Sponsorship Opportunities

There are many rewarding sponsorship opportunities available.  You can learn about some of them below.  In addition, at our Smithtown, NY campus, we also have numerous capital naming opportunities ranging from $10,000 - $10 million.  Naming opportunities involve permanent recognition and signage for specific areas of giving, and locations on campus vary.  Please let our Development staff know if you are interested in learning more about capital or other project specific giving opportunities.   

Contact Jennifer Gisler, Chief Growth Officer at (631) 930-9057 Jennifer.Gisler@GuideDog.org.

$1,500 (8x8) or $1,000 (4x8) Commemorative Brick:
Commemorate an individual, assistance dog, pet, organization or business entity with an 8x8 or 4x8 brick. A brick will be engraved and placed at the Foundation’s campus on our walk of honor.  Bricks for assistance dogs will be placed on the National Administrative Center walkway. You are invited for a tour of our campus and to view your brick.  If you are unable to visit us we will send you a photo of your special brick. 
$2,500 Hospitality Sponsor:

Our hospitality is one of the reasons our program is so successful. Delicious meals in a community setting provide a relaxed atmosphere and an opportunity for our students to bond. Our full-time chef accommodates all dietary needs, and our students are made to feel like they are at their home away from home. We will recognize our hospitality sponsor with:

  • Signage recognition during the two-week class residency
  • Acknowledgement in the graduation program
  • Invitation to the class graduation celebration
$5,000 Honoring Those Who Inspire: 

Honor or memorialize the accomplishments, experiences and stories of those who are blind or visually impaired, assistance dogs or a team by showing the world that we “we support them.”  Share a photograph and name of someone you would like to recognize for the difference they have made in society and who exemplifies living without boundaries.  As a sponsor you will receive:

  • A social media post including photo, name and short statement on why you are honoring/memorializing them
  • Tribute included in the “Honoring Those Who Inspire” section of our website
  • Recognition on our Guide Dog Foundation Tribute Wall at the National Administration Building
  • Listing in our monthly e-newsletter
  • Personal thank you from one of our graduates
$6,000 Name a Puppy Sponsor:

The opportunity to give a puppy their name for life! This sponsorship is one of our most popular. Your gift helps provide our puppies with their identity and is a great way to honor or remember a loved one. You will receive photos and progress reports throughout the first year of the dog's life. As a puppy sponsor you will receive:

  • Opportunity to name a puppy
  • Recognition in the graduation program
  • Recognition in the annual report
  • Invitation to the class graduation celebration (if dog is matched with a student and graduates on campus)
  • Opportunity to meet the student matched with your sponsored puppy
Learn more
$7,500 Nursery Care Sponsor:

Nursery care is a critical part of a puppy’s growth. Our nursery is staffed with a team of professionals who offer attentive care to every new mother and her litter of pups. The nursery care sponsor is a limited opportunity (only 12 per year) to sponsor the nursery for one month. In recognition of your generosity you will receive:

  • Signage recognition for one month in our Breeding & Development Center reception area
  • Update and photos on nursery activity for the chosen month
$8,500 Class Sponsor:

Change the life of a person with a visual impairment or veteran with disabilities by becoming a class sponsor. All of our services are free of charge to our students and a class sponsorship makes this possible. In recognition of your generosity you will receive:

  • Signage recognition during the two-week class
  • Acknowledgement in the graduation program
  • Class photo
  • Invitation to the class graduation celebration
$10,000 Kennel Run Sponsor:

Kennels provide a safe and comfortable environment for our puppies and dogs while they are in for formal training, evaluation, or other activities. In recognition of your kennel run sponsorship you will receive:

  • A personalized plaque that will hang on the front gate of a kennel run in our training center in perpetuity
  • Invitation to our campus for a VIP tour and unveiling ceremony 
  • Recognition in the Guide Dog Foundation annual report as a major donor
  • Recognition on our Virtual Donor Wall for one year
$15,000 Lifetime Graduate Sponsor:

The Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs are proud of our graduate teams. We provide a lifetime of aftercare for our students and their assistance dogs. After the team returns home, our staff follows up with each graduate team to ensure they are working well together. If follow-up training is requested, one of our field service representatives will work with the grad to provide personalized attention in their home environment as they adjust to their daily routine. As with our on-campus training staff, our field reps are committed to providing quality follow-up services to our graduates for the entire working life of the guide or service dog team. We will recognize your lifetime graduate sponsorship with:

  • Recognition in the Guide Dog Foundation annual report as a major donor
  • Recognition on our Virtual Donor Wall for one year
  • Invitation to campus for a VIP tour
$25,000 Fleet Sponsor:

The Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs rely heavily on our vehicles to transport students, dogs, and staff to various locations for training and travel. Fleet sponsors will receive:

  • Visual recognition on one vehicle for the lifetime of its service
  • Invitation to our campus for a VIP tour 
  • Recognition in the Guide Dog Foundation annual report as a major donor
  • Recognition on our Virtual Donor Wall for one year
$35,000 Training Sponsor:
Our positive-reinforcement training programs are cutting edge, and we were the first organizations in the United States to be certified by both ADI (Assistance Dogs International) and IGDF (International Guide Dog Federation). Our trainers develop a clear understanding of a client’s goals several months prior to class, and they carefully match and work with a dog to meet that person’s specific needs in locations relevant to their home and/or work environments. At any given time we have up to 60 dogs in for training to help our students live life without boundaries.  As a training sponsor, you will receive:

  • A framed photo of the dogs from the class your gift helped to train
  • Recognition in the Guide Dog Foundation  annual report as a major donor
  • Recognition on our Virtual Donor Wall for one year
  • An invitation to our campus for a VIP tour and opportunity to meet a certified guide or service dog instructor to learn more about how our dogs are trained 
$50,000 Team Sponsor:

Each year, the Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs place more than 150 guide or service dog and student teams. From breeding to socializing and training to placement, it takes 18 months or more to train an assistance dog and place them with their handler – but only minutes, hours, and days to start forming a transformational bond based on trust and love. Help support the journey it takes to open someone’s world so they may live without boundaries. As a team sponsor you will be recognized with:

  • Social media post for the Guide Dog Foundation or America’s VetDogs
  • Recognition in the Guide Dog Foundation or America’s VetDogs monthly e-newsletter
  • Recognition on our Virtual Donor Wall for one year
  • Recognition in the Guide Dog Foundation or America’s VetDogs annual report as a major donor
  • Biography and photo of the team you sponsored
  • Invitation to our campus for a VIP tour
$100,000 Apprentice Sponsor

With the growing need for guide and service dogs, the need for qualified instructors is growing as well.  Our three-year apprentice program is a full-time paid program where apprentices get hands-on training with our certified instructors.  Team members who join the staff as apprentices work their way toward becoming a trainer, and then a certified instructor.  Members of the training staff work not only with the dogs, but also with our blind, visually impaired, veteran and first responder consumers.  As an Apprentice Sponsor, you will be recognized by:

  • VIP campus tour and lunch with our students during the class of your choice and with the President and CEO
  • An article in the Sentinel or Guideway mailed to graduates, supporters and volunteers
  • A press release announcing gift
  • Social Media Post for Guide Dog Foundation or America’s VetDogs
  • Recognition in the Guide Dog Foundation or America’s VetDogs monthly e-newsletter
  • Recognition on our Virtual Donor Wall for one year
$150,000 Freedom Sponsor 

At the Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs our missions are to improve the quality of life for people who are blind, have low vision, or have other special needs and to help those who have served our country honorably live with dignity and independence.  Each year we host 17 or more two-week classes with 5-12 people per class.  Our classes allow our students to explore life with an assistance dog in everyday settings such as using public transportation, maneuvering around a city, visiting an airport and shopping at a local mall.  Your gift allows us to provide a safe and comfortable environment for each class without any cost to our students. As a Freedom Sponsor you will receive:

  • A bound yearbook of pictures of each class for one year
  • VIP campus tour and lunch with our students during the class of your choice and with the President and CEO
  • Article in the Guide Dog Foundation Annual Reports
  • Recognition on the Guide Dog Foundation website
  • Article in the Guideway
  • A press release announcing gift
  • Social Media Post for the Guide Dog Foundation 
  • Recognition in a Guide Dog Foundation a monthly e-newsletter
  • Recognition on our Virtual Donor Recognition Wall
  • Recognition in the Guide Dog Foundation or America’s VetDogs annual report as a major donor
  • Signage During each class for one year
  • Acknowledgement in our Graduation Programs for 1 year