Only in its second year, Running Wild Rescue's annual purse auction has exceeded every expectation the small non-profit had for the event.

In a year when conventional methods of the fundraiser aren't as easy to pull off Running Wild Rescue transitioned to running their campaign on social media. They put out a call asking for donations of new or gently used purses and handbags which were then auctioned off online. Roxanne Rath is a volunteer at the shelter and the brains behind the initiative.

"Last year, I had seen another SPCA do something like this and I figured that there must be lots of other women who are purse-crazy like me," chuckles Rath. "I brought it up to Jasmin, one of the co-founders, and she asked if I wanted to be the one to head it up."

Rath says that they only gave short notice of the campaign last year but were still happily surprised by the results. In total, 180 purses were donated and approximately $2,900 was raised. They had hoped then, that this year's auction would be even bigger.

"We got 567 purses, and wallets, and even backpacks this year. We raised $8,863. It was incredible."

The rescue also saw a dramatic increase in the number of people engaging with the auction on social media compared to the previous year. Their follower count more than doubled from 630 members to over 1,700. Rath explains that most of the money raised will go towards expensive veterinary bills.

"Because most of the animals that we get are rescues, they always seem to have some health issues. The adoption fees just never cover it all. All the animals have to get immunized and fixed before they can be put in a forever home and lately there's been a lot of big cases."

Rath explains that the bills were starting to pile up and that this sudden influx of cash will definitely help the rescue manage the costs.

If you'd like to support any of Running Wild Rescue's current fundraisers, you can click here.