*Please note that this fundraiser is for the purpose of covering the cost of general expenses at our sanctuary. As such, these are not restricted donations*

What is This Fundraiser For?

Whether you are a new human unaware of our organization, or an existing supporter, we feel it is important to be transparent with everyone about the current reality of not just our non-profit, but most of them. As such, we have no desire to hide behind technical terms or broad statements. Instead, we want to be very honest and human with you all in saying that: we are afraid. 

Right now, as of June 6th, 2026, Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary does not know how long we can keep the doors open. The animals, as well as the humans who call this sanctuary home, will likely be left with nowhere to go if our donations continue to deplete.

Though this statement feels jarring, the truth of the matter is that our non-profit, and countless like ours, have been teetering on the edge for quite some time.

But with your help and the changes we have made, there is hope . . .

What Resulted in This Problem?

As a non-profit organization (NGO), our operations rely solely on donations from people such as yourselves, as well as grants from the government or foundations.

1. Donations:
We want to be clear in saying that our supporters are absolutely remarkable and we cannot express how much we appreciate you! Last year, with your generosity, we had our most successful Giving Season ever with a total of $105,518.20 raised AND counting! This organization is only alive to this day due to every penny sent our way to support our animals, our humans, and our sanctuary. From the bottom of our heart, thank you, thank you, thank you for all you do to help us take care of these animals. ❤️

We know we are not alone and that everyone is struggling, which is why it means all the more that you are willing to sacrifice even a dollar to our mission. The economy is in a concerning place, especially for a non-profit. People have less to give, expenses only continue to grow, and grants continue to decrease, which is an incredibly dangerous combination.

The impact of these factors can be seen in our donation numbers from year to year, which you can see in year to date format below.

Total Donations January to June Per Year ($):

2023 – $316,762.60

2024 – $238,868.18

2025 – $250,509.78

2026 – $136,191.69

Thus far this year, we have already seen a 54.4% decrease in donations when comparing the first two quarters of 2025 and 2026, as well as an 84.9% decline in new donors.

Based on our projections for the entirety of the year, this will likely result in roughly $250,000 – $275,000 less in donations in 2026 if these trends continue.

2. Grants:
A NGO’s alternative source of income is through receiving grants. Our sanctuary has been blessed with incredible grant writers, past and present! We cannot understate their hard work, because grants are a delicate craft, which have become even more difficult to receive in recent years. Not just for us, but for all NGOs, as according to the Center for Effective Philanthropy (Reference HERE!), 87% of foundation leaders have seen an increased demand in grant funding and NGOs report a 34% decrease in federal funding and 29% reduction in state and local government funding.

In our case, many foundations and grants we previously relied on have been cut entirely, or have been drastically reduced.

This has resulted in a loss of approximately $80,000 in grants for our organization, in this, and recent years.

How is Wild Spirit Addressing the Issue?

We have been tracking our decrease in profit for quite some time and have done our best to balance our support for other organizations, the fulfillment of our mission, as well as the resource attrition that lurks behind every corner.

1. Support of Other Organizations and People:
Despite our current situation, we will never look back on our efforts to help other sanctuaries and these animals as an error in judgement. Last year, with the help of our incredible supporters (and Humane World who made a $95,000 donation to our Ohio Fur Farm rescue), we took in more rescues than ever before with a total of 45 canines joining our pack! It was not only those 45 lives that were saved, but the organizations, rescuers, and individuals who had no one else to turn to. We were fortunate to be able to help them all in their time of need, but now with the economy as it is, we find ourselves in the same situation we once saved others from. 

Although the population of our sanctuary increased by almost 50% in a single year, we did so while cutting our animal care expenses down from $187,360.60 to $120,680.11, a reduction of 35.6% through many methods, including:

• Low-cost clinics for spays/neuters: With a total of 24 animals who underwent these procedures, we saved about $15,600 through new partnerships!

   

• Discounted Emergency Services: These new partnerships have also been incredible for caring for our rescues in their time of greatest need, which has saved us $13,615.28 on life-saving procedures to date!
  
  
• Alternative Sellers for Preventatives: If you are familiar with our Vet Expenses Campaign, you might have been shocked to see that preventatives for fleas, ticks, etc., make up a considerable portion of our animal care costs. This is required by USDA to boot. However, we recently found a new seller that was willing to give us a discount, reducing our annual cost by $32,685.80.

Shout out to Petroglyph Animal Hospital, Valley Vet Co, and Zia Pet Hospital for their support! ❤️

3. Resource Attrition:

At the moment, managing our resources and how best to use them is one of our top priorities.

We have been on a mission to cut all non-critical expenses for quite some time to operate as optimally as possible while still providing the best care possible for our rescues. 

Here is how our expenses and total rescues have changed from year to year:

2022: Expenditures $852,569.96 | Rescue Population – 60

2023: Expenditures $917,763.10 | Rescue Population – 70

2024: Expenditures $870,267.60 | Rescue Population – 77

2025: Expenditures $850,920.48 | Rescue Population – 109

2026: Projected Expenditures $650,329.02 | Rescue Population – 97

This year also came with unique challenges, such as our walk-in freezer breaking down, which required a $20,000 repair. Our van used for transporting food to our rescues also broke down, requiring a $10,000 replacement. Thankfully, our supporters stunned us again by donating to cover those costs, though those major expenses still tip the scales of our finances. 

With this concerning trend, in addition to the changes above, we have also:

• Disconnected unneeded phone lines 
• Cancelled internet plans
• Reduced our food pick ups (which is all donated by local shops) from 2-3 times a week to once a week.
• Hired local contractors to fix machinery necessary for daily operations and maintenance, as opposed to professional shops
• Increased Standard Tour prices and available Specialty Tours
• Added new items to our gift shop (which you can explore HERE)
• Lowered housing expenses
• Pursuing new collaborations and partnerships
• Increasing advertisement and visibility

Where Do We Go From Here?

Though Wild Spirit is creating many opportunities to increase revenue and adjusting as much as we can, at this present time we need your support. 

We know this is not fair to ask of you—people who may be drowning, too. But we are getting to the stage where there is nowhere else to turn. The lifelines are all but gone, and now, we need to hold on to each other to keep us all afloat. 

This is a breaking point, not just for Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary, but for most sanctuaries just like us. We are a model that only survives to help animals in need if we also receive the support that allows us to do so. Our supporters are amazing, incredible, and they bring us to tears EVERY day with their generosity, but the world is in such a state that the dominoes are still about to fall, and we cannot support that weight anymore. 

If you can, any donation will help. If money is tight, we understand, and word of mouth can be just as valuable. Recently, our ~850k follower Facebook page was hacked, forcing us to create a new page (Follow our new Facebook HERE). We were also forced to create a new Instagram account, which lost us ~100k followers there, as well (Follow our new Instagram HERE). Due to this, our social media presence and ability to reach our audience has been crippled and we are doing our best to start over.

Alternatively,

• Do you know a person who loves to support animals and may not know of us?
• Do you know a company who would love to collaborate or partner with our sanctuary?
• Do you have recommendations for avenues we may not know about?
• Are you or your employer willing to do a matching donation?
• Do you live in an area that could host a fundraiser for us?

You can contact us at info@wildspiritwolfsanctuary.org.

I promise you that anything you can offer is infinitely better than where we stand now. Because where we stand is on the precipice. However, despite our projections, we believe that if we meet our goal of $125,000 it will keep us from falling into the water below, like so many others before us.

You can help us reach this goal by clicking the following button to donate to this campaign.