Corporate Volunteerism | Welcome to Wayside Waifs

Let’s Make a Difference Together

Research shows today’s employees are purpose driven and socially conscious. They want to make a difference in their local community, and they want to work for a company that shares these values. Wayside Waifs offers a fun Corporate Volunteer Engagement Program that provides various opportunities for your employees to get involved as a team, including one-time and on-going volunteer opportunties, onsite events at your company, special event support, matching gifts, and fundraising and in-kind campaigns. Let’s work together to make a difference!

Corporate Volunteer Groups

Tasks include daily duties, event support, and other shelter needs. Group volunteering is an excellent way to build teamwork, while also having fun. While you won’t be able to work one-on-one with the shelter animals, your visit will include some snuggle time with a shelter pet.

Funded by donations, Wayside is able to provide a 4-tiered Corporate Volunteer Program, Monday – Friday 10am-5pm. Limited evening and weekend opportunities are offered. Benefits can include space rental for onsite company meetings, media coverage, social media posts, and more.

Event Sponsorship

It costs $27,397 a day to operate the shelter. Your event sponsorship makes Wayside’s life-saving mission possible! Sponsorships range from $250 to $25,000.

Fur Ball Gala

The Fur Ball Gala is Wayside’s largest fundraiser, with nearly 1,000 attendees. With a new theme each year, it’s one of Kansas City’s most popular and downright fun galas to attend. Fur Ball includes dinner and drinks, exciting silent and live auctions, kitten and puppy cuddles, and live entertainment. Sponsorships start at $2,500. Learn more. (insert link)

Strutt With Your Mutt

Strutt With Your Mutt is Kansas City’s oldest and largest dog-friendly 3K/5K walk/run. With more than 1,500 dogs and people attending, this furry event is always a great time! Held in the scenic Brookside neighborhood, Strutt invites corporate partners to form teams and involve their staff and families. It’s a celebration of the special bond between pets and people. Sponsorship starts at $250 and Team registrations are $45 per person. Learn more. (insert link)

Other Events

Many companies organize one-time or annual special events to support Wayside. These events/efforts include featuring adoptable pets in company communications, pet photo contests, bingo events, Jean’s Days, puppy visits, and donation drives.

Wayside can also come to your company and provide onsite programming that encourages education, philanthropy, and volunteer engagement.

Employee Giving

Is your company ready to put their philanthropic passion into action? Employee giving is a great way to support employees at your company who are excited about making a difference in their community. A few ways companies can promote employee giving include:

Providing Matching Gifts

Volunteer Grants: a company donates a monetary amount based on the number of volunteer hours given.

In-Kind Donations: companies often donate products they can’t use or are nearing expiration. Or they organize in-kind donation drives.
Internal Employee Fundraising: Get creative! At Wayside, we are open to creative ways of fundraising for the animals. Check out our DIY fundraising tool!

FAQ

When are group volunteer projects offered?

Group projects are typically offered Monday-Friday from 10am-5pm. Time frames may vary, depending on what works best for your team and shelter needs at the time.

How many people can volunteer in a group?

Wayside is flexible, but can easily accommodate groups of 8 to more than 50.

Will my team be able to interact with the animals while volunteering?

Volunteer projects do not involve working one-on-one with the animals. But animal cuddles will be included during your tour.

We are interested in having some animals come to our office to boost morale. Is that possible?

Yes, Wayside can bring puppies to visit your company. A 1-hour visit is a $500 donation and a 2-hour visit is $1,000 donation. The donation can be made directly from the company or fundraised within your staff. We see many companies use the opportunity to have pets visit their office as a way to utilize Employee Giving to raise funds for the animals. (I.E. Jeans Day, Raffles, holiday party, cutest pet contest).

How can we get involved with Strutt With Your Mutt?

Start a team! One of the easiest and most fun ways is to build a team of staff and their families. If you have a company wellness committee, Strutt is an awesome option to get your people moving forward and engaging with each other outside of the office. Strutt also offers sponsorships starting at $1,000 with competitive benefits. Contact Emily Sanger for help registering your team here.