2009 charity donations down; $490,000 raised this decade

Midwest Furry Fandom added $10000 to the $5193 raised for Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation by Midwest FurFest 2007 attendees

Furry philanthropy took a step back in 2009, as donations fell 15% in a tough economic climate. However, the fandom still has something to be proud of: $490,000 raised for charity at furry conventions in the past decade.

Over $112,000 was donated by Further Confusion, with Midwest FurFest ($92,000), Anthrocon ($87,000) and Mephit FurMeet ($71,000) not far behind — not counting MFM's donations to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

At first, the top three events covered the majority of annual donations, but now others give more than half of it. And while most money still comes from North America, international furs are joining in, including cons in the UK, Germany, Australia, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Read on for a chart detailing the decade's charitable donations.
Update (17 Feb): Includes previously-unpublished figures for RCFM 2007-9 and WPAFW 2009.

Some conventions raise money solely through charity tables and auctions. Others - particularly Further Confusion and Midwest FurFest - donate surplus funds directly.

Of course, it's not all altruism. Many charities make site visits with rare animals, providing additional programming. Donations also help conventions who've chosen to be charitable organizations fulfill their secondary purpose, and they're a popular card to play with the media. But the fact remains: without furs, a lot of animals would go hungry.

Charity donations by year