The needs of wildlife never stop, no matter what season it is! PAWS is 100% volunteer-based and has no paid staff, so ALL donated funds go directly to animal care. Our status as an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) charitable organization also means that all donations are tax-deductible. For more information on why we’re the best bang for your philanthropic buck, check out our reviews & rating as a 2012 – 2023 “Top Nonprofit” by GreatNonprofits.org. View our community testimonials. Verify who we are at Guidestar.org.
One time donations are incredibly helpful, no matter the amount. But please consider a monthly donation to allow us the stability to plan for our expenses in a less stressful manner.
Donations can be made in any of the following ways:
Paypal: paws.sc@gmail.com (one time or monthly)
Venmo: @PawsSC (one time or monthly)
TEXT TO DONATE – “SAVEWILDLIFE” to 44-321 (one time or monthly)
Credit/debit card: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/paws-animal-wildlife-santuary-inc
Patreon.com/PawsSC (easy monthly donations via Paypal or card)
Check: mail checks, made out to Paws Animal Wildlife Sanctuary, to:
PAWS – ws
P.O. Box 157
Waterloo, SC 29384
If you’re interested in donating time or material goods (in-kind donations), we think you’re awesome! Please visit our Get Involved! page for more information.
Where does the money go?
Wildlife care can require a stunning amount of money. For the curious, here’s a real-life example of expenses for a Red Tailed Hawk that came to PAWS in December of 2009. She had a badly injured wing, and went to the vet for an initial assessment. A follow-up veterinary visit showed no initial progress. We kept her a little longer to see if she just needed more time to heal, but it became obvious that her injury was not improving at all and that she would not recover enough to even be used for education (following federal requirements on this subject). At that time the decision was made to humanely euthanize her. Despite our lack of success, her care still ran up expenses as follows:
- Gas for 4 car trips (pickup plus 3 trips to the vet) = $25
- Misc medical supplies (VetWrap, lactated ringers, IV needles) = $10
- Food for 17 days (10 mice per day) = $170
- Veterinary care (3 office visits, radiographs, euthanasia) = $300
- Total cost of 2.5 weeks’ care = $505
Items required but not included in expenses listed above:
- Overhead vehicle expenses used for transport
- Indoor facility for treatment of critical care animals
- Electricity and heat for facility
- Phone line to receive calls for help, make veterinary appointments, etc.
- Outdoor facility built to federal standards (not used in this case, but required in order to obtain & maintain raptor rehabilitation license)
- Refrigerator/freezer for storing food
- Volunteer time spent feeding, cleaning, transporting, etc.
- Caging, perches, water dish, bedding, and related cleaning supplies
This is why we so frequently ask for community support. This is why we hope for a donation with a surrendered animal (even $20 helps!). We would love to be able to show you successes for every dollar you send in — and we DO have many successes, as evidenced by our release photos and videos — but our care is rooted in the belief that every animal deserves help whether it has the hoped for outcome or whether they are here for us to help end the suffering. Rest assured that we stretch every donated dollar to its limit. We deeply appreciate the support, financial and otherwise, with which the community continues to bless us. Together we can make a difference!
