In the final few days leading up to Animal House Party, it’s easy to get caught up in the party part, but there was a ton of hard work behind the scenes by the AHP crew, and most importantly, the support of the Michigan Humane Society.
It’s great to see our local nonprofits collaborating with independent third parties to get the word out. AHP is an example of that; we went to them with our idea and asked for their blessing. They knew us, since Eliza is the niece of the board’s past president and she has been a volunteer, but for the most part MHS didn’t know what to expect, and had to trust that we are committed to pulling off a great event with professionalism and a bit of panache, and raising a bunch of money for MHS.

All nonprofits need to be open to new ways to approach fundraising as we continue to move through this economically challenging time:

• In the case of MHS, people are abandoning their animals or taking them to local animal shelters, because they can’t afford to care for them, which means more pull on MHS resources.
• People are not able to give as much to their favorite charities.
• The major donor base is aging, and nonprofits need to create new communication avenues with younger prospects.

How do nonprofits attract young people into their ranks and onto their donor rolls? How is technology changing the way people donate to causes that are important to them? Our fearless leaders, Eliza and Hubert, are participating in a live chat with the Detroit Free Press Tuesday, August 2 at noon, where we’ll talk about the issues facing nonprofits and social entrepreneurs.

Come join us! If you can’t jump on the chat, be sure to visit the page and leave your questions and comments. We’ll revisit the chat here after the fact, and invite you to continue the conversation. Please share this with your friends if they’re into social media, nonprofits, communications, and, of course, animals.

And hey, if you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, the countdown’s on! It’s almost Go Time for the AHParty and we want to see you there! $40 for food, drinks, DJs and valet parking; it’s going to be a great time. Only a limited number of tickets left, so get yours today!