Teresa, I do different things during the year. My main charity is the county shelter, which is a GREAT shelter http://knoxpets.org and I have set them up with lights, a dslr and taught them how to take their own photos. They take in 100 animals a day and I cannot keep up with their need for photos. I do go out and do their celebrity photos for them.

I do a "work for food" fundraiser, where people bring a 20lb+ bag of science diet to get their photos made. That usually generates around 700lbs of food in a weekend.

My Christmas season Oct-Dec I do a donation session fee. I cut my creative fee in half, to $50 and have them write the check directly to the rescue. That way it is a double good thing for them, they are donating to a cause they believe in and they get to write it off on taxes. As far as how much it raises for the groups, well, they have to send me people. Golden retriever rescue sends me the most and they probably get close to $1000 in donations without lifting a finger.

I will happily forgo a session fee to get people in the door.