Developing a digital fundraising strategy for the Romanian Dog Shelter, Speranța

Who did we partner with?

Adăpostul Speranța is a Romanian dog shelter dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming abandoned and abused dogs. Founded in 1996, it currently provides medical care, emotional support, and safe housing for over 500 dogs, many of whom have suffered trauma. The shelter also promotes responsible pet ownership through education and community outreach, aiming to end animal cruelty and homelessness while helping each dog find a loving forever home.

What was the challenge?

When Upsall International first engaged with Speranța 3 years ago, they had limited digital fundraising capability with no systems or strategy in place to support individual giving through online channels. The initial challenge was to help them take the first steps to building a foundation for sustainable online fundraising. Since then, we’ve supported them in growing a successful digital fundraising programme across various European markets.

What was our solution?

Our solution was to provide hands-on, end-to-end support throughout the growth of Speranța’s digital fundraising programme. We worked closely with the team from strategy development through to campaign delivery, helping them understand their audience, the wider fundraising space, shape their plan and launch their first digital fundraising campaigns. This practical, embedded approach ensured they could steadily build confidence and capability over time while seeing real results.

What was the result?

The result was a significant transformation in Speranța’s fundraising capacity. From having no digital presence, they grew into an organisation with an active internal donor base of thousands, made up of loyal supporters passionate about their cause. Their digital fundraising programme now plays a central role in sustaining their work and engaging new audiences consistently.