This year, Give to the Max Day (also known as GTMD) falls on Thursday, November 17 – but we’re in the heart of fundraising NOW! Help Ruff Start raise $100,000 to support the veterinary expenses for the more than 3,400 animals we’re projected to save this year by using the following resources in your own personal online campaigns.

To make it easier for you to help spread the good word about Ruff Start and the incredible work we do together, we’ve created a custom toolkit of graphics to use on your social media channels (and wherever else you are on the internet). We also included instructions for setting up your own fundraiser(s) to easily raise funds for your favorite rescue on this amazing day of giving in our home state.

Have questions about Give to the Max Day, fundraising, or the toolkit? Contact our marketing team via email at communications@ruffstartrescue.org.

How to Set Up a Fundraiser on Facebook or Instagram

Setting up a fundraiser for organizations you support on on social media, especially on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, has historically been a very successful way our supporters fundraise. Also, if you’re wondering: Facebook and Instagram cover all processing fees for donations, so 100% of the amount you raise comes to Ruff Start to care for the animals in rescue and support our efforts to connect people and pets. Step-by-step instructions on how to set fundraisers up are listed below. 

Facebook Fundraisers

Want to create a fundraiser on your Facebook page? Step-by-step instructions on how to set it up are listed below!

On desktop

Step 1: Click “Fundraisers” in the left menu of your newsfeed

Step 2: Click “Select Nonprofit”

Step 3: Type “Ruff Start Rescue” in the search bar

Step 4: Follow the remaining steps to set up your fundraiser

IMPORTANT: Please name your fundraiser:

“(Your name’s) Ruff Start Rescue Give to the Max Day fundraiser”

On mobile

Step 1: Search for “Ruff Start Rescue” in the search bar and go to our business page

Step 2: Scroll the navigation bar that starts with Home and select “Fundraiser”

Step 3: Push the “Raise Money” button

Step 4: Follow the remaining steps to set up your fundraiser

IMPORTANT: Please name your fundraiser:

“(Your name’s) Ruff Start Rescue Give to the Max Day fundraiser”

Instagram Fundraisers

Want to create a fundraiser on your Instagram? Step-by-step instructions on how to set it up are listed below!

Create a nonprofit fundraiser in your bio

Step 1: Search for “Ruff Start Rescue” in the search bar and go to our profile 

Step 2: Click the “Support” button under our bio

Step 3: Select “Create fundraiser”

Step 4: Follow the remaining steps to set up your fundraiser

IMPORTANT: Please name your fundraiser:

“(Your name’s) Ruff Start Rescue Give to the Max Day fundraiser”

Include a donation sticker in your story

Step 1: Create your story, using any imagery and/or video you’d like

Step 2: Choose the “sticker” button – the little square with a folded corner and a smiley-face

Step 3: Select “Donation”

Step 4: Search and select “Ruff Start Rescue” – our handle is @ruffstartrescuemn!

Step 5: Follow the remaining steps to set up your fundraiser (if you haven’t yet!)

IMPORTANT: Please name your fundraiser:

“(Your name’s) Ruff Start Rescue Give to the Max Day fundraiser”

Your Personal Fundraising Toolkit

While we know you love advertising Ruff Start, we also know it isn’t always easy to figure out how to spread the word. That’s why we’re taking the guesswork out of it and providing you with the following resources!

Social Media Graphic Suite

Whether you’re looking for something to share to fundraise on your Instagram story, a PDF flyer to share via email, or general social media graphics to share anywhere you’re on the web, we’ve got you covered! Take a look at our Google Drive folder for imagery to share in our Give to the Max branding this year and download what you’d like to share.

For any questions you have regarding the graphic suite, please email our communications team at communications@ruffstartrescue.org.

What to Share to Support Ruff Start

Supporting our org will look different for everyone, but the most effective fundraising is done authentically – and from your heart. Tell everyone about your unique Ruff Start experience!

  1. If you volunteer, talk about a time you really felt like you made a difference in the life of an animal that needed you. Did you help someone who found an animal in need and didn’t know what to do? Did you show up on a transport day and assist a scared animal who just made their way to Minnesota feel comfortable and safe? Did you work on a project that truly made a difference for a program in rescue that brought in thousands of dollars for our animal care fund? What you do matters – tell people about it!
  2. If you foster, tell the story of your most recent foster animal, and how you truly acted as a lifesaver by bringing them into your care. Did you help a devastated owner who only wanted to find a safe place for their animal in a hard time? Did you save the life of an impound animal who had been all but sentenced to immediate death due to not being given a chance? Your actions are the lifeblood of rescue – tell people about it!
  3. If you adopted, write about your Ruff Start alum. Do they fill up the hole in your heart you never knew was there? Are they your greatest adventure companion? Are they sometimes the reason you wake up in the morning – literally (because they are your alarm!) and/or figuratively? Adoption stories give everybody the happiest feelings – tell people about it!
  4. If you’ve donated, give a little bit of insight into why you wanted to support our organization. Do you truly feel like our Lone Star to North Star Program is making a difference in overpopulated pet communities in Texas? Do you see the great work we’re doing in your local communities by donating pet supplies and holding informational educational events? These are reasons people would want to donate to us, too – tell people about it!

Thank You!

Once again, thank you immensely for the support you’ve bestowed upon us over the years. Without you, we wouldn’t have been able to save the lives of over 20,000 animals and counting since 2010. Your generosity and passion drive our organization forward incredibly, and we are oh so lucky to have supporters like you.

Ruff Start Rescue