Brooke USA Foundation is thrilled to announce the conclusion of “The Donkey Project” fundraising campaign, which raised $1,762,481. The one-year campaign was launched on July 1, 2023, with an initial goal of raising $1.5 million and a stretch goal of $1.6 million imposed later in May 2024. The campaign closed on June 30, reaching a record number of donations and surpassing the stretch goal.
“The campaign has served as our largest and most successful philanthropic effort in Brooke USA’s 9-year history,” noted Emily Dulin, Brooke USA’s CEO. “We are honored because our friends came together to support our growth and help us increase our impact on the world.” More than 1,000 individual donors and corporate supporters funded the campaign with 100% commitments from Board members and staff.
During the duration of the campaign, “The Donkey Project” allowed Brooke USA to fund projects in Cuba, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Namibia, Senegal, Somalia, and South Africa. These programs ranged from emergency preparedness and water provision to after school programs for children and good husbandry and handling initiatives.
In addition, Brooke USA contributed toward equines in need of feed, hay and veterinary care during the Texas-Panhandle Wildfires, and through the Bridge Grants Fund at the EQUUS Foundation, Brooke USA helped equine charities in the United States in desperate need of financial support brought on by unexpected circumstances.
Brooke USA was also able to continue its grassroots advocacy efforts in Washington, DC with a laser focus determination to pass the Ejiao Act (H.R. 6021) which would prohibit the sale and importation of the gelatin-like product derived from boiling the hides of donkeys, after immense animal suffering and great loss to donkey owners.
In addition, to raising much needed funds for Brooke USA, “The Donkey Project” was also aimed at raising the profile of donkeys all over the world. For 600 million people in some of the poorest places in the world, 100 million donkeys and other equines are the backbone of communities and their best means of making a living. Without healthy working donkeys, people would not be able to put food on their tables, send their children to school or build better futures for themselves and their families. In sum, donkeys are essential to the livelihoods of people in developing countries.
As a result of the campaign Brooke USA received $750,000 in lead gifts, ensuring that Brooke USA could support more programs and more projects across the world and right here in the United States. On June 30, to culminate, “The Donkey Project” and end the one-month celebration of Brooke Family of Charities’ founder Dorothy Brooke, Brooke USA held a Day of Giving with the goal of raising an additional $20,000 before conclusion. This goal was met, in large due to the generosity of Vicky and Eric Busch for their $10,000 match that spurred the day of giving to such success. The final amount raised was $20,291.
“When we began this campaign, we could only have dreamt of the success we have now realized; this is an outstanding accomplishment that showcases our donor community’s trust in our work,” Brooke USA Board Chair Dr. Jim Hamilton said. “For that, on behalf of the working horses, donkeys and mules we serve and of course, the people who depend on them, we thank every donor and friend who helped us achieve our ambitious goal,” he added.
If you are interested in donating in honor of The Donkey Project or Dorothy Brooke, it is not too late. Make your donation today at www.brookeusa.org/mydonation.
