Any cat owner will tell you their pets are valued like family members because that’s exactly what they are. Unfortunately, not all cats have homes or family members to call their own…yet. That’s where we—the cat-loving people of the world—come in.

If your children are looking for ways to raise money to help cats in need of their forever homes or are looking to bring awareness to important cat-centric issues in your community, we can help. Read on to find nine creative ways you and your children can work together to raise money to help cats in your area.

The 9 Ways Kids Can Raise Money to Help Cats

1. Bake Sale

A bake sale is a fantastic way to raise money, as most goodies don’t cost much to make, so your profits will easily exceed your expenses. Depending on your child’s age, you may not need to help much in the kitchen either, which is a win for you!

You can even make cat treats from home to sell at the sale. There’s no reason that dogs should be the only pets that get tasty homemade treats. Check out our blog on cat treat recipes to get your creative juices flowing. The jerky hearts are one of our favorite recipes, as they’re just so cute and totally marketable.

2. Photography Sessions

If your child is a whiz behind a camera, a cat photo booth is a great way to raise some funds to help the cats in your community. You can set up the studio at your home or maybe even a local pet store. Be sure you have some fun props on hand (e.g., toys, lickable treats, etc.) to entice your friends, families, and neighbors’ kitties to pose pretty for their pictures. You can charge by the photo, but you might also wish to offer printed merchandise such as t-shirts or coffee mugs.

Bonus: Select 12 of your favorite photos and create a calendar of local cats in your community to sell!

3. DIY ID Tags

If your child is crafty, they can make identification tags for cat collars and sell them online or in your community. This might be a fun project for the two of you to do together. The possibilities for style and type of tag are endless. For example, you can hand stamp them onto aluminum blanks or make them from resin and add fun mix-ins like beads and stickers.

4. Garage Sale

As a parent of a teenager, if there’s one thing I can tell you, it’s that children are always growing. Their likes and dislikes change rapidly, as does their personal style. If your kid has outgrown the Bluey stage or is now experimenting with alternative clothing instead of their usual pink and frilly style, a garage sale is a great way to declutter their space and pass on their gently used items to other people who can use them. Be sure to advertise that proceeds from the sale will go toward benefiting the local rescue or charity in need.

5. DIY Greeting Cards

Artsy kids can have a lot of fun making and selling greeting cards. Make them cat-themed to appeal to the cat lovers in your area, and design them by hand or on the computer. These can be sold locally, at your garage sale, or even in online spaces such as Etsy.

6. Create a Viral Challenge

If your child is in middle or high school, chances are they probably have a deep understanding of what “going viral online” means and what it takes to make something go viral. While there’s no guarantee that any challenge they start will receive viral status like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which raised $115 million, it sure doesn’t hurt to try.

The possibilities for a cat-related challenge are endless, so encourage them to get their creative juices flowing. For example, they could challenge their followers to teach their cats a cool new trick and then challenge their own friends and family members to do the same. If they accept the challenge, they’ll send your cause a small donation.

7. Birthday Fundraiser

A birthday fundraiser is a great way to raise money without much effort on your child’s part. Include instructions on the birthday invitations that your child is choosing to raise funds for their birthday in lieu of gifts so the attendees know what’s going on. Alternatively, you can have a “fiver” (or “toonie” if you’re Canadian!) party, where each child will bring $5 (or $2), which you can then donate to your favorite rescue or charity.

8. Beverage Stand

Lemonade stands are a quintessential part of most children’s childhood. They are a great way to teach your kids important lessons about handling money and supply and demand. They’re fantastic boredom busters for summer lulls and great money-makers. Your child can sell lemonade, fruit punch, iced tea, or pretty much any chilled drink. If you’re in the middle of winter like I am right now, know that you don’t have to wait until summer to hold a beverage stand fundraiser. Get your hands on some thermoses and make hot apple cider or even hot chocolate!

9. Neighborhood Carnival

A neighborhood-wide carnival is a fun way to raise awareness for cat charities and funds for them, too. The carnival can consist of fun games that you can make on your own or buy from your local dollar store. Think low-cost and easy-to-operate games like ball toss, lawn bowling, balloon darts, and cupcakes or cake walks. Depending on how much interest there is in your event, you can even ask local businesses for prizes or food donations. Your little one may not be able to plan an entire carnival on their own, but with your help, it’s completely doable.

Final Thoughts

Congratulations on raising such an animal-loving and socially aware child. Your little one is surely going to go big places if they already have such a focus on important social matters like cat welfare. We hope our list of fundraiser ideas has given you and your child a good jumping-off point so now you can envision how you’ll raise awareness and funds for the cats and cat-centric rescues and charities in your region!

Featured Image Credit: Luidmila Kot, Pixabay