Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary (HEEFS) was founded in 2014, and is located in the GTA, in Ontario, Canada. Our mission is simple: to rescue abused, neglected, and abandoned farmed animals; provide a safe, life-long home for all our sanctuary residents; educate the public about the true nature of farmed animals; and promote the health and well-being of farmed animals everywhere.
Inspired by the love of Esther the Wonder Pig and rooted in the belief that every living being deserves respect and care, we strive to create a harmonious environment where animals can thrive, form bonds, experience freedom, and embrace the joy that comes with a second chance at life.
Through our work, we aim to help the public understand that each farmed animal is a unique being, with individual needs, and to promote a more humane world. Join us in our mission to create a world where every being can live happily ever after.
Our Founders
Derek Walter - Co-Founder
The road to becoming the Executive Director for Happily Ever Esther was not the straightest path. Spending years becoming an incredibly talented professional magician, Derek never thought he would quit the life in the spotlight to become the animal caretaker, but this couldn't have been a more perfect fit.
Derek spends most of his time in making sure that all HEEFS operations run smoothly.
Steve Jenkins - Co-Founder
Steve has been crazy for animals ever since he can remember - rescuing turtles in the road, squirrels who have fallen from trees, so it was no surprise when he answered the call from an acquaintance to bring a "mini-pig" into his and Derek's very small home in Georgetown.
Steve is a loud and proud speaker for animal welfare around the world.
The Challenge
Managing growth as a small team
With no dedicated fundraiser on staff and a very small administrative team, the sanctuary needed a tool that could handle their fundraising needs without requiring extensive fundraising know-how. They needed something that is easy to use - with donation tracking, reporting, and goal monitoring.
“With such a small core team, we just don't have the bandwidth to implement a very complicated solution. Donorbox was really easy for us to set up and it really met our needs. It was an easy decision!”
HEEFS uses Donorbox to launch and track different crowdfunding campaigns throughout the year. They tailor each donation form to fit their different fundraising needs for any given campaign, and monitor performance for each campaign through Donorbox to gather insights that help them plan their next campaigns.
The Result
Less trial and error, more funding
The sanctuary team raised $700,000 to purchase a CT scanner that they then donated to a nearby veterinarian college. With the leftover funds, they established a program that welcomes applications from registered charity sanctuaries who need financial assistance.
What I liked is that I could create individual campaigns within Donorbox and track the success of that campaign individually without having to wonder which donations are from which campaign.
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