WWLDO
Resource Guide
This guide provides shelters, rescue professionals, volunteers, and advocates with ideas and inspiration to help save even more lives.
We regularly visit shelters and rescues across the southern states to see what's working and build connections with the amazing people doing this work. Through these visits and our research team, we discover creative fundraising ideas, volunteer programs, grants, donation opportunities, and innovative ways organizations are saving more lives. This guide brings together all those discoveries in one place, making it easy for anyone working in animal rescue to find the tools they need. We're always adding new resources and ideas, so if you know of something great that should be included, please share it with us!
Beyond Traditional Foster Homes: Creative Ways Animal Shelters Can Give Dogs a Break
Instead of focusing only on recruiting traditional foster homes, shelters can think more creatively about all the places a dog could safely spend a few hours, a weekend, or even a few weeks outside the shelter.
How Animal Shelters Can Partner With Local Service Clubs to Raise Money, Recruit Volunteers, and Build Community Support
Groups like Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions Club, Optimist Clubs, Junior League, chambers of commerce, women's organizations, veterans' groups, and professional associations exist to strengthen their communities through service. Many are eager to support local nonprofits—they simply need to know how they can help.
Building a Community Safety Net: How Communities Can Increase Access to Affordable Veterinary Care
When shelters, veterinarians, nonprofits, businesses, and local governments work together, communities can build a network of affordable veterinary services that keeps more pets healthy, more families together, and fewer animals entering shelters.
Reducing Owner Surrenders: How Animal Shelters Can Help More Pets Stay Home
Reducing owner surrenders isn't about judging people for their circumstances. It's about removing barriers, offering practical solutions, and providing support before surrender becomes the only option.
25 Ways to Get Local Media to Cover Your Shelter (Without a Crisis)
Local news outlets are constantly looking for positive, timely, community-focused stories. Your shelter has those stories every single day—you just need to recognize them and pitch them in a way that aligns with what reporters and producers are looking for.
Why Teaching Children About Animal Welfare May Be the Most Powerful Way to Reduce Animal Abuse
What if preventing animal abuse started not in the shelter, but in the classroom?
Humane education—the process of teaching children compassion, empathy, responsible pet ownership, and respect for animals—has long been recognized as one of the most effective ways to create lasting change. If we want to reduce shelter intake, increase responsible pet ownership, and ultimately stem the tide of animal neglect and abuse, we must start by educating the next generation.
How Animal Shelters Can Use AI to Increase Adoptions, Fundraising and Community Awareness
Animal shelters across the country are facing unprecedented challenges. Overcrowding, staffing shortages, volunteer recruitment struggles, limited marketing budgets, and increasing numbers of owner surrenders have created a perfect storm for many organizations. Here’s how AI can help.
25 Creative Animal Shelter Fundraising Ideas to Raise More Money and Increase Community Support
Animal shelters and rescue organizations across the country are looking for new ways to raise money, attract donors, engage volunteers, and build stronger community partnerships. Traditional fundraising methods like donation drives and annual galas still have their place, but today's most successful shelters are finding innovative ways to connect with their communities while generating revenue year-round.