What is $5 Friday?
In October 2015, I started “$5 Fridays” to inspire people to support non-profit animal advocacy organizations. Every Friday, I select an organization and kindly ask everyone to donate $5 to it. Many people don’t have a lot of money to give but most people have a little. If we all donate a little, it will add up to a lot and make a big difference for animals.
How can you help?
1) Donate $5 directly to the $5 Friday pick via their website (or any animal
protection organization you choose!).
2) Post the name of the organization and your donation amount in the comments section below so we can keep a running total of donations (i.e. “I donated $5 to Mercy for Animals”). I confirm our total with the organization the following day.
That’s it. It’s that simple!
How do I select the organizations?
I read independent assessments, interview organization leaders, speak with
volunteers, read websites and Google reviews, check social media activity, review the organization’s financials and Form 990, and think critically about every decision. I focus on organizations that can quantify the effectiveness of their work and make the biggest impact for animals.
Why should we donate?
Animal rescue and advocacy organizations rely on our generosity to sustain their work. Whether it’s providing humane education to students, designing and printing veg starter kits, launching online pro-animal advertisements, employing undercover investigators, organizing boycotts or protests, advocating for pro-animal legislation, or providing medical care, food, and shelter to rescued animals, it costs money to run these organizations. Our donations directly help them save more animals’ lives.
We donated an incredible $2,570 on our first six Fridays. Let’s keep it going!
$5 Friday Pick #7 — The Cow Sanctuary, Bridgeton, NJ
After speaking with Helga, the founder of The Cow Sanctuary, I knew her sanctuary was a perfect $5 Friday pick. On a budget of only $50,000 per year, Helga takes care of 22 cows, 10 pigs, 4 horses, 2 goats, and 16 geese on a farm that she owns at no cost to supporters. What percentage of donations does Helga keep for a salary? Zero. It’s an all-volunteer sanctuary and she cares for all of these animals with the help of a few volunteers and a vet for medical care. Helga is a superhero for farm animals!
We spoke of many animals in her care — the dairy cows she has rescued that were slated to be culled (slaughtered) and so many heart-rending stories of suffering. The tales of survival, the compassion she shows these abused, confined, and desperate animals, and the bond she develops with them, could form the plot of a major motion picture.
Redley (pictured above) was days away from being killed for food when he and four other cows escaped through a fence and ran wild for several weeks. Helga adopted Redley and provided him a safe and loving home. Helga needs our help tending to the needs of rescued cows like Redley. It will mean so much to her if you donate $5 to help her pay for medical care, food, and upkeep of her farm sanctuary. I wish you could have heard the gratitude in her voice when she learned I selected The Cow Sanctuary for a $5 Friday pick. Let’s show “Helga the Hero” how much we appreciate her dedicating her life to saving farm animals. We can’t stop all the cruelty in the world but we can make it a more humane place by supporting animal rescue organizations like The Cow Sanctuary.
Click here to make your $5 donation to The Cow Sanctuary!
Remember to list your donation and the amount in the comments section below so we can track our total. I modeled the first for everyone. Thank you!
Kirschner's Korner 
I donated $5 to The Cow Sanctuary.
Great idea Andrew! I am in for $5 🙂
Sent from my iPhone
Thank you for taking action for animals Kirsten! Much appreciated!
I donated $5 to The Cow Sanctuary.
Thank you Denise! Helga will be thrilled!
I donated $10 to The Cow Sanctuary. I have met Helga several times and have volunteered at her sanctuary. She is an amazing woman who makes tremendous sacrifices so the animals have what they need. She is truly an inspiration.
Fantastic Christine! Thank you very much for supporting The Cow Sanctuary and for sharing your experience as a volunteer there!
I donated $5 to The Cow Sanctuary. Keep up the awesome activism, Andrew!
Awesome! Thanks so much Becky! Really appreciate you taking the time to do that!
You are very welcome. Thank you for all you do to help the animals!! (:
Hi. I donated $10 to The Cow Sanctuary.
That’s amazing news Coleen! Helga will be so grateful. Thanks so much for taking action for animals!
good idea. i try & do some donation every Friday before the Shabbat…I also gave to the Cow Sanctuary today thanks to your idea
Thank you for your generosity! I will put you down for $5. Much appreciated!
I donated $10. Gentle souls like cows deserve our support. Creative compassionate folks like Helga deserve our support. These small sanctuaries make a great impact in the lives of animals. Thanks Andrew for organizing this and getting the word out!
Thanks so much! Helga will greatly appreciate it!
I am sending $5 to The Cow Sanctuary. I was so touched reading the story of how Helga has saved the animals and I am glad to help support The Cow Sanctuary. Thank you Helga!
Wonderful news! Thanks you Audria! Yes, Helga is a great inspiration!
Including Facebook donations, we donated an amazing and inspiring $1,135 to The Cow Sanctuary yesterday for $5 Friday. That’s more than 2% of The Cow Sanctuary’s annual budget in just one day! Thank you to everyone who participated and we hope to see you again next Friday! Helga is very grateful for everyone’s support!
Are you still tracking donations for The Cow Sanctuary throughout the week until you pick a new sanctuary next Friday? Or is this just for Fridays only. If you are still seeking/tracking donations, I’ll post it on Facebook to encourage others to donate to The Cow Sanctuary. Thank you for doing this.
Hello –
Yes! We are definitely still accepting donations made directly to the Cow Sanctuary! Thank you!
Please let me know if you receive any confirmations of donations (and I’ll confirm with Helga) so we can add them to our $5 Friday total. Much appreciated!
Sounds great. I will let you know of any confirmed donations.
We donated $100 to Cow Sanctuary.
Fantastic news. So generous of you. Added to our $5 Friday total. Thank you!