This fall, we were thrilled to team up with 7-time Emmy and Academy Award winning actress Allison Janney for a very special sweepstakes fundraiser to benefit Amelia Air! As the aunt of our co-founder Petra Janney, and a huge animal advocate herself, Allison has always been one of our most generous donors, while helping to spread the word of our mission on social media. 

For this special themed fundraiser, the timing could not have been better ahead of the 2020 election. Allison was in the midst of reuniting with her West Wing cast for a voter-focused reunion show, and the group of famed actors had been photographed for the cover of Entertainment Weekly's September issue. Initially cooked up between Allison and our future social/fundraising manager Stacy Schecter, we hoped the idea to raise funds for Amelia Air by raffling off autographed copies of the magazine would be a hit with West Wing fans and animal rescue supporters, alike. 

During the course of an intense two-week social media campaign, donors were encouraged to give for a chance at winning one of 5 Entertainment Weekly covers autographed by the full West Wing cast, one of 2 magazine covers autographed by Allison, or one West Wing full series DVD set autographed by Allison.

We kicked off our campaign on social media with a special joint interview conducted by Stacy and featuring Allison and Petra together discussing their shared passion for animal rescue and the perfect timing of our West Wing-themed sweepstakes. 

Amelia Air initially set a goal to raise $10,000 and we were simply blown away when that goal was met within the first four days of the sweepstakes period. The word spread fast across Allison's substantial social media platforms and on the platforms of West Wing fans around the world. Donations flowed in hourly each day, with well over 900 individual contributors hoping to win one of the valued prizes.

In the end, this incredible fundraiser garnered $32,185 for Amelia Air!

Thank you to Allison Janney, Kristie Nutt, Octavia Spencer, and every single person who donated for a chance to win. Stay tuned, as we look forward to running another themed sweepstakes with Allison in the fall of 2021!