[summer_gphib]

I work with a rescue group, and we have two very successful (and fun!) fundraisers each year. The first is our "Waddle" (it's a basset hound rescue group.) It's a day of games and fun for people to bring their dogs to. It's mostly bassets that show up, but if you were to do something similar you would open it up to all breeds. We raise about 20k after expenses, and we have it in a big open field. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it. This year I got to work the adoption tent, and wow, that was great. We had 19 adoptions! We require home visits, so only pre-approved homes got to adopt. That was amazing for us. So some sort of adoption festival would be my first suggestion. I would add this-- to have a really good event, you need to have VENDORS. Your humane society could probably provide a list of vendors they've worked with at other events. We've had everything from coffee vendors to other rescue groups there to sell stuff and make a more vibrant event.

The second event we have is a silent auction/live auction/Ball. We raise a lot of money-- and again it's a really fun event. For us it's a very dressed up affair, and is usually about $70 per plate for people to come. Then we've gathered donations from all over! Again-- it's a lot of work, but gets great results.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!