Shelter Shout Out: Cedar Bend Humane Society

This month, we are featuring Cedar Bend Humane Society in our Shelter Shout Out Series! We like to feature ShelterBeds organizations to highlight the incredible and life-saving work they are doing for the animals in need.

Cedar Bend Humane Society, located in Waterloo, Iowa, is an open-admission and full-service animal shelter serving Black Hawk County. They not only shelter animals, but also offer community program such as low-cost vaccine and microchip clinics, spay and neuter programs, TNR initiatives and more.

The Kuranda beds that the shelter had served a great purpose keeping animals comfortable for years. After nearly a decade, the beds started showing signs of wear with daily high-volume use. So Cedar Bend began a new campaign for bed donations through our ShelterBeds program to replace the older beds with brand new ones and to continue providing animals with a comfortable place to rest

Photos from Cedar Bend Humane Society's Facebook page.

Their campaign was so successful that we wanted to feature it on our blog! They had an incredible strategy that really drove the campaign forward. There were several key points that the organization focused on when starting their bed drive that may be useful for other organizations in similar situations.

Identify the need. Nearly 1,000 dogs enter the shelter anually, so the Kuranda beds in the facility experience heavy daily use. The existing beds were nearing the end of their lifespan and needed replacing.

Choose a durable, proven product. Kuranda beds have proven to hold up to the typical wear and tear in a shelter setting.

Standardized size and style for interchangeability. One bed size and one frame type allows beds to be moved and interchanged throughout the facility with ease.

Scope the ask realistically. Cedar Bend Humane Society had over 120 kennels to outfit; getting new beds for them all was not financially feasible and so they broke that goal up into smaller asks.

Lean on community trust. "We knew our community consistently shows strong support for animal welfare, so we felt confident in asking them to help meet this need."

Results. The Kuranda fundraising goal of 120 beds was met within one week!

Resource/reference for in-kind ask. The main "resource" was a past bed campaign from ten years ago as proof of concept.

The biggest piece of advice that Cedar Bend has to offer to other shelters is "be transparent and make an honest ask. Let the public see the real need and make it easy for them to help - that clarity is one of the biggest factors in a successful fundraiser."

Keep scrolling to read the full Q&A!

Kuranda: Tell us about your organization.

Cedar Bend Humane Society (CBHS): OUR MISSION: P.E.T.S - Place. Educate. Transform. Support. We are passionate about:

Placing animals in permanent, loving homes.

Educating our community on compassionate animal care.

Transforming lives through responsible pet ownership.

Supporting animals & families with shelter, medical care & affordable programs.

We live out that mission every day as an open-admission, full-service shelter serving Black Hawk County, Iowa - helping every animal in need, regardless of age, breed, behavior or health. Once in our care, animals receive medical attention, comfort and enrichment they need, with no time limit on adoption and every effort made to find them loving homes. Beyond sheltering, we support our community through services like lost and found, low-cost vaccine and microchip clinics, spay and neuter programs, TNR and barn cat initiatives, pet therapy, and humane education.

Located in Waterloo since 1968, with an adoption center built through community support in 2009, CBHS is a nonprofit made possible by generous donors and volunteers. Every contribution directly supports the care of homeless, neglected and unwanted animals across the Cedar Valley, helping give them the second chance they deserve.

Kuranda: What brought about your need for more Kuranda beds and why did you start a new campaign?

CBHS: Our current shelter beds have provided comfort to countless animals over the years, but many have begun to deteriorate from daily use. At Cedar Bend Humane Society, there is no time limit on how long an animal may stay with us while waiting for their forever home. Some may only need us for a day, while others spend a year or more in our care before finding the family that is right for them. We started this campaign to replace aging beds with durable Kuranda beds that can withstand the demands of shelter life, are easy to clean and sanitize and provide every animal with a comfortable place to rest for as long as they need us.

Kuranda: What steps did you take to start your campaign?

CBHS:

Identify the need. With close to 1,000 unwanted and stray dogs entering our shelter anually, our dog beds experience heavy daily use. Our existing beds were nearing the end of their life cycle, with many tattered, torn, and beyond repair. Staff had been using old blankets and rugs as a temporary solution, but dogs quickly chewed through them, creating additional laundry demands on top of already full daily responsibilities.

Choose a durable, proven product. From past experience, we knew Kuranda beds held up to daily shelter use far better than other options - some of our beds from a campaign ten years ago are still in service today. We wanted a solution that was comfortable for the dogs, easy for staff to maintain and built to last. The Kuranda [Aluminum] option met all of those needs.

Standardized size and style for interchangeability. We selected an appropriate bed size and chose one consistent Kuranda style across the board, allowing beds to be moved and interchanged throughout our facility as needed. This created a long-term solution that is easier for our team to maintain while still providing every animal in our care with a comfortable space.

Scope the ask realistically. With over 120 kennels to outfit, we knew providing all the beds at once wasn't financially feasible. Instead of asking for full funding upfront, we broke the goal into smaller pieces and asked the community to help provide "a few beds at a time" - a more approachable ask that let supporters give at whatever level worked for them.

Leaned on community trust. We knew our community consistently shows strong support for animal welfare, so we felt confident asking them to help meet this need.

Results. We were blown away by the response - we reached our fundraising goal within just one week. It's a powerful reminder of the generosity and commitment of our supporters.

Resource/reference for in-kind ask. Our main "resource" was really our own campaign history. We referenced our previous Kuranda bed fundraiser from ten years ago as proof of concept, demonstrating both the beds' durability (they are still in service today) and our community's willingness to support this specific need. That track record made it easier to build the case both internally and externally.

Kuranda: What were some key focuses to engage potnetial donors and encourage donations?

CBHS:

Explained the "why". We made sure our community understood that these beds are more than just a place to sleep - they provide comfort, support joint health, keep dogs off cold, hard kennel floors, and help our team to maintain a clean, sanitized space.

Made the impact personal and immediate. We wanted every donor to know that their gift would have an immediate, direct impact on the well-being nd happiness of a shelter dog. A visual tracker toward our goal of 120 beds allowed supporters to see real-time progress and understand how each bed brought us one step closer. Donors could also give in memory or honor of someone special, adding a personal connection and deeper meaning to their contribution.

Kept the campaign visible. We share regular updates across social media, email newsletters and local media to maintain momentum, keep supporters engaged and encourage continued involvement.

Created two-way engagement. Rather than simply broadcasting updates, we used open-ended social content - like asking CBHS families how they knew their adopted pet was "the one" - to spark conversation and encourage supporters to share their experiences, keeping our mission personal and top-of-mind.

Showed the impact in action. We're producing a video featuring staff and volunteers assembling the beds and delivering them to the dogs to share on social media. This will give donors a firsthand look at the impact of their generosity and show exactly how their support is improving the lives of animals in our care.

Kuranda: What would you say was the most successful part of this campaign?

CBHS: The most successful part of this campaign was seeing how quickly our community responded to a very specific need. In just one week, we reached our goal of 120 Kuranda beds - proof of what's possible when you clearly communicate a need and make it easy for people to help.

A big part of that success was showing supporters exactly how their donations made a difference. Our visual tracker and real-time updates allowed people to see that every single bed mattered and brought us one step closer to providing a comfortable bed in every kennel. The campaign also became deeply personal. Supporters shared messages, dedicated beds in memory or honor of loved ones, and found meaningful ways to help shelter animals. Watching our community come together so quickly to provide comfort, safety and care for animals waiting for their "forever homes" has truly been the most rewarding part of this campaign.

Kuranda: Is there anything you'd try differently or anything you learned that may help in your next campaign? (This can be for Kuranda beds, food or anything else you're encouraging donations for).

CBHS Honestly, no - we wouldn't do anything differently. As a nonprofit caring for hundreds of animals, we had a very specific need that we were struggling to meet on our own, so we asked our community for help and provided a clear, simple way for them to make a difference. That approach worked.

This campaign also reinforced something valuable: unlike a traditional monetary ask, this gave donors a specific, tangible item they could provide directly for the animals. Many supporters appreciate being able to give a physical item rather than only making a financial contribution, and that made the request feel more confrete and immediate.

For future campaigns, we'll continue using real-time updates, visual progress trackers, and storytelling to help supporters feel connected to the impact of their gifts. We'll also continue offering multiple ways to participate - donating the specific item, contributing funds towards the purchase or simply sharing the campaign with others.

Most importantly, the campaign proved that our community shows up when they understand the need and can see the difference their support makes. Building that connection and keeping supporters engaged will remain central to how we approach future campaigns.

Kuranda: Any other information you'd like to share or advice to other shelters wanting to start a Kuranda ShelterBeds campaign? Tips and tricks for groups to successfully reach their supporters and donor base?

CBHS: Our biggest piece of advice is to be transparent and make an honest ask. Let the public see the real need and make it easy for them to help - that clarity is one of the biggest factors in a successful fundraiser.

Lean into your own branding and storytelling. Bold, authentic graphics and messaging that reflect your organization's voice help to make the need feel real, personal and meaningful. A visual progress tracker made a huge difference for us. Our bed-by-bed tracker toward our goal of 120 beds was one of the most successful parts of the campaign - our supporters loved seeing the progress, and it helped every gift feel like it mattered.

Stay engaged throughout the campaign, not just at the beginning. Our momentum built quickly over a weekend, and we kept it going by sharing updates, celebrating donations and thanking supporters in real time.

Finally, follow through and let the donors see the "feel-good" result. We promised to show the beds in use once they arrived, and we're following through. Showing the full journey - from need, to generosity to impact - builds trust and creates lasting relationships.

We even got this great video of some of the lucky pups at Cedar Bend getting their new beds!

Thank you so much to Cedar Bend Humane Society for taking the time to talk to us about their recent campaign, and for the work being done to help animals in need!

Follow Cedar Bend Humane Society on Facebook and Instagram. View their ShelterBeds Wish List here.

Find our more about participating shelters and how to make a donation at ShelterBeds.Org.