TNR Fundraising: Merch That Helps Pay for Spay/Neuter
Most trap-neuter-return is done by volunteers. They trap at night, drive cats to clinics, and very often pay for the surgeries themselves. Vouchers and low-cost clinics help, but they usually cover only part of the cost, and the rest comes out of someone's pocket.
A fundraiser shirt gives your neighbors, followers and supporters an easy way to help with that gap. Minty Tees designs it with you, prints and ships every order, and part of every sale goes to your TNR work. There are no setup or design fees.
Start a TNR fundraiserHow it works
Why merch works for TNR
- People want to help but can't trap. Buying a shirt is something almost anyone can do, and it puts your group's name in front of more neighbors.
- It works all year. TNR costs don't stop after one emergency. A shirt can keep raising money through kitten season and beyond.
- It's easy to explain. "Every shirt helps pay for a spay or neuter" is a message supporters understand right away.
- It's free to start. You don't buy inventory, pack boxes or handle shipping. Shirts are made when someone orders.
Ideas TNR groups can use
Your colony, your design
Feature a colony's neighborhood or a favorite ear-tipped regular, with your group's name. Local designs sell best to local people.
The ear tip
The tipped ear is the badge of a cat who's been fixed. It makes a simple, recognizable design that starts conversations about TNR.
Trapper crew shirts
Matching shirts for volunteers help neighbors recognize your team when you're out trapping, and supporters can buy the same design.
Kitten season drive
A limited spring design tied to a clear goal, such as fixing a colony before the next litters, gives people a reason to buy now.
Sponsor a cat
A design for each cat that's fixed this season, with their name and photo, lets supporters follow the cats they helped.
Totes and hoodies
Not every supporter wants a T-shirt. A hoodie for cold trapping nights or a tote for the farmers market can widen who buys.
How the numbers can work
You help choose the selling price, and before launch we confirm exactly what your group earns per item. A simple way to set a goal: take what you pay out of pocket per surgery after any voucher, and divide it by what you earn per shirt.
Example only: if your group pays about $75 per cat after a voucher and earns $15 per shirt, five shirts cover one cat. Fifty shirts cover ten.
Merch takes time and depends on sales. It's best for ongoing costs, not a surgery that has to be paid for tomorrow.
How it works
- Tell us about your group. Who you are, where you trap, and what the money will cover. You don't need a finished design.
- Plan it together. We work out the design, products, prices and what your group earns per sale.
- Approve everything. Nothing goes live until you approve the artwork, page and terms.
- Share your page. You get a fundraiser page with your story, a share message, a share graphic and a printable QR flyer for events. Minty handles checkout, printing and shipping.
Already selling merch somewhere else? A Minty campaign can sit alongside it, for example as a limited kitten season design or a local colony shirt.
Other ways to pay for TNR surgeries
- Spay/neuter programs in your state: state voucher programs, community cat programs and low-cost clinics, checked on their own websites.
- Lower-cost care anywhere in the U.S., including SpayUSA's national referral line for lower-cost spay/neuter and community cats.
- Your local shelter or animal services: many run community cat or return-to-field programs and can tell you which clinics take TNR cats.
How we keep fundraisers honest
You don't need paperwork to get started. Before anything goes live, we review your group's story with you, along with any website or social pages you share, and agree on what the proceeds support. Anyone can report a concern about a fundraiser.
Start a TNR fundraiserMore about fundraising merch
Know a TNR group that could use this? Send them this page: mintytees.com/pages/help-my-pet-tnr-fundraising