Denise Deisler the CEO of the Jacksonville Humane Society joined us today to talk about one of the most important topics in the nonprofit world: fundraising! The Jacksonville Humane Society is one of the largest no-kill shelters in the USA and has been operating for 135 years. They are a completely independent organization and Denise shared their amazing story with us on the podcast.
In 2007 their shelter caught fire and burnt down in the middle of the night and despite the fire team's best efforts they lost half their animals and their facility. As devastating as it was the Jacksonville team came together and they were able to raise $15 million for a new shelter.
Denise shared that you need more than a need to secure large gifts for donors. "As clear as a need is for a building when your building burns down, need is not enough. They want to know what the impact is that they are going to have with the money, with the new facility. What is the long term gain for the community when someone invests like that.”
