The Humane Society in Montgomery, Alabama, is one of those nonprofits whose board members have fully immersed themselves in the mission of their organization: to prevent cruelty to animals by operating an animal shelter for homeless, abandoned, and unwanted animals. When they were shown how to convey and transfer that passion to potential donors, the results were tremendous...

In Montgomery, Alabama, the Humane Society shelter takes in an average of 16,000 animals per year, the majority of which are turned in by their owners. Every year, the shelter has to euthanize 65% of these animals.

Fortunately, the shelter has a dedicated twenty-five-member board full of people like Lea Turbert, who owns ten cats and is passionate about saving more pets.

The shelter's budget is partially funded by the city and county to pay for picking up animals. The rest of their budget is funded by special events like their pet photo calendar contest and a one-mile "Walk and Wag." These events are hugely popular, but the most one of these special events ever raised was $30,000.

In December 2004, a team of six people from the Montgomery Humane Society attended a Benevon 101 Workshop in Orlando, Florida. One board member paid the tuition for the team and another paid for the travel expenses. Turbert said she was nervous at first because they were the only Humane Society office at the workshop, but she said they ended up having a great experience.

"It was very hands-on," she said. "It got our wheels churning."

When they got out of the workshop, the team was pumped up and said they would try to raise $100,000 in gifts and pledges at their first event.

"We didn't think we were going to make it, but we didn't want to let our board down," said Turbert.

One month after the workshop, the Montgomery Humane Society started offering introductory Point of Entry^® Events called "Share Our Shelter" two to three times a month. Guests were given new insight into the shelter, including learning interesting facts and taking a tour to see parts of the shelter not normally open to the public—such as the intake room, the kennel run, and the nursery. Guests left with a calendar that included the shelter's wish list.

In late October 2005, the Montgomery Humane Society held their first Ask Event^™ breakfast. Turbert said one of the testimonials came from a board member who read a story, "How Could You," written by Jim Willis, an animal advocate. The emotional story is told through the eyes of a loyal dog who was adopted as a puppy but was given to a shelter and euthanized after the owner started a family and moved away. Ask Event guests were also given a bookmark with a poem by Willis called "Animal Savior" that talks about how humans were created to keep animals from suffering. It was an emotional event that really captured the hearts of animal lovers.

With 200 people in attendance, they exceeded their expectations.

"We were just ecstatic," said Turbert. "We couldn't believe it."

Turbert said with some of the newly raised funds, they plan to open a low-cost spay and neuter clinic and start advertising it throughout the community.