There are advertisements on television, in magazines, newspapers and billboards that have depicted the situation and plight of many dogs and cats. They may be calling for someone to adopt the animals or give money in order to rescue and save them from horrific abusive owners or other circumstances, which put them in need of help. The funding would also provide medicines, food, clean water and shelter.
Just seeing the rescued animals during their healing recovery and afterwards such as the dog who now has one eye because of an abusive owner is often heart wrenching enough to persuade onlookers to give money. At least this is what the charities seem to hope in their use of the media.
While this measure can persuade people to give, it can dissuade people. People who would have given money may not do so because they don’t want their funds to go towards helping one of the given species.
Donations are usually not separated into categories of funds for dogs or funds for cats. The donations as a whole usually go to whichever animals needs it at the time. And while there are other expenses for overhead that may not matter as much as which animal is receiving funds from the donation.
Why would anyone care which animal receives the donation?
As an expression goes, “There are dog people and there are cat people.” There are those that are smitten with dogs and cannot stand cats and vice versa. Basically, no matter how much a person wants to save a dog, they may not give a donation if it means helping a cat instead. When charities lump dog and cat donations together it could actually bring in fewer donations.
Raising donations could very well begin with giving people a choice of which animal they prefer their funds to go. Instead of lumping the animal funds together separate the funds by devising the capital to go into a dog fund or a cat fund.
By separating animal donations this doesn’t necessarily mean that the two animals can’t be housed in the same building. The person giving the donation will need to feel that the money is going towards medical care, food, clean water, shelter and toys specifically for the animal of their choosing, dog or cat.
No matter how much a person may feel the need to give to a specific charity if the charity includes supporting something they do not like they may feel it’s better not to do anything. Giving people a choice can put them at least partially in control of the good their donation can do for the animals they love.
