Dillon Porter and three of his friends from Northwestern University share an apartment in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The 2200-square-foot apartment covers the entire floor of what used to be a sewing factory. What it lacks in amenities, it makes up for in space—a precious commodity in the New York City area.

All being animal lovers, the four roommates, who are all in their mid-20s decided that with an apartment that size they could adopt a dog. Porter found one listed by a local shelter on craigslist, a weimaraner named Bella. All four roommates decided she was the one for them. The adoption posting was old, however, and when Porter called the shelter to inquire about Bella, he was told the dog had been euthanized because nobody showed any interest in her.

“We all felt a little responsible, and guilty that we hadn’t called the shelter sooner,” Porter says, “and so we decided to have a house party in memoriam for Bella and raise money on behalf of animals.”

Porter, who works as an actor in New York, did some research online to determine which organizations they might like to funnel that money through to reach the animals. He came across the Best Friends website, and there found a banner that read “Have a house party.” Reading further, he saw that Best Friends was encouraging its members and supporters to host a “Party for a Purpose” that raises money, awareness, and support for animals.

“I thought, ‘No way! I’m already planning this,’” Porter says.

And with that, it was settled—their house party/memoriam would benefit Best Friends. The four roommates launched into planning what may just be the most elaborate Party for a Purpose yet.

Porter and his three roommates—Thomas Higgins, Matt Sax, and Porter’s girlfriend Courtney Zbinben—envisioned an “animal” party with people coming dressed as their favorite animal and the hosts dressed as rangers, acting as guides in this animal-centric atmosphere and spreading the word about Best Friends.

Porter recruited the help of his friend Alexandra Saltiel, who was able to round up four local bands to perform at the party, including Aerial East, Himalaya, Pacific Theater, and Holy Hail. Porter, who managed the promotions end of the party, built a small bar from discarded wood. And the rest of his roommates pitched in

About 160 people attended.

Porter and his roommates set up “a Best Friends station” (in addition to the beer station and face-painting station), which included a table covered with Best Friends literature and a wall behind it plastered with a collage of photos of the 10 Best Friends animals they hoped their guests would sponsor. They also projected, against one of the walls in the apartment, a slideshow of animals at our sanctuary. He says his guest were amazed at the photos, especially of the wildlife cared for at our rehabilitation center.

Thanks to the roommates’ efforts, guests wound up sponsoring a total of 13 animals, at $25 per animal. In addition, they contributed a total sum of $350 to Best Friends.

Porter said that he and his roommates discussed before the party the implications of asking people to donate to animals at a time when everyone is feeling financially pinched. “The question came up: Why do a benefit for animals? And the idea I mulled around in my head was that animals probably suffer more during bad economic times because they’re the first one to be cut from a budget.”

But Porter and his roommates agreed that they couldn’t use guilt as a tactic for convincing people to give, that they had to make giving fun, which is exactly what they achieved.

“Everyone was there for a different reason,” Porter says, “but all were partying for a purpose and a greater good. I found that when people feel a spirit of humanity, they’re more inclined to give.”

For details on how you can host your own Party for a Purpose, click here.