GFS Events was once again contracted with the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation to manage and produce the 21st Annual Furry 5K. Each year, the Furry 5K attracts thousands of two-legged runners accompanied by their four-legged companions. This year’s COVID-19 pandemic turned the race virtual. We had to turn the event from an in-person interactive event to one that would be online but still interactive and fun for participants. We used an app call RaceJoy that allowed runners to download the race information and time their race as well as interact with sponsors and allow guests to follow and cheer for them. We provided each participant with a T-shirt, bandana, flier and race bib. We had three locations for race pick-up and mailed the packets to those that requested it. One of the benefits of the virtual event this year was that we had participants from as far away as Minnesota! Our sponsors received recognition and we had an online Pet-Palooza which featured sponsor coupons and vendor information. GFS coordinated all aspects of the event including logistics, team captain recruitment, social media, email marketing, sponsorship and online vendor management. We had over 600 racers participate and reached our $75,000 goal to raise money for the Seattle Animal Shelter’s Help the Animals Fund.
SASF Furry 5k 2020
Fun Fact
With a race app to guide people, we had Furry 5K participants from across the state and across the country!
"2020 was a difficult year for fundraising, we could not have done it without GFS. We transitioned our regular 2000 person walk & run to a virtual fundraiser. Not only did GFS help us beat our fundraising goal, they ended up working about 2-3 months longer than originally expected. I HIGHLY recommend GFS for fundraising and events. They have helped us with our event for multiple years now. Great work again!"
Brad Near
Vice President, Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation