Community
Urban Canine daycare owner hopes her fundraising for Haiti inspires other small businesses
Pets and owners had fun and raised cash for Haitian aid at Urban Canine fundraiser.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the role dogs play in being first responders to Haiti’s earthquake. Dogs, and those who work with them, led the way in helping Haitians. And now a local dog-related business is hoping to inspire others to follow her lead in Manitoba.
Jana-Rai Dufault, owner of Urban Canine, felt overwhelmed by the suffering occurring in Haiti. She wanted to do something, but didn’t feel that her donation would be enough. Dufault then had what she called her light-bulb moment. She asked, “How many other small-business owners are sitting there contemplating the same question? That could be an awful lot of money, just being ‘thought about.’”
She had a theory. If Urban Canine worked with other businesses it would expand the event and raise more funds. She was right. For a week, Dufault mulled through ideas that she felt would accomplish her fundraising goal. Her plan focused on what her business does best. She opened her doggy daycare on a Saturday, a day it’s normally closed, and invited dog owners to drop off their pups for a day of dog care and fun. Employees donated their time. Dog owners were asked to make a suggested donation of $20. Starbucks and Cupcake Corner offered free refreshments to fundraiser participants.
To encourage clients to make larger donations, prizes were offered by small businesses. Moksha Yoga provided a package from its studio. Cupcake Corner awarded one participant free cupcakes for a year and Urban Canine offered free doggy daycare.
The day sounded like fun. Seventy-five dogs participated. And they let their owners tag along, too. Photos were taken of the furry fundraisers. One of Urban Canine’s clients, Carmen Neufeld, was excited by the premise of the event and thought of commemorating the event with paw prints. Prints of dogs’ paws, along with their names, were imprinted onto wood. The wood will be permanently installed at Urban Canine to “Thank the dogs,” said Neufeld.
The company had set a $1,500 fundraising goal but collected an impressive $5,100.
The money will be donated to Absolute.org. This non-profit organization provides boots-on-the-ground assistance that will help get supplies to orphans. Its specific goal is to rebuild destroyed sections of an orphanage. Dufault chose this charity because of a personal link. Her cousin, a nurse, has worked with Absolute.org for years. After donating her expertise to save lives the week after the earthquake in Haiti, she told Dufault that monies would be well spent through this charity. Dufault was pleased to see it blogs, sends videos and allows donations to be followed online. This allows fundraiser participants to determine if the money reaches the correct beneficiaries.
“I am not just elated with the financial outcome, but by the effort, dedication and generosity of our clients, my staff, my business partner and my friends,” Dufault said.
Dufault’s business may be located near Confusion Corner, but her fundraising goal is completely clear. The joint business approach worked well. It only took this pet-related business a few days to create a unique idea that generated thousands of dollars. She’s urging others to step forward and do their part helping the citizens of the struggling country.
Unfortunately, a phenomenon called fundraising fatigue may soon set in around the world. When asked to donate, many will respond that they’ve already given enough. But that obviously wasn’t the case with those who participated in the Urban Canine fundraiser. “My clients, whom the greater majority already gave to charities for Haiti’s cause, dug even deeper to share in our vision,” said Dufault.
After the reporting of Haiti’s earthquake wanes, assistance will continue to be required. It’s common that as the urgency of a disaster fades, it will be eclipsed by other stories, newer stories. Human nature allows us to forget causes once they no longer make newspaper headlines. The problems that Haitians will face may not only be severe, but they may also linger for years. Money raised now will have to last. Haiti was struggling before the earthquake. Their situation now is dire. This is why many, like Dufault, feel this cause is so important.
In sharing the success story of her fundraiser, Dufault is hoping that others will be inspired to create their own ways to collect much needed money. Urban Canine took paw prints to remind owners of the help they offered. This little company, however, has proven that caring about others is the best way to leave a lasting impression.
If your pet-related company or group is doing a fundraiser for Haiti, email me your fundraising information. I’d be happy to include the details on the pet page.
char.adam@mts.net twitter.com/charspetpage
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 2, 2010 C6