What a year it was at Piggins and Banks! 2024 was our best year yet as a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering education and empathy towards pigs. Not only did we have our most successful fundraising year ever, but we also welcomed some new residents and made amazing new connections!
Let’s dive in to recap what happened in 2024…
Fundraising and Expenses
$87,333.92 in donations.
$69,795.95 in expenses.
2024 was our biggest fundraising year ever! We saw record amounts of donations to help support our pigs through monthly sponsorships and many, many other monetary donations through our various platforms (website, social media, cash, etc).
Many successful fundraisers were held! We were able to fully fund purchases related to pig shelters, straw, hay, pig neutering / spay procedures, pig hoof / tusk trims, pig pool troughs, and building materials for a storage shed.
What were our highest expenses for the year? Our top expenses were animal feed ($21,428.05), veterinary / animal care services ($11,712.38), building materials ($9,897.75), farm-use equipment upgrades / maintenance / repairs ($5,694.57) and straw / hay / bedding ($3,348.93).
Most importantly, a surplus of donations allowed us to create an emergency savings fund! For the first time ever we have been able to establish a savings account as a nonprofit. This is very important as it allows us to have peace of mind should a significant unforeseen expense occur. For example, paying for an emergency animal medical procedure or urgently needing to replace a structure or sanctuary-use vehicle.
You can view our full financial report which lists all the numbers.
New Animal Residents
We began 2024 at capacity with 66 pigs. However, due to our big hearts and constant requests for pigs that need help, we welcomed NINE new pig residents to bring our pig population up to 75.
First up was Columbo…a Kune Kune piglet who was in need of a home that reminded us so much of our dear old Mick. He quickly became a fan favorite here and has nearly tripled in size despite not even being a year old yet!
Then in September 2024, we welcomed Shannon and her seven piglets who came to use from fellow pig rescuers. The naming contest for the piglets was a hit, with over 243 names submitted, resulting in the winning names of Ambrus, Bashful, Hermione, Persimmon, Shazza, Tracy, and Alex my RA.
Saying Goodbye
While we were fortunate to have no passings of any pigs this year, we did have to say goodbye to two dear animal friends of ours.
In June 2024 one of our rescued ferrets, Dr. Doof crossed the rainbow bridge. Then in August 2024 our rescued Russian street dog Teodor (Ted) succumbed to old age and also said goodbye.
Both were buried in our memorial garden known as Tulip’s Meadow. We will miss them as none of our animal rescues are ever forgotten.
Other Events and Happenings
Other highlights from 2024 at Piggins and Banks included:
📚 Students, Teachers, Staff, and Parents at Harding Avenue Elementary School in Blacksburg, VA raised money to support our pigs as part of the school’s One Book, One School reading event during February and March.
🎥 A short video of Stefan being a super good pig while getting a tusk trim had 7.1 MILLION VIEWS on YouTube!
🪧 The sanctuary naming opportunity program was launched which saw several pig shelters named this year.
🛠️ A new exterior storage shelter was built to house pen cleaning materials and other items.
👕 New merchandise with in-house created artwork was released: Pig S.O.A.R. Agency and Piggins University
🐽 Many guided tours were given resulting in some people meeting pigs in-person for the first time ever! Many of our tour visitors have gone on to become pig sponsors and constant supporters of our mission.
We also put together several informative and fun videos throughout 2024 as well including:
- New Overview Video
- National Pig Day Pig Pancake Party
- Pigs Eating Watermelon ASMR
- Pumpkins for Pigs 2024 Edition
- Santa Pig is Coming to Town
- And many more….
The list could go on and on, but these are some of our favorite highlights from 2024 which make us very proud of what was accomplished this year!
All of it is due to your support, so please give yourself a giant pat on the back and accept this giant “TH-OINK YOU!” from us! ❤️🐷
We already have some big ideas and plans for 2025, so we will be sharing those with you in the coming months. For now we wish you all a very Happy “Hoggy” New Year!