Fundraising Lead: Make People Say “OMG, THAT’S BRILLIANT.”

Okay, here's what I'm actually looking for.

I don't want someone to come in and tell me we need another bake sale, raffle, 5K or Facebook fundraiser.

Please. God. No.

I want someone who looks at traditional nonprofit fundraising and thinks:

“We can do WAY better than this.”

Because I believe fundraising can be completely different.

What if people didn't just donate to Legacy Paws?

What if they became part of something?

What if they walked away thinking:

“Wow. That was actually FUN.”

That's the kind of fundraising I want to build.

Here's what I mean.

I want someone who can come up with ideas that make people stop scrolling and say:

“Wait. WHAT is that?”

Experiences people want to participate in.

Ridiculous things that somehow raise serious money.

Community challenges.

Interactive events.

Pay-it-forward experiences.

Art.

Games.

Mystery experiences.

Dog-centered adventures.

Competitions.

Businesses getting involved.

People sponsoring something and then actually getting to see, experience or participate in what they made possible.

Fundraising where somebody might donate $20 and end up making a new friend, learning something about dogs, creating something, meeting one of our dogs, competing in something completely absurd, helping another person, or becoming part of a story they'll still be talking about six months later.

I want the donation to be the beginning of the experience... not the end of it.

And yes, some of our ideas are going to be weird.

Good.

I like weird.

This is Legacy Paws.

We're a veteran-owned 501(c)(3) dog rescue and sanctuary, but rescue is only where we start.

We're building a Community of Kindness — a place where dogs and people connect, where education and prevention matter just as much as rescue, and where businesses, volunteers, fosters, adopters, artists, families, kids and animal lovers can all find a way to participate.

We don't want people standing outside the fence throwing money over it.

We want them inside the village.

That's the difference.

We're building programs around education, prevention, fostering, rehoming, enrichment, community outreach and experiences that bring people and dogs together.

And we're going to need money to build all of it.

But I don't want fundraising to feel like:

“Please give us money because dogs need money.”

Of course they do.

But I want people to say:

“I HAVE to be part of this.”

So what would you actually do?

You would help us build an entirely different approach to fundraising.

You'd brainstorm ideas that make people curious.

You'd turn those ideas into campaigns and experiences.

You'd look for businesses that want to become part of them.

You'd figure out how we can create recurring revenue without making people feel like an ATM.

You'd develop sponsorship opportunities that actually give sponsors something exciting to be part of.

You'd help create donor experiences people remember.

You'd test crazy ideas.

You'd track what works.

You'd kill what doesn't.

You'd build on what does.

And eventually, you'd build a team of equally weird, creative, motivated people who want to make fundraising something people actually want to participate in.

I am NOT looking for:

Someone who needs every step spelled out.

Someone who thinks fundraising means posting “Please donate” 47 times.

Someone who believes the only way to raise money is to ask people for money.

Or someone who hears “out of the box” and puts a different color on the donation button.

😂

I AM looking for:

Someone who gets genuinely excited by the question:

“What if we did something nobody has thought of before?”

Someone who can take a crazy idea and figure out how to make it real.

Someone who understands psychology, storytelling, community, relationships and the fact that people want to belong to something bigger than themselves.

Someone who can look at a blank page and start filling it with ideas.

Someone who isn't afraid to pitch something completely ridiculous.

Because honestly?

“That's ridiculous” is sometimes exactly where the good ideas start.

This is a leadership role.

You'll have real ownership over the fundraising function.

You'll work with Legacy Paws leadership and our other program leads.

You'll have the opportunity to build a fundraising team.

And you'll have room to experiment, create and bring your own ideas to the table.

This is approximately 5–10 hours per week and is remote-friendly.

You don't need animal rescue experience.

You don't need an existing donor list.

You don't need to know everything.

You do need initiative, creativity, follow-through and a willingness to build something that doesn't already have a blueprint.

Because it doesn't.

We're writing the blueprint.

If you're reading this thinking,

“Oh my God. I already have three ideas.”

Yeah.

We should probably talk.

Prerequisites

Required

• Experience in fundraising, nonprofit development, sales, marketing, business development, events, sponsorships, donor relations, community engagement, or another relevant field
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills
• Ability to work independently and take ownership
• Strong creative and strategic thinking
• Ability to commit approximately 5–10 hours per week
• Ability to collaborate with other volunteer leaders and teams
• Genuine commitment to the Legacy Paws mission

We REALLY want you to have

• Experience creating successful fundraising campaigns or experiences
• Experience developing partnerships or sponsorships
• Experience with community engagement
• Experience building or leading teams
• Comfort experimenting, testing and learning from results
• The ability to turn a ridiculous idea into an executable plan
• The ability to explain an idea well enough that other people get excited about it

You do NOT need

• Animal rescue experience
• A nonprofit degree
• An existing donor base
• To live in North Carolina
• To have every answer

We're much more interested in how you think than whether you've followed someone else's fundraising playbook.

If your first instinct is to ask, “What has everyone else done?”, this probably isn't your role.

If your first instinct is, “What has nobody done yet?”

Now we're talking.