Season’s Greetings!
As the year draws to a close, our team at the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries extend our deepest gratitude to you – our supporters, partners, and sanctuary and rescue center family. Your commitment to animal welfare has been essential in helping us build this fantastic community which upholds the highest standards for animal sanctuaries and rescue centers worldwide, ensuring safe, compassionate, and dignified lives for animals in need.
Thank you for being a part of our community and for standing with us in our mission. Together, we look forward to creating an even brighter future for animals everywhere.
Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful holiday season and a new year filled with peace, compassion, and hope.
Warmest wishes,
The GFAS Team (Valerie, Robin, Kristin, Jess, Traci, and the GFAS Board of Directors)
Thank You for Making Giving Tuesday a Success!
We are truly humbled by your generosity and support! Thanks to you and our incredible community, we raised $7,468 during our Giving Tuesday campaign. Every dollar will go directly toward funding travel for sanctuary site inspections, the cornerstone of our accreditation process that ensures animals in sanctuaries receive the care and compassion they deserve.
From all of us at the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries—and on behalf of the animals—you’ve helped, thank you for your compassion and commitment.
Pro-Tip: Sanctuary Merch Done Easy
Sanctuary merchandise is a fun and important tool not only for fundraising but branding and marketing your sanctuary! While merch sales may not be your biggest income source, we’ve gathered some helpful hints and tips to make it easy for you to sell merch that will help get your name out in the community. You just never know the connections it may make for your organization!
For many sanctuaries, having to order and keep merch on hand can be time-consuming and a financial burden. In this case, we recommend trying a print-on-demand service which “hosts” your merch and does all the payment processing and fulfillment for you! This eliminates all but the set-up work on your end. Donations will be disbursed to you depending on the profit margin you decide to set. Many offer the option for shoppers to tack on an additional donation. Shopper lists may also be provided to add directly to your Donor CRM.
While some merch may be evergreen, we also LOVE seeing sanctuaries run seasonal or thematic campaigns. You can do “special edition” merch for the holidays, or a capital campaign or other special event. The “limited edition” adds the urgency that may draw more shoppers.
While shirts and sweatshirts are popular choices, we love seeing hats, water bottles, and plushies resembling residents in shops, as they make amazing gifts. The more specific and unique the items chosen are to your mission, the better!
A few Print-On-Demand services to consider:
Spreadshop – Check out GFAS’ Spreadshop here to show your #truesanctuary pride!
These three provide a marketplace, ship worldwide, and allow you to set price margin. Some will integrate with your website and social media as well!
Here are some additional tips from Bonfire on creating merch that sells.
Finding Job Opportunities at GFAS Certified Sanctuaries
If you are interested in working for a sanctuary, animal rescue or rehabilitation center, GFAS has a Job Board where you can learn about job openings, internships and volunteer opportunities at GFAS Certified organizations. You can be assured that you are looking into opportunities with true sanctuaries as these groups have gone through an extensive application process and site visit in order to be certified by GFAS. View current openings here.
If you are a GFAS certified group and would like to post on our job board, please email your information to .
GFAS Policy on Organizational Updates
A friendly reminder for our currently Accredited and Verified groups, to keep us, at GFAS, up to date with any major changes which occur at your sanctuary organization. Although GFAS status is for three years, we are delighted to hear from our certified groups at any time!
Click here to find the GFAS policy on organizational updates. Thanks so much for your review and assistance.
Certification and Renewals
Over the past month GFAS has certified three new organizations and renewed six organizations!
Congratulations to all these groups!
New
Diamonds in the Rough, Virginia
Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, West, Arizona
Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation-YOI Ocala, New York
Renewal
ARCAS Wildlife Rescue Center, Guatemala
Hope in the Valley Equine Rescue, Kansas
Primates, Incorporated, Wisconsin
Thoroughbred Athletes, Oklahoma
Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation-Lowell Correctional Facility Second Chances Farm, New York
Unbridled Thoroughbred Foundation, New York