make $100.
#2 Cook off: Channel your inner Iron Chef and invite others to compete in a backyard cook off
(chili, hamburgers, 3 course meal, cookies, etc.). Charge a $20 donation to enter. Have a
‘celebrity’ panel of judges or include your pet, and may the best chef win!
#3 Envelope at a restaurant table: Restaurant teams generate donations by placing a Banfield
Charitable Trust envelope at every table during a designated time period, stating “Please help
keeps pets and people together.” Waiters check envelopes after each seating and find
surprising results. Be sure to have www.facebook.com/banfield.charitable.trust on the
envelopes.
Tip: The sponsoring restaurant could also donate a percentage of sales during that time or
Banfield Charitable Trust volunteers could wait on tables and get to keep the tips (and they get
to talk to customers about Banfield Charitable Trust!).
#4 Flower bouquet drawing: Ask a local florist to donate one bouquet of flowers, one for each
month for a three-month period (or go to 3 different florists and get one per shop). Promote
the florist while selling the package in a silent auction at your work, church, or social group.
#5 Game night: Have a game night much like a party with a purpose. Everyone comes to your
house to play board games, charades, etc. Charge an admission fee. This may be something you
do on the weekends anyway so turning it into a fundraiser is an easy transition.
#6 Garage sales: Work individually or as a team to set up a garage sale – clean your attic and
raise money for Banfield Charitable Trust at the same time! Ask all of your friends and
neighbors to participate by donating items for sale. Make signs that indicate all proceeds are
going to keeps pets and people together. Ask your local paper to run an ad as their
contribution. Place yard signs throughout the neighborhood to promote.
Tip: Have a straight donation jar visibly displayed at your garage sale “check out.”
#7 Letter writing: One of the most simple, yet successful fundraisers you can do. Send letters
out to your friends and family explaining your commitment to helping pets in need, and ask for
their support for the Banfield Charitable Trust mission. In your letter share what your personal
goal is and ask them to help you make it. (A sample letter is included in this kit.)
Tip: Consider sending letters at the time of your birthday, your engagement party, a
housewarming party, etc. and ask friends and family to celebrate your special day by making a
donation in lieu of gifts.
#8 Movie night: Invite your friends over for a night at the movies. You provide the popcorn and
soda and charge admission.
Tip: Get an addictive TV show series and make this a regular event.
#9 Pot luck lunches: Designate one day per week as Banfield Charitable Trust pot luck day,
where colleagues take turns making dishes, salads, desserts, etc. and offer food items to
employees at a set price or donation.
Tip: Ask a restaurant or pizza place to donate food to your potluck fundraiser. Consider doing
breakfast instead with pastries and coffee.
#10 Pet birthday party: Have a fun birthday party for your pet – or friend’s pets—in your
backyard or at a local dog park. Serve dog biscuits and ask that gifts be donations to keep pets
and people together (make checks payable to Banfield Charitable Trust). Take photos of your
guests with the guest of honor.
Tip: Ask your local pet stores to donate coupons or items to be used in goodie bags. Everyone
gets good party prizes and you’re helping promote local pet businesses.
#11 Poker tournament party: Set up some tables and snacks and let the bluffing begin. Charge
a fee to join the tournament and winners get donated prizes. Make it an annual event.
Tip: Have a buy-in charge for players who are out of the tournament so they can participate
(and you can double your donations). Have a Losers Lounge with snacks and drinks, don’t forget
to take a moment to tell everyone about Banfield Charitable Trust and why you’re fundraising.
#12 Theme dinner: Hold a theme dinner party for at least 10 of your friends with a donation of
$20 or more per person. Spend just $10 per person on food and you’ve raised $100 in
donations. Better yet, have all of the food donated.
#13 Mystery wine gift: Have a brown bag wine fundraiser. Get nine bottles of inexpensive wine
and one premium. Put them all in brown bags and let guests buy one for a set price. Everyone
gets wine and someone walks away with a fine vintage bottle.
Tip: Ask your wine shop to donate some or all of the bottles or offer you a steep discount.
#14 Creative friends: Ask a local artist or creative friend to donate a piece of art or jewelry that
you can auction off. If you aren’t creative yourself, ask a friend to design a thank you card or
blank note card that you can package, tie up with a ribbon and sell.
Tip: If you get multiple items, host a mini art auction at a restaurant, your house, or during your
lunch hour. Some volunteers even have a local art store host.
#15 Boot Camp: Ask your yoga instructor or personal trainer to donate one class per month to
keep pets and people together. Invite your friends to attend a special yoga/boot camp/spinning
class donated by a trainer. Their admission fee payable to Banfield Charitable Trust becomes a
donation, and the trainer gets a chance to build their client base. It’s a win-win for all.
Tip: Have your trainer customize the training day so participants can bring their pet. This
provides a unique training opportunity.
SAMPLE FUNDRAISING LETTER
Nothing impresses or inspires people more than when you speak from your heart. This sample letter is
simply meant to give you ideas about what you might want to include in an appeal to family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and others in your social networks.
Ideas: Consider a handwritten note, sending this as postal mail, or designing a nice email with a photo of
yourself with a favorite pet.
Consider sending this letter around your birthday, during a momentous occasion like an anniversary
party, or at the holidays with a special message –in lieu of gifts, please make a gift in my name.
Dear ___________________:
I’m writing to ask for your help in reaching my personal goal to raise $100 for Banfield Charitable Trust, a
nonprofit organization that keeps pets and their people together. Pets have played such an important
role my life and whether you grew up with a pet yourself or have a pet in your life now, I know you can
relate to the incredible love and joy they bring.
Like me, Banfield Charitable Trust believes that pets can improve and enrich the lives of people facing
difficult circumstances—homebound seniors, the unemployed, the disabled, and the homeless, for
example.
I’m inspired by their work to help seniors living on fixed incomes feed their pets who are often times
their only companions. I take comfort in how they help struggling pet owners across the country whose
pets are facing veterinary emergencies they can’t afford. And I love that they help hospice patients
manage pet care needs so that pets can be with them during their end-of-life journey.
<One of my favorite programs or stories is …>
Your gift—no matter its size—will help Banfield Charitable Trust keep pets in their loving homes and out
of over-crowded shelters. You can learn more about Banfield Charitable Trust’s programs by visiting
them online at banfieldcharitabletrust.org or on Facebook. You can also download their annual report
to see how many pets and people were helped. You’ll be impressed by their fiscal responsibility!
Thank you for considering giving to a cause that means so much to me and that will make people’s and
pets’ lives better.
Sincerely,
Your name <and the name of your pet>
WHAT TO SAY WHEN PEOPLE ASK YOU ABOUT BANFIELD CHARITABLE TRUST

Most importantly, tell them about how you came to know Banfield Charitable Trust and
what inspires you!

Banfield Charitable Trust offers a wide range of programs to address primary causes of
pet surrender to shelters:
o Veterinary care programs help financially challenged pet owners with their pets’
preventive care and offset costs in emergency medical situations.
o Pet Peace of Mind® enables hospice patients to keep their pets at home with
them throughout the end–of-life journey.
o Pet Food Program offers pet food grants to organizations such as Meals On
Wheels and human food banks that are working with vulnerable pet owners.
o Pet Advocacy Grants help local pet-focused organizations address unique needs
facing their communities with innovative solutions to keep pets and their people
together.

Among the top ten animal- and pet-related nonprofits, Banfield Charitable Trust is the
only organization that is exclusively focused on preventing circumstances leading to
surrender or separation.

Every year more than 2 million pets are surrendered to local shelters by families and
more than half of all animals in shelters are euthanized. (Source: ASPCA)

Research shows physical and mental health benefits to people with pets in their lives.

Human-animal bonds promote physical and mental health among humans which make
for stronger, more stable communities.

For many in vulnerable populations such as financially-challenged families, seniors,
terminally ill, disabled and homebound people, and homeless people their pets are their
only companion and sometimes literally their reason for getting up each day.

Find them online or on Facebook to learn more about their work!
o www.facebook.com/Banfield.Charitable.Trust
o www.banfieldcharitabletrust.org
HANDLING DONATIONS LIKE A PRO
You will want to make sure the donations you collect are secure until they can be put to work
helping pets and their people. You can handle donations like a pro by following 4 simple steps:
1. Use the tracking form
A simple form to track donation information is included below. This form will make money
handling much easier.
2. Ask a friend to help
Depending on the size and scope of your fundraiser, you may want to consider asking a friend
to help collect and track donations. Working together is not only more fun, but makes it easier
to keep the funds secure – this is especially important if you’re collecting money in a public
place. Additionally, it’s much easier to know you’re accurately tracking funds with another
person double counting.
3. Issue donation receipts
If you have a donor who would like a receipt for their donation, please send their name, email
address, and the donation amount to: [email protected]. Banfield
Charitable Trust will issue a receipt directly to the donor. Please note that receipts will not be
issued for donations $25 or less.
4. Mail the funds
Congratulations on your fundraiser! It’s time to put the funds to work helping pets and their
people. Please notify Russ Kukini of your success so Banfield Charitable Trust can watch for the
funds to arrive. Russ, our Resource Development Manager, can be reached at 503-922-5041 or
[email protected].
Mail fundraising proceeds to:
Russ Kukini
Banfield Charitable Trust
8000 NE Tillamook Street
Portland, OR 97213
PLEASE NOTE:
1. Mailing CASH is not advised because it is not traceable or replaceable if lost or stolen.
Banfield Charitable Trust recommends one of the following options:
• Purchase a money order from the post office, grocery or convenience store. It only
costs a couple dollars. Make the money order payable to Banfield Charitable Trust.
OR
• Take the cash to your bank and obtain a cashier’s check. Alternatively, deposit the
funds to your checking account and write a personal check to Banfield Charitable
Trust for that amount.
2. Please make CHECKS payable to Banfield Charitable Trust
Banfield Charitable Trust Donation Tracking Form
Donation Amount
Date
Donor Name
Donor Email
Address
Donor Street Address
TOTAL
Cash
Check
Texas wildfire burn victim, Alice.
Read her story on page 3
2011
annual report
Dear Friends of Banfield Charitable Trust,
Thank you for your support in 2011. Your generosity helped us fulfill our vision to shift the national conversation
from one solely about how our society helps pets who have been surrendered to one about how we help pets
avoid homelessness in the first place.
Your gifts enabled us to help thousands of nonprofit professionals, advocates, veterinarians, volunteers, and
hospices work from a place of proactive prevention rather than reactive response to surrender.
You made it possible for us to meet the demand for our services and were able to help more pets in 2011
than in any other year of our history.
The lagging economy placed high demands for assistance with veterinary care and pet food costs front and
center in our operations. We also saw a growing number of requests for program assistance for vulnerable
populations such as the terminally ill, domestic violence victims, and deploying military personnel.
From homebound seniors living on just a few hundred dollars every month to the chronically unemployed,
owners who love their pets and rely on them for comfort and support sought help. Our generous donors made
it possible to fulfill their wishes and 250,000 people now have their pets at their sides.
Your support helps ensure that keeping pets in their homes is more than a vision—it’s every loved pet’s reality.
91¢
Board Chair
President & CEO
of every donated dollar is used to help pets in need.
$456,245
Amount awarded for
emergency vet care
4,072
pets helped with
emergency vet care
1,434
pets covered with
preventive vet care
Saving pets’ lives + keeping pets healthy
The Hokanson family waited anxiously behind the fire line, worried about their
Labrador Alice. The family had been refused entry by authorities as the Texas wildfire
moved toward their home. Alice was in the fenced yard when the wildfire reached the
Hokanson property but a portion of the fence burned down, providing Alice with a way
out.
She went missing for days before being found by a fire fighter. She had suffered
severe burns all over her body and several of her toes were immediately amputated
at a triage center. Her family was notified and Alice was evacuated to the Banfield Pet
Hospital in Magnolia, Texas.
While out of immediate danger, Alice’s long-term prognosis was not good without
extensive medical intervention. She needed additional surgery and therapy to treat
her burns and her family, now homeless, was now unable to afford the veterinary bills.
“Despite everything, Alice still managed to wag her tail and give kisses when we
would pet her, and that told me that she was ready to get better—she just needed a
little help,” said veterinarian Dr. Sarah Sleeba. Help included surgery, hydrotherapy
for her feet, pain management, and ongoing wound care which was covered by Banfield Charitable Trust. “Even though recovery was
slow, Alice’s spirit never faltered, which helped to keep
us all going,” Dr. Sleeba said.
Two months later, with hair starting to re-grow and a
strong desire to run around like any dog would, Alice
was reunited with her family and served as a ray of
hope.
“Having her back makes our new place seem more
like a home,” said Alice’s owner, Paul Hokanson.
Keeping pets and hospice patients together
In the winter of 2011, Nadine was preparing to move into an extended care facility at Community
Hospice in Ohio after finding her health deteriorating. Her dog Cheech, her long-time companion and
sole housemate, was also facing difficult health issues and while Nadine grappled to come to terms
with her own situation, she had to face Cheech’s end of life too. When Nadine entered hospice after
having Cheech put down she was gifted a stuffed dog which she named after her real companion
who was no longer with her.
Nadine’s longing for the companionship of her dog had greatly
affected Community Hospice staff. When they discovered
Pet Peace of Mind®, Nadine served as a source of inspiration for
their decision to bring the program to their hospice community.
“For Nadine her pet was her companion and a constant when
other areas of life became unstable,” said Robert Phipps, Director
of Development for the non-profit hospice. “When our social
worker conveyed to her that she had been an inspiration for our
getting involved with Pet Peace of Mind her spirits lifted. We
created a certificate for her and set a date to present it to her.
When that day arrived, her health had reached the point where
she was actively dying. The moment she was given the award,
her face illuminated. There was also a letter accompanying the
certificate, and Nadine had the social worker read this letter to
her several times before she passed away three days later.”
$92,000
Amount of grants distributed to
hospice to launch or manage their
Pet Peace of Mind programs
22
The number of states with
hospices that have joined
the program by 2012
Helping communities get at
root causes of pet homelessness
Stephanie had been beaten by her boyfriend but it was her Chihuahua Gizmo that
she worried about. Gizmo had been kicked and thrown against a wall during the
boyfriend’s violent outburst. Stephanie rushed Gizmo to a local animal emergency
hospital in Las Vegas where Gizmo was diagnosed with a broken hip socket and
dislocated spine.
A 2011 grant to The Shade Tree provided shelter and veterinary care for Gizmo and
many more pets of domestic violence victims. “When we met Gizmo’s owner, it was
only through the intervention of the veterinarian that we were able to reach the victim,”
said executive director Marlene Richter. “When I met her, it was clearly her nurturing
bond to Gizmo that drove her forward during every terrifying minute after the escape.”
While The Shade Tree was the first domestic violence shelter to put a shelter for pets
on site with the shelter for survivors in 2007, the idea has taken off quickly. In 2011
there were approximately 70 shelters with services on site and more than 160 with
some kind of pet sheltering program in place.
Pets serve as a conduit to breaking the cycle of domestic violence. The Shade Tree
reports that only one percent of their pet owners return to their abusers. This is in
contrast to an average of seven shelter stays for other victims
before breaking free.
“The victims realize the abuse of the pet is wrong
and learn the abuse they suffer is also wrong,” Richter
said. “The owners care deeply about their pets and our
counselors help them care about themselves again. We
want them to see themselves as perfect and strong as their
pets see them. The survivors do travel that journey and
give all the credit to their furry, feathered, or slinky pets.”
143,263
pets & pet owners
helped by grants
$447,930
in pet advocacy
grants distributed
61
grants distributed in
the following regions:
Northeast - 10
South - 10
Midwest - 14
West - 24
Feeding hungry pets
Thousands of pet advocates and pet healthcare
professionals across the country took part in our
national pet food drive, Season of Suppers™,
to help vulnerable pet owners feed their hungry
pets.
Government cuts to social service programs
for seniors and a high unemployment rate
have forced a growing number of pet owners
to choose between feeding their pets and
feeding themselves. These financial constraints
have resulted in increased reports of families
surrendering their pets to already overcrowded
shelters and seniors sharing their already limited
human food supply with their pets.
Banfield Charitable Trust collected an estimated
140,000 meals for pets and $166,000 in
monetary donations to purchase food
throughout 2012. The drive included an
unprecedented social media matching campaign
that generated 18,000 pounds of pet food. For
each person who “liked” BCT on Facebook,
PEDIGREE® Brand and Royal Canin® donated a
pound of pet food.
The animal lovers who donated to the Season of
Suppers food drive need to know that they are giving
a down-on-their-luck cat owner some true hope. Pets
bring great joy and affection; being able to keep that
during a time of struggle is nothing short of
a miracle. Thanks to this tremendous
support, we won’t have to turn
anyone away for the next few
months.
- Kathy Covey,
Cat Adoption Team,
a pet food donation recipient
Our dog food bank helps low-income people in
Oregon who are receiving some type of public
assistance. The amount of food that came in this year
from BCT will enable us to run our dog food bank for
at least three months. Every time I walk
in the warehouse, I smile.
- Linda Cloud,
Fido’s Dog Food Bank,
a pet food donation recipient
Knowing that there were people out there who
were giving what little food they had to their pets
was touching and sad. It shouldn’t be that way.
Every year, we get more and more people involved
and the numbers go up. To know that I
am a driver of that means a lot to
me, and it is so exciting.
- Dianna Gray, volunteer
Banfield Charitable Trust
Statement of Financial Position
January 31, 2012 (With Comparable Amounts for 2011)
2012
2011
Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
Contributions receivable
Investments
$2,143,210
160,858
2,343,153
$1,766,603
138,391
1,814,343
Total assets
$4,647,221
$3,719,337
$321,945
14,868
114,336
175,578
$67,028
0
196,178
98,431
626,727
361,637
Net assets:
Unrestricted
Temporarily restricted
2,452,346
1,568,148
1,506,350
1,851,350
Total net assets
4,020,494
3,357,700
$4,647,221
$3,719,337
ASSETS
LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS
Liabilities:
Accounts payable
Accrued liabilities
Wellness Plans payable
HOPE Funds payable
Total liabilities
Total liabilities and net assets
Banfield Charitable Trust
keeps pets and their people
together.
8000 NE Tillamook St.
Portland, OR 97213
www.banfieldcharitabletrust.org
www.facebook.com/banfield.charitable.trust