When reporter Darcy Matheson was covering stories on pets, she saw a common and difficult theme: expensive vet bills and people struggling to pay them. 

With that in mind, the animal lover and mama to two terriers herself, decided to start a crowdfunding platform that would help people raise money for animal projects, whether it be individual pet owners paying veterinary costs, or rescue groups looking to expand to help more furry friends. 

That’s when PetFundr was born. For Darcy, creating a platform for animal lovers to help each other was a no brainer. 

“I was seeing pets being surrendered because people can’t pay their vet bills. That is a heartbreaking decision to make. PetFundr keeps people and pets together and is making a difference in the quality of life of thousands of our beloved animals.”

Partnered with FundRazr, a leader in global crowdfunding, the online platform brings together animal lovers to support causes, harnessing the power of kindness and social media sharing. 

Since starting in May 2015, it’s raised nearly half a million dollars for more than 150 individual campaigns from around the globe. 

And it’s not just friends helping friends when they see the campaigns on Facebook. FundRazr CEO Daryl Hatton says PetFundr’s animal campaigns attract more donations from complete strangers than any other type of crowdfunding effort. 

“People have a natural affinity to help care for animals, even ones that aren’t their own,” he says. 

PetFundr has now helped animals in Canada, the US, Australia, Europe, Africa, Croatia, Great Britain, New Zealand, and Singapore. 

Memorable campaigns include renovating a non-profit sanctuary that takes in old, unwanted and terminally ill dogs and farm animals, outfitting local fire halls with oxygen masks specifically designed to fit the faces of dogs and cats, and funding a flight to transport 80 dogs from an overcrowded California shelter and bring them to new homes in Canada. 

Now celebrating its fourth anniversary, Darcy says their plans are expanding into more countries, with a goal of helping even more animals in need. 

“The world is a better place with pets in it. Together we can help them all,” she says.