Hurricane’s Heroes gives 160+ retired K9s a better life, saving time and nurturing donors with Donorbox

Introduction

If you keep up with the news, you might remember this headline story from 2014: “Meet the Secret Service Dogs Who Took Down White House Fence Jumper.” The highly trained dogs stopped an intruder after he jumped the fence, and one went on to become the most decorated dog in American history.

This story of heroism is the foundation of Hurricane’s Heroes. The nonprofit’s mission is to provide subsidiary medical care for retired police and military dogs across the nation. When dogs retire, the organization steps in, handles the bills, and makes sure the dogs live a very long, happy retirement with their handler.

Marshall and Lisa Mirarchi, the founders and Hurricane’s handlers, were inspired to use Hurricane’s story for good and create a legacy. What started out as GoFundMe crowdfunding and BBQs, Beef & Beers events evolved into strategic fundraising plans to further their impact. During that phase of growth, Donorbox entered the picture.

Getting the message out

The first big obstacle that the organization faced was spreading the word. Few people were aware of the issue they were addressing: former military service dogs aren’t provided with medical benefits, even after years of dedicated service. Once Marshall and Lisa figured out how to use social media, TV interviews, and events to reach the right donors with the right message, it all clicked.

Donations started pouring in, hundreds at a time. But the donation software they were using wasn’t ready. And it wasn’t giving these new donors the option to make a recurring gift, which was leaving money on the table. Marshall and Lisa immediately knew they needed a better system that could keep up.

Reliable, secure giving

Hurricane’s Heroes signed up for Donorbox in 2020 and hasn’t looked back. Not only did Donorbox solve the urgent issues they were facing, but it was also highly secure and accessible. People tell Marshall all the time how much they love how quick and easy it is to make a donation directly on his organization’s website.

For the first time, donors were able to donate monthly or annually and enable employer matching, making their gift go further. Lisa and Marshall view Donorbox as an extension of their team thanks to its support, resources (podcasts, webinars, videos), and time-saving capabilities. “Donorbox is truly a fundraising partner for us. Sometimes when I’m talking to them or attending a webinar, I feel like we’re all in the same office because they make our team feel larger than it is,” shared Lisa.

Hitting milestones

K9 Hurricane’s Heroes recently surpassed $1 million in donations, a monumental accomplishment. Marshall and Lisa have already their sights set on the next million dollars so they can support even more dogs that are on the waitlist.

What’s surprising about this fundraising milestone is that Marshall and Lisa hit their million dollar goal by themselves, without any paid employees and while working at other jobs. “We’re able to do this because of partners like Donorbox. All the features that come with it – automatic receipts, year-end tax statements, and donor management – save us 20 hours every week. It’s a huge help. We’re able to save money on salaries and put that towards covering many more working dogs,” explained Marshall.

Lisa likes being able to communicate with donors on a personal level thanks to donor management tools, which she says has helped with retention. “I would absolutely recommend Donorbox to other nonprofits. People want to be able to donate fast and get an email receipt, which Donorbox lets you do.” Plus, having just run events in Colorado and Maryland at the same time, “we’re able to set up campaigns to track specifically how much was raised for each event, which has been extremely helpful.”

Company matching has turned out to be a key donation driver. After enabling the feature in 2023, they’ve raised over 1,400 matched donations, many of which are from recurring donors. In fact, 49% of their donations are recurring gifts, substantially higher than average.

Most donors first learn about Hurricane’s Heroes through social media videos or ads, and then make a gift to support dogs and law enforcement. “We receive a lot of $5 donations, but they’re recurring, which goes to show the heart of people who are donating. They’re giving every little bit that they can and they really care about our cause. They stay with us, write us emails, and share stories,” explained Lisa and Marshall.

With every donation that comes in – nearly 4,000 through Donorbox – Marshall knows that donors’ information is being carefully protected with Donorbox’s best-in-class security measures. “In this day and age, with all of the fraud, scamming, and now AI, it’s becoming easier to get into systems. People can recreate your Facebook or Instagram page and solicit donations,” explained Marshall. When deciding on a new donation platform, Marshall’s top criteria was a solution that would reliably protect against cybersecurity threats.

Beyond technology, support and educational content make a big difference. Lisa noted: “When you start a nonprofit, it’s daunting. To have resources that guide me about what to prioritize, ways to fundraise, and grow our nonprofit has been invaluable. And for customer support, you’re talking to someone who has knowledge of the platform and nonprofit world. They’ve always been able to solve my problems quickly and think outside the box. I’m really happy I can answer donors that fast.”

The Future

It’s a busy time for Hurricane’s Heroes. Their annual event is around the corner, where they’ll present a check based on what they’ve raised for the year at the Jersey Shore. In addition, they’ve partnered with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick to pass a bill in Congress that would ensure more dogs receive medical coverage.

Every other month, Marshall and Lisa run a laid back fundraising event to bring dog lovers together and spread the word. “Our volunteers and community are just as important to us as the funds. We want handlers to feel supported,” they explained.

There’s still more work to be done to educate people and provide care to a surplus of canines. Marshall summarized it well: “It all started with one dog’s story, and here we are all these years later still pushing to spread awareness for retired working dogs.”

Donorbox is proud to partner with Hurricane’s Heroes as they raise more to ensure the happiness and wellbeing of former military and police dogs across the United States.

Donorbox features used

• Donation Form
• Company Matching
• Recurring Donations
• In Memory Of Designations
• Digital Wallet Payments
• Campaigns