Getting the Word Out

Weekly summary of media coverage for animal groups

Idea from Julie:

One method that Spay/Louisiana uses to reach out to the community is "The Neuteral Ground News", a weekly summary of media coverage that might be of interest to our state's animal care, animal control and animal welfare community. I track the news as it happens, write a short summary, and send a weekly e-mail list of the summaries with links to the full article. It's a read-only newsletter (not a chat list) and is open to anyone.

An occasional "Leading the Way" feature highlights interesting animal welfare projects or programs in other parts of the country. A demographic comparison is usually included with those, so readers can evaluate how the example program might or might not work with Louisiana's demographics.

This newsletter is also used it to circulate requests for information or assistance that readers send in, and of course to share information and updates on Spay/Louisiana projects. Readers report that the newsletter is a valuable tool and a main source of local animal news.

Pawed Squad

Idea from BJ:

Our community outreach program is called the "Pawed Squad". It is designed around the Best Friends tabling model; what we have done differently is "package" it. All of our volunteers are trained to answer public questions about everything from behavioral issues to toxic plants. Our goal for the first year is to gain visibility in the outlying areas of our community in order to spread the Spay/Neuter message where the over-population problems are the worst. I have attached our Pawed Squad Protocol.

PAWED SQUAD COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM: TABLING PROTOCOL

PURPOSE: To provide friendly outreach and education in the community and increase awareness of the pet overpopulation problem.

VENUES: Supermarkets, theaters, Outlet center, Blockbuster Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, vaccination clinics, community events

PERMISSION: letters/calls will go to all potential location managers requesting permission prior to setting up

FREQUENCY: twice a week -- Friday evening and Sunday afternoon 2-hour minimum

SET-UP: 2 volunteers -- 1 table -- 2 chairs -- 1 "event-in-a-box"

Large sign holder w/bulletin board built-in; event logo on front. Free dog/cat treat offer on the top. Board will have flyers of any upcoming events, volunteer recruitment poster and foster recruitment poster; back of board will show photos of animals available for adoption and extreme pet makeover photos.

Card table to be covered with green table cloth and have the following items on top: binder of educational material (with handouts available of the most frequently requested items), sign holder with SPCA brochures, clipboard with sign-up sheet, donation canister, T-shirts for sale, SPAY/NEUTER vouchers for sale.

Event box must be replenished after each event. Supplies of pens, note pads, pushpins will be provided.

TRAINING: All "Pawed Squad" volunteers must have completed both the volunteer orientation and the adoption counseling training. Volunteer coordinator and "Pawed Squad" coordinator will have final approval on 'team' readiness.

Partnership between post office and animal control

Comment from Glenda:

Working in partnership with the Post Office and Animal Control, we were able to distribute spay/neuter and dog bite information to every mailbox in our county. With Animal Control, we designed a flyer (in both English and Spanish) that included a $10 coupon toward spay/neuter in our clinic. We provided the paper, and the post office did all the printing and distribution. They distributed it first to those zip codes that had the highest incidence of dog bites and animal control citations. It's been a very successful program for our community and shows that working together can really have an impact.

Another of our successful programs is also in partnership with Animal Control, and also with the city. When a citizen is issued a citation for an animal ordinance violation, the judge who handles these cases allows them to either pay the entire fine to the court, or to pay half that fine and attend a 2-3 hour class at our shelter on ordinances and pet ownership responsibility. When they select the class, our shelter gets to keep the money. The class is offered once a month. If the person assigned to the class doesn't show up, the case goes back to the judge.

Establishing county dog licenses for spay/neuter

Comment from Charlene:

This is too good not to share and a milestone for this small county in rural Kentucky.

Due to the great passage of the "No Gun Shot Bill" that passed this last July in Kentucky, a part of that bill was repealing an antique KY dog license law that left the way open for counties to establish their own licensing. Two members of our group The Barren River Animal Welfare Association (we own the building and support our local animal shelter) developed a local dog license ordinance and presented it to our local County Fiscal Court. It would be $5.00 per year for altered dogs, $10.00 per year for unaltered dogs, more than three altered dogs $15.00, and unaltered $30.00. The great thing is all proceeds will go for low cost spay/neuter projects in our county. The first reading passed 100%, and the second reading two weeks later passed 100%. There have been other counties in KY that have established dog licenses, but as far as we know our county is the first one to allow all the proceeds to go for local spay/neuter projects. We see our county as one that is innovative and a leader as far as counties go in Kentucky with respect to caring for homeless cats and dogs. The money earned can be used for low cost spay/neuter for cats as well even though cats won't be licensed in our county - maybe next time.

We are a high-kill shelter, but we hope to soon become a low-kill shelter with the money that will be available to help people do the right thing.

A Friends of Animal Control program raising awareness of the shelter and their efforts

Idea from Julie:

Our organization, Friends of KCAC, supports the medical and special needs of the animals at our local county shelter. To "bring to light" the number of homeless pets awaiting adoption at the local shelter, we have a luminary bag lighting one night in November. Throughout the year we have children and adults decorate white lunch bags with drawings of their pets for a $1.00 donation. These bags then have tea-light candles placed in them and are lit around the perimeter of the county shelter.

Our organization provides flea control medication, kitten/puppy formula and worm meds for the orphaned kittens and puppies that go into foster care. When each kitten or puppy is adopted a sticker is placed on their spay/neuter certificate that states these meds and formula were provided by our nonprofit organization and for information on making a donation they are instructed to visit our website.

Photographer uses exhibit to showcase shelter animals

Idea from Marilyn:

Combining mailing lists of groups to promote events

Idea from Celeste:

In our area, loosely related groups really team together to help spread word of events and volunteer opportunities. For example, every year we have a Winter Solstice Gift Bazaar at our Recycled Gardens re-sale plant nursery, with handcrafted items made from at least 75% reclaimed materials. Some of the items for sale are on consignment from another local group, the Cracked Pots artists, a collective of creators with a strong local following.

Just for the event, Cracked Pots 'loans' us their mailing list -- they don't want us to have the database, so they pre-print the address labels. Then we pay for the printing, mailing, etc. This about doubles the number of interested parties getting the mailing, since we've combined our two mailing lists. Of course, with all that extra exposure, revenue doubles, as well.

We also pool resources with other animal groups. For example, our volunteers do letter writing for In Defense of Animals, and they advertise our events in their email alerts.

Another neat idea is for 2 smaller groups to band together and create one joint newsletter, and mail it out to their combined mailing lists. To help separate the groups, each group's pages can be on different colored paper.

Promoting Tag Day by wearing dog collars with ID tags to work

Idea from Kathi:

Tag Day is a program by American Humane that brings awareness to the fact that animals who don't wear tags rarely make it back home to their owners when they become lost. Next year (April 2, 2005), we are going to ask our volunteers to wear dog collars with ID tags to work, to school, and anywhere else they go. This should get some conversations started.

We also make some really neat dog bandannas that fit on the dog's collar, so we'll probably ask them to wear those as well and try to raise some funds!

Christmas tree fundraiser that gets the word out about your shelter and mission

Idea from Elizabeth:

CHRISTMAS TREE FUNDRAISER

FUNDRAISER:
This was the most fun and heartwarming fundraiser we did. We had GREAT cooperation from the mall. It is very advisable to start planning for this fundraiser in late August or September. That will allow you time to decide what you need to get donated, where you will ask for donations, and write your plan down to present to the businesses. You also need to find a place to put the tree. Remember, no phone calls; approach the business personally. It is important to do that with this fundraiser because it can be difficult to explain. I will be honest in saying that a super store like Wal-Mart or K-Mart will just not work. They are so crowded during Christmas and you will not get the attention that you would at the center court of a mall or a vet's office, etc.

We started the fundraiser the day after Thanksgiving. Prior to that, we placed our forms in vet's offices, pet stores, pet grooming salons, etc. We also had it placed in the newspaper and public television. We entitled this fundraiser -- A "Paws"itive Cause. On the top of the form, we wrote a detailed explanation of how the fundraiser works, where the money goes, etc. The bottom of the form is where they fill out their information and send it in. A sample form is below.

Basically, how this fundraiser works is as follows. For each $5.00 donation, we would illuminate a light for a pet (a red one for "in honor of" and a white one "in memory of"). We asked for a picture of the pet and would hang it with a red or white ribbon. We taped the ribbon to the back so we could hang it without putting a hole in the pictures. We placed 200 lights on the tree (100 red and 100 white). You cannot stress over the fact that there is no way you will have 100 memorial donations and 100 honorary donations. We tried to get the pictures as close to the lights as we could. Remember, tape the honorary pets up with red ribbon and memorial pets with white ribbons. Write their names on the back. People like looking at the names and then looking at the boards and finding their names.

The poster boards stand beside the trees. You will have a red one entitled "In Honor Of" and a white one entitled "In Memory Of". When you get a donation and have hung a picture, write the name of the pet on the appropriate board. You will most likely have a lot of "Spots" or "Fluffys", so we tried in that case to write a last initial.

THIS IS IMPORTANT! We did not have someone at the tree at all times. The only time someone was at the tree was on Friday and Saturday night when we took Chelsea (Golden Retriever) out there. Twice a week, I went out there to hang pictures and write names on the boards. The public never paid attention to me, but take a dog out there and they flock around and dump money in the fish bowl. We had a stand out front of the tree explaining what it was for. We kept forms in that stand for people to fill out. They would simply put their name, the name of the pet, was it in Memory or Honor of, etc. Then they would send it to the address at the bottom.

The BIG, BIG moneymaker is the acknowledgment letter. We told people that if they wanted to buy a light in honor or memory of someone else's pet, we would send that person a card. Many people made donations like that for Christmas Presents. When the person received a card, they turned around and made a donation either for their pet or someone else's.

This brought out a lot of emotion in some people. I saw several people who made a donation in memory of their pet just break down and cry when they saw the picture on the tree. We thought it would be necessary to have someone at the tree at all times, but we knew we could not do it. Turned out, we did not need anyone there except on weekend nights when the mall was really crowded. We also got the newspaper to print the form to fill out as a donation to us. We got a good response from that. Also, the local weatherman (a REAL popular guy) came out and did the weather from our trees twice. There was a huge response after that.

BEST TIME TO CONDUCT:
Start planning in August. There are many things you will need to purchase the first time around, then just keep them for the following years. Start advertising the second week in November. Put the tree up the day after Thanksgiving. Take down before New Year's Day

ITEMS NEEDED:
Artificial Christmas Tree(s) -- You will most likely need two trees, as this is a very popular fundraiser. Approach anyone who sells artificial Christmas Trees. DO NOT use live trees as they are up for a long time and very messy to take down -- as well as the fact that they need to be monitored for water, etc.
Red, Green, and White Ribbon. The red ribbon is to tie the honorary pictures, the white ribbon to tie the memorial pictures, and we tied small dog bones on the tree with Red and Green Ribbon.
Small Dog Bones
Small Red Bows
Strings of Red and White Lights (100 lights per string -- non twinkle)
Red and White Poster Boards (stronger and thicker than poster paper) Available at Staples, etc.
Wreath Stands to Hold the Poster Board. They can also be placed in metal stands that you see at the Mall.
Paper for running off forms. (Staples donated the copies for our forms)
Thick Black Magic Markers
Tape
Scissors
Christmas Stationary -- Use pretty (not cute) computer stationary. Type the letter in red or green ink. The stationary is used to write acknowledgment letters.
Large red bows to put at the top of the tree
Donation Jar
Membership Forms

IMPORTANT THINGS TO DECIDE BEFORE THE FUNDRAISER

1. Where will it be held? Suggested places include Mall, Store Front, Vet's Office, Animal Shelter, etc. Do not consider having it in a large Department store as they are so crowded during Christmas, and for that reason, the trees, stands, boards, etc., can become damaged. Additionally, it makes it very hard to "work the tree" in a crowded department store.

2. Where will the money and pictures be sent? This needs to be one person, because as soon as he/she receives the donation, he/she needs to act -- whether it be updating the tree or sending an acknowledgment letter. People want to go see the picture they sent put on the tree. Additionally, when you send an acknowledgment letter, the recipient will sometimes send a donation in.

3. Who will write acknowledgment letters (see explanation below)?

4. Who will put the tree up and take it down? Remember that this will be drawing a crowd, so it is important to have two or three people at the tree when you "man" it.

5. Who will ask for donations, and if allowed, man the tree on weekends? We only man the trees on weekend nights. We took two Golden Retrievers out to the mall (who wore Santa Suits) and they were money magnets. We learned one time that if we took large stuffed dogs and cats and placed them on a card table while we were working the tree, people came over to see what was going on. Remember to draw attention.

6. Where will the money go (spay/neuter, emergency vet, no-kill, rescue)? You can explain it to people when they donate -- if they question where the donation goes.

7. When you work the tree, have membership forms (to your Humane Society or Rescue). People may want to join while you are out there.

8. We keep a Fundraising Scrapbook/Activities Scrapbook. We take that with us so we can show people what we have done in the past.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER

1. Tree MUST be updated on a regular basis. People don't want to know that they sent their donation and pictures in and it takes several days to get them on the tree.

2. Don't make the tree too "cutesy" with funny ornaments, etc. This is a memorial to some people. We just tied small red velvet bows and small dog bones on it. That helped fill the tree before donations came in. We also put some pictures of our own pets on there to get the tree started. We wrote their names on the boards too.

Sample form for Christmas Tree Fundraiser

Below is a SAMPLE FORM: (Done for Canine Companions for Independence)

Put these at Vet offices, Newspapers, Pet Stores, and in front of the tree for people to fill out and send in with their Donation. People fill out the bottom part and turn it in.

A "Paws"itive Cause

Imagine what your life would be like if you were unable to hear -- hear a smoke alarm, doorbell, or intruder entering your home.

Imagine if you were "mobility-limited" -- unable to open doors, turn on and off lights, or pick up objects that you have dropped. Would you feel lonely, isolated, frustrated and dependent upon others?

Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) is a non-profit organization that provides highly trained assistance dogs and on-going support to people with such disabilities. They train and provide four types of dogs:

- Service dogs that perform helpful tasks for people in wheelchairs
- Hearing dogs that alert people who are deaf or hard of hearing to important sounds such as fire alarms and doorbells
- Assisted Service Dogs that are provided to children with disabilities
- Facility Dogs who work with professional caregivers in hospitals, hospices, nursing facilities and other programs to improve the health and well being of those in their care

A Pet Christmas Tree to benefit Canine Companions for Independence has been placed in Twin Rivers Mall. The Tree has been placed in the middle of the mall and is simply decorated with white and red lights. For each $5.00 donation, we will illuminate either a white light in memory or a red light in honor of a beloved pet. Additionally, if you provide us with a picture of your pet, we will place it on the tree beside the light. Their name will be placed on an honorary or memorial board, which stands in front of the tree. This is a wonderful way to immortalize your beloved pet and at the same time support CCI.

If you would like to purchase a light in honor or memory of a pet who belongs to someone else, include his/her name, address, and name of the pet. They will be sent a letter advising them of your gift. This year, we are not stopping at pets -- don't forget your favorite vet, pet sitter, groomer, or your pet's best friend!!

All donations are tax deductible. 100% of the proceeds will benefit CCI to help them with the substantial cost of raising and training each Canine Companion.

Name: ____________________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________

Name of Pet: _______________________________________

Is this in Honor or Memory: ___________________________

Include Name, Address, and Pet's Name if a Card is to be sent to someone:

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Make Checks Payable to (Name of your organization) and send to:
Name
Address
City/State/Zip

SAMPLE LETTER: (SAMPLE ACKNOWLEDGMENT LETTER)

*** REMEMBER TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU CHANGE THE PET'S NAME, THE
WORD HONOR/MEMORY AND THE COLOR OF THE LIGHT ON EACH LETTER! ***

Dear Ms. Smith:

A Pet Christmas Tree has been placed in (Place of your choice)
this year. This tree benefits Canine Companions for Independence.

(Name of your organization) is a non-profit organization that provides
highly trained assistance dogs and on-going support to people with
disabilities. They train and provide four types of dogs:

Service dogs that perform helpful tasks for people in wheelchairs,
Hearing dogs which alert people who are deaf or hard of hearing to
important sounds such as fire alarms and doorbells, Assisted Service
Dogs which are provided to children with disabilities and Facility
Dogs who work with professional caregivers in hospitals, hospices,
nursing facilities and other programs to improve the health and well
being of those in their care.

Betty Smith has made a donation in honor of your dog, Spot. A red
light has been illuminated on the Pet Christmas Tree in his honor and
his name has been placed on the honorary board which stands beside
the tree.

We invite you to come to Twin Rivers Mall and see our Tree. If you
have a picture of Spot, you may place it beside a red light or send
it to me and I will place it on the tree.

Sincerely,

______________________________

##########

**********REMEMBER TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU CHANGE THE PET'S NAME,
THE WORD HONOR/MEMORY AND THE COLOR OF THE LIGHT ON EACH LETTER! *********

I have done this fundraiser three times and have made no less than $2300.00!

Honor your pet by lighting a bulb on the (NAME OF YOUR ORGNIZATION'S) Pet Christmas Tree at Twin Rivers Mall.

For a $5 donation, light a red bulb to honor a beloved pet or a white bulb in memory of a special departed pet. Bring or send a picture to be displayed by the light. We will also include your pet's name on the memorial or honorary board.

The funds raised will be used for the spay/neuter program and the emergency vet fund.

Spay/Neuter -- Each year thousands of cats and dogs are euthanized because there are not enough homes. One way to control pet overpopulation and reduce the number of animals in shelters is to spay or neuter our pets. (HE NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION) spay/neuter program assists low-income families by helping pay for the surgery. Your donation will help us provide low cost spay/neuter surgery and reduce the number of unwanted animals in ___________ County.

Emergency Vet Fund -- Provides up to $70 for emergency veterinary care for animals who are alone or whose owners cannot afford needed lifesaving care. Each situation is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Your donation will help us provide care for animals in extraordinary need.

********************************

Remember your beloved pet and support the (NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION'S) programs to benefit the animals of the community.

You may purchase a light in honor of someone else's pet or to honor your vet, groomer, pet sitter, or your pet's best friend. Your donation will be acknowledged in a letter to the recipient of your gift.

All donations are tax deductible. 100% of the donations will benefit the Humane Society's Spay/Neuter and Emergency Vet programs.

Name: _____________________________________

Address: ___________________________________

___________________________________

In Honor of: _________________________________

in Memory of: _______________________________

Include Name, Address, and Pet's Name if a Card is to be sent to someone:

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

Make Checks Payable to: (NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION) and send to:
NAME
ADDRESS
CITY, STATE ZIP

Come visit our Pet Christmas Tree at Twin Rivers Mall every weekend until Christmas.

Asking all residents to "Donate 5 to keep Utah's pets alive"

Idea from No More Homeless Pets in Utah:

Artists designing plastic labs to benefit local animal groups

Idea from Mary Jo:

I was just an observer for this, but Animal Advocates of Moore County, Inc., in Pinehurst, N.C. with 2 other groups, purchased 52 molded life-sized plastic Labs and sold each of them to sponsors for $500. he sponsors engaged artists to create artwork and sponsors covered the expenses for the artists. The winning creation received a cash prize of $2,000. There was a party to introduce sponsors and artists, then another party to display the dogs. Then the dogs were displayed outside shops in Pinehurst, where they drew lots of attention. Then, an auction was held and the dogs were sold. Now, the dogs are each displayed on calendars, which are still being sold. The entire project took about a year and each of the parties I've described was benefited.

Humane society asks for help and the community pitches in

Idea from a member:

Use for those outdated materials

Idea from a member:

When we have outdated materials that are likely to be thrown away, we ask our volunteers to put them out in doctors' offices, beauty shops, restaurants, Jiffy Lubes, health clubs, anyplace where there are waiting rooms or magazine racks and people looking for reading material. We do this with our materials as well as with brochures, articles, and handouts from other animal welfare groups. We just want people to become more aware of animal issues, whether it sends them to our group or another.

Quick and effective way to get the message out

Idea from Sara:

We print common messages we'd like to get across to the public on the back of our business cards and make sure our volunteers carry a supply. That way, when they are confronted with situations such as someone needs help placing an animal, someone plans to breed their dog, or someone is planning to buy a dog from a breeder, the volunteer has the information readily available to provide to this person who desperately needs a quick education.

It doesn't have to be a lot. One or two key points or compelling arguments, and a suggested compromise (such as a URL for breed rescue) whatever. The key is to make it easy for the volunteers to carry around.

Simple, but sustained-impact projects

Idea from Barb:

Here are a few simple but sustained-impact projects. Each was inexpensive, collaborative, and helped both animal organizations and the public to save and improve animal lives! They were good starter projects to unite animal workers and volunteers. Note: Always check first with animal groups to make sure efforts are not duplicated and to obtain permission if promoting or publicizing their services.

For National Homeless Animals' Day 2002, animal groups around the state were invited to participate in an information media blitz. Each could place one-time or successive-week media releases, ads or announcements, send letters to the editor, distribute fliers or post information on webpages. Sample text was offered containing a message everyone could agree on and support -- spay/neuter and keep pets for life! (or groups could create their own with the same themes).