CUDDLY rolled out a “Rescue Rover” in New York City this past Saturday, the latest in a growing fleet of vans saving pets from packed shelters.
The rover shifted into gear with a welcome party on September 6, where animal lovers mingled with the pups as they arrived at a new rescue center in Long Island City.
The center is run by the New York City Second Chance Rescue nonprofit, which will operate the van with funding from CUDDLY. This is CUDDLY’s second rover, after the first one debuted in Austin in 2022. A third one is planned for later this year.
Amy Peterson, director of event marketing at CUDDLY, says it’s nothing short of a “real life, life-saving operation.”
“The whole shelter world is a game of space, for lack of a better word,” Peterson told Vendelux. “These are nonprofits, so it’s not like they’re rolling in cash.”
That’s where CUDDLY comes in. On the website, donors can choose their cause, whether it’s a cat in need of surgery or a volunteer shelter looking to relocate, as well as how much to give. Donors can also buy items like toys and leashes off wishlists, with delivery available to more than 4,000 shelters nationwide.
The California-based company describes itself as a “for-profit, for-good” organization. It says it keeps 10 percent of all donations to fund operational costs.
In April, the company launched its own line of pet food, with part of the proceeds going to meals at partner shelters. That’s part of why Peterson switched from sales to events earlier this year.
“People don’t know we do pet food, they think we do fundraising only,” she said. “With this new role, it’s been a lot of thinking creatively and getting people excited about what we’re doing.”
It’s a tall order for Peterson and her colleague, Karson Goldbach, who make up a puny part of CUDDLY’s five-person marketing team.
“We’re small, but mighty,” she said. “I have an ongoing Google Doc with Karson, and we go through it almost every other day. Both of us kind of brain dump into that Google Doc. You’ll see stuff added in there at two in the morning. We’ll wake up and go, ‘Wait, I have an idea!’”
Her biggest challenge so far has been, “harnessing creativity and not getting stuck.”
When that happens, they turn their focus online.
“You look at the pet space, and they’re coming up with ideas for things to do all the time. We recently hosted a bulldog meetup, leaning into the trends and what people are doing. If you look on TikTok, there will be tons of ‘crusty white dog’ meetups. Not everything is gonna be a success, but you gotta start somewhere, especially since people don’t really know CUDDLY as an organization that hosts events.”
That’s because the group attracted a loyal virtual following in the early days of COVID. For some, less money spent at restaurants and more time spent inside meant a sudden burst of generosity.
“People were online, looking at their phones, donating and wanting to do something good because there was so much going on at that time,” Peterson said.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy says this may be true for some organizations, even if the overall share of Americans who give to charity has been in steady decline for decades, down from 66.2% of adults in 2000 to just 45.8% in 2020. However, individual gift amounts have grown as people double down on their favorite causes.
Peterson and Goldbach have been tasked with unleashing their pack of patrons into the wild.
“Our main focus is gonna be adoption events, adoption events, adoption events,” she said. “Fundraising, right now, is so difficult. Online fundraising, especially. People just don’t have the money to give. We want to provide them the option to get a product they need, but also contribute.”
In a stroke of strategic synergy, CUDDLY will start selling its pet food at more of these gatherings.
“What’s unique about us, and what we really try to advertise at our events, is how close we can track the gift back. Every month we pick an animal that’s the beneficiary of our giveback, so when someone makes a purchase at our booth, for example, you helped feed Slugger today. The ROI is really the sales of our food and merch, and also brand awareness,” she said.
