Fundraising campaign goes viral, raises more than $8K for Kansas Humane Society

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - The Kansas Humane Society came up with a unique way to raise money for its animals, capitalizing on a social media campaign that’s gone viral.

One of the creators of the “Only Paws” campaign said they weren’t expecting all the love and support they’ve received, and they hope the outreach will help many more animals housed at the KHS to find their forever homes.

Wichita’s nonprofit shelter, dedicated to helping local animals get their second chance, started a campaign, selling pictures of animals’ feet, predominantly the pads on their paws and claws, affectionately referred to as “toe beans.”

“Every time people pay us $100 on each platform, we release five photos out on the platform of choice,” KHS Communications Director Jordan Bani-Younes explained.

The “Only Paws” campaign is a spinoff of the adult subscription site, “Only Fans,” where racy captions grab viewers’ attention. This is similar to what the KHS has done on a comical scale.

“Yeah, you just got to get creative with it. I think that’s one of the things people really respond to,” Bani-Younes said.

He said the campaign gained a lot of unexpected media attraction, helping the KHS raise more than $8,000, far beyond the initial $2,000 goal.

“We never expected the level of success or recognition we got,” Bani-Younes said. “I’m raised here and the level of acceptance the community has had for the campaign, just helping us in general, has been phenomenal.”

The KHS came up with the clever campaign in the mist of the shelter reaching full capacity.

“”We’re seeing a lot of different things like inflation; spay, neuter surgeries were also stopped during the pandemic. So, that has just caused an overpopulation crisis that is nationwide,” said KHS Social Media Manager Carlene Dick. “So, we are just doing everything we can to really get the word out that we need adopters right now.”

Donations for the campaign are also a big help.

“It goes toward food, vaccinations, microchipping; it all goes back to our animals,” Bani-Younes said.

Copyright 2023 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email news@kwch.com