Specialized shopping days at local retailers are a great opportunity for a lasting partnership. This fundraiser can start small and build into a major annual event.
Shopping events are a very popular idea to host at any time of year, particularly around major shopping holidays (such as Christmas and Mother’s Day), and at the change of seasons when new designs and clothes come out. This type of event can be held at your regular mall or at a more upscale store or boutique. Many high end retailers in major cities, such as Nordstrom’s in LA, have paired themselves with local animal rescue groups to host fundraisers at their stores. Tickets can sell from $5 for a basic coupon ticket up to $20 for a special event with food at the higher end stores.
Some retailers already run a special ticket-only shopping event where nonprofit groups keep the money raised by selling tickets for the day. Customers are allowed access to the shop during regularly closed hours, and receive special discounts of 15% to 20% off all items, along with other in-store promotions and special offers. This is true for Macy’s, Boscov’s (check your local store for the date in October) and Bloomingdales, as well as Belk’s and Parisian department stores. Other stores, such as Bon Ton and their fellow family stores, host a coupon book day called Community Day Event. Contact local stores for specific dates. And, in many areas, the entire mall will host a special day or night of sales only for those customers who bought tickets from local nonprofits. Each nonprofit can bring in over $1,000 by selling tickets for these events. Simon Malls and Glimcher Malls are two corporations that regularly host these mall-wide “Night of Giving” type fundraising and shopping extravaganzas.
Whether you work with a mall or just an individual retailer, your animal rescue group can create a fundraiser unique for both your group and your community. You can combine the usual ticket-only event with a fashion show for both human and animal fashion designs, using designer items borrowed from a boutique as well as from Petco/ Petsmart. Bring in some students from a modeling school to walk the runways in the local store’s best outfits, and create your own Top Model awards for the adoptable pets strutting in their finest.
Add on a mutt makeover with some primping of a few dogs who are new to your program, and turn them into makeover masterpieces with some grooming, nail trims, accessories and bows to showcase their personalities and increase adoption potential. Owner pets can also be in attendance, along with a pet photographer to take some wonderful photos. Work with a local dog treat bakery to get some special treats donated, and ask for some human treats, too, from local upscale bakeries and eateries. Add in some door prizes to raise attendance and other raffles to bring in some more funds for the animal rescue group.
This event can be as upscale and exclusive as you want to design it! Turn your little mall area into a special even fit for your town’s ‘A listers’ and their pets!
Hi,
How do you approach these retailers/malls? Let’s say I want to have a shopping event at Nordstrom’s (I’m in LA). How do I know who to contact?
Thanks,
Rachel
Hi Rachel,
You can either contact the local manager by phone, or walk into the shopping center and personally speak to someone. Usually, I’d start with the phone for a specific store (or for the mall), and ask to speak to the manager about hosting a fundraiser. This tends to also fall into the realm of the Marketing Representative, since it has to do with Publicity for the mall. Be prepared to talk directly to them right now, but more likely you’ll have to set an appointment to call back later and discuss the issue.
If you try the walk-in method, be sure to have some business cards for your group with you along with a brochure. Explain what you’d like to do and what support your group will give to make it all happen. Keep the conversation on a tone of mutual benefit, detailing what you will provide for the company, such as publicity, more shoppers during an off season, as well as goodwill in the community that this store/ mall is helping a local nonprofit.
If this store or mall already has a fundraising evening planned, they’ll be able to provide you with the dates of the events and add you to their mailing list to contact prior to the event to sell tickets.
If the store/ mall does not have a fundraising event currently planned, or has never heard about them, you can provide them with some samples found online of other national retailers hosting events. Google can provide you with dozens of examples of nonprofits teaming up with vendors to host a Night of Giving special shopping event, or a fashion show, selling coupons, etc. The mall will have to get permission from all the chains to provide discounts in order to host this event. If you start with just one store, then that store manager can contact the national corporation to get permission to offer incentives and special discounts for the event.
Hope this helps!
~Danielle
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