House Parties Offer Ways for Donors to Connect With Animal Charity’s Priorities

The Humane Society will hold a nationwide event on May 2 to raise money for its efforts to help “retire” 500 chimps from federally owned laboratories and move them into animal sanctuaries.

The “Chimp Retirement Party,” as it is called, is part of the organization’s Party Animals program, a grass-roots house-party network that marshals volunteers across the country to hold gatherings that call attention to specific topics that have captured the attention of the Humane Society.

Every year, the Humane Society holds two such events. Each one raises about $25,000 from about 1,000 people. Proceeds from the Chimp Retirement Party go to the Humane Society Legislative Fund, which is working to build support for a House-sponsored bill that would phase out the use of chimps in invasive research and transfer those in government labs to sanctuaries.

Volunteer hosts sign up on the Humane Society Web site. Each host receives a package containing literature such as brochures and fact sheets, sign-up sheets for guests who would like to receive Humane Society e-mail messages about the issue, and envelopes for donations, even though most participants give online.

The three hosts whose guests donate the most to help chimps will win a special prize: artwork created by chimps now living in a sanctuary.

Partygoers are invited to participate in a conference call by speaker phone, and they can listen to Humane Society officials, members of Congress, celebrities, and other guest speakers who are knowledgeable about the plight of chimps in labs. The Chimp Retirement Party speakers are Michael Markarian, head of the legislative fund, and an official from a West Coast chimpanzee sanctuary.

“This is a unique way to reach thousands of animal advocates,” says Mr. Markarian. “We find that having these touches and conversations really helps advance the agenda.”