Shelter’s Edge

- Great adoptions signage = priceless… Love these 2 promos from Kansas Humane Society and the Animal Rescue League of Iowa:

This campaign spin also got a thumbs-up from Animal Impact‘s Caryn Ginsberg, who says, “Nice example of using price as an additional benefit to adoption. Also reinforces that animals will be healthy because of the exam and other care. That addresses a potential barrier to adoption–animals perceived as having health problems.”

How would posters like these resonate with potential adopters at your agency?

-  We know that many of you have run free cat promotions, but what about fee-waived dog adoptions? Humane Society of South Mississippi just tried it–all large dogs, including Titan, shown here, were fee-waived with a donation (minimum $5) throughout the weekend.

How’d it go? Says HSSM’s Krystyna Szczechowski, “We did 52 dog adoptions during this promotion (which also included small dogs for half-off their adoption fee), and about HALF were large dogs! It was great!”

- OK, and how many of you have auctioned yourself off on eBay?!

As part of her organization’s Valentine’s Weekend celebration and adopt-a-thon, the San Francisco SPCA’s Laura Gretch has put herself up for bid, with proceeds benefiting SFSPCA. The winner of the auction will get to choose the artwork for Laura’s next tattoo. At the time of this writing, bidding was up to 172.50–wowsa! For your innovation, your marketing genius and your willingness to do anything to save animals (and with a joyful smile, no less!), I bow down to you, lady! Please update us when you can!

- Groovin’ on all the Facebook love that you guys had for the Super Bowl this past weekend–lotsa promos and photos from agencies all across the country. And although I’m sorry they blew their winning streak, my favorite animal prognosticators have to be the felines at the Cat Adoption Team, who’ve made predictions about who will win for the past 4 years:

- How do you help staff and volunteers spell RELIEF? Check out how they do it at Pet Helpers: Volunteer and professional massage therapist Pam Olivier offers free massages to volunteers and staff at the Charleston, SC, adoption center and spay/neuter clinic (and an ASPCA Partnership agency, woo-hoo!)… Ahhhhhh! What an awesome use of volunteers’ special skills!!

P.S. Speaking of the ASPCA Partnership–just a reminder that the application period to become an ASPCA Partner community closes next Friday, February 17. Got questions on the program? Email JoinAP@aspca.org.

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- Wintry weather got you down? Do like Kitsap Humane Society did last week when Snowpocalypse hit Washington and host a Facebook photo contest! The Silverdale agency asked folks to send in pix of their pets enjoying the snow, and fans were asked to “like” their faves.

They received 109 photos and a ton of engagement—smart social media move, guys! (P.S. Kitsap started this party on Facebook when they had to close to the public due to the storm, but you don’t have to wait for a snow day to try it.)

- Inquiring minds want to know…What strategies have you tried in order to increase numbers of foster homes? I know you’ve got some great ideas, like this one from a Facebook fan: “Tag a Friend! Have current fosters bring in friends to a casual meet and greet to learn about the foster program.”

- Tech it out! Our innovative buddies at Kansas Humane Society have set up a FANCAM in their adoptions lobby—this easy-to-use touchpad tablet computer takes your pic and automatically posts it to a daily album on their Facebook page. Folks also get a copy of the pic emailed to them!

- Does your agency have an official photographer? (Yes, I’m serious!). If your staff can’t always find the time to get great photos, consider finding a professional or talented amateur to volunteer. It can be done. Photographers tend to be generous with their time, and many love the challenge of getting great shots of animals. Lots of you are already doing this, like the City of Sacramento Animal Care Services…

Pro photographer Anne Chadwick Williams knows how to make Einstein shine.

…and Liberty Humane Society. “LHS has a separate photo album on their Facebook page dedicated to volunteer pictures of adoptable pets,” says Nikki Green.

“All volunteers are encouraged to take and submit pictures of cats or dogs interacting with humans, dogs out on their walks, cats playing…including any comments that would help to get them adopted.”

- One to share with the fans on your agency’s Facebook page, in case you haven’t already:

To increase engagement, ask if their pets like music, too. (Personally I’m pretty sure George is all my cats’ favorite Beatle.)

Related links:
ASPCA Research: Fosters as Adoption Agents
10 Shelter Photos We Love
“Take Five Friday: When Twins Adopt, Facebook Photo Albums and Big Dudes Who Love Little Dogs”

- Lots to shout out about this week, like the milestone recently set by the San Francisco SPCA… They just had their biggest Holiday Windows campaign yet, during which animals available for adoption were featured in Macy’s windows from November 18 through January 2. Final count this year: 332 adoptions and nearly $80K raised.“Huge thanks to everyone who adopted, volunteered and pressed their nose against those magical windows this holiday season,” SFSPCA recently posted on their Facebook page. Have you ever given the animals at your agency the window treatment?

- No matter how ya slice it…this video from Tallahassee-Leon Community Animal Service Center starring Pecan Pie sure is sweet! (And P.S., great casting!)

- Outta site! The concert T-shirt lover in me is totally digging The Louisiana SPCA‘s new poster promoting offsite adoptions:Also playing in that line-up: Cleveland APL’s annual Cats on Tour campaign, timed to coincide with summer concert/kitten season.

- Give it up for SpokAnimal C.A.R.E‘s volunteers and foster parents, who logged in an amazing 34,151 hours for 2011! And Jacksonville, OR’s Sanctuary One told us on Facebook, “It’s right around 10,000 hours for us in 2011. We’re pretty happy with that given we’re 30 miles from anywhere and no public transport, which rules a lot of people out.”Way cool—especially when you consider the latest estimated dollar value of volunteer time of $21.36 per hour.

Have you tallied your agency’s 2011 volunteer hours?

- And since we’re talkin’ volunteers, check out this gorgeous vid that a student from Towson University’s Electronic Media & Film Department produced for Baltimore Humane Society…

Is there a local school you could team up with? (And P.S. Did you notice BHS’ website address at the end of the video? That has to be one of THE best URLs for an animal sheltering agency. It’s like a vanity license plate, but all for good. And no weird new car smell!)

Related links:
Promoting Offsite Adoptions: Cats on Tour
Using Volunteers as Case Managers for Foster Animals

- Friday the 13th—time to check in on all those goals and New Year’s, er…roverlutions (sorry, that other ‘R’ word makes me squirm) you made for yourself and/or your shelter…

Our ASPCApro Facebook fans had some great ideas in store for 2012—like Candace, who told us, “This will be my second year fostering cats/kittens, so I hope to beat my score from last year of 10 successful feline fosters being adopted!” SCRAPS, one of our ASPCA Partnership agencies in Spokane, will be reducing their cat adoption fees this year, and Ontario’s Port Colborne Feline Initiative will continue to build on the success of their community TNVR program, in which 350 cats have been enrolled since 2009.

What have you got cooking?

- Hard at work or… “Red is working in the development department today, taking inventory of our Nyla bone donation,” Kitsap Humane Society recently posted on their Facebook page. “Oops, guess he took one for himself!”

Do you have any enthusiastic assistants like Red at your agency?

- Cold today? Here’s a heart melter: Meet Jack.

He saw a commercial about the Asheville Humane Society (another of our great ASPCA Partnership agencies, btw) and, with no one’s prompting, put his allowance into the box for donations for AHS at a local veterinarian’s office. Sigh. Know any compassionate kids like Jack who support your shelter?

- And speaking of the weather…

…it sure wasn’t bothering this guy, who waited in line at the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society starting at 3 AM last Saturday morning, waiting to adopt Bo the boxer when the Lewiston, ME, agency opened at 10! Wowsa!

What’s the earliest adopters have lined up at your agency?

- A big, honkin’ belated happy 14th birthday to our friend Captain Chip Billingsworth, spokescat for the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society.

Although da big guy received a wall of Facebook wishes, a bow tie, tons of toys, two (count ‘em, two!) cakes and some snazzy footwear…

…he leveraged the extra attention on his Facebook page by posting a status with his 3 birthday wishes—world peace, donations to DPVHS on his behalf and the adoption of all the FIV+ cats at the shelter:

Gotta love the Chipinator—and shelters, if you are thinking of creating a Facebook page or developing a persona for a spokesanimal, check out how the master does it.

Related Links:
ASPCA Partnership
The Captain’s Blog: The official blog of Captain Chip Billingsworth
Creating a Shelter Slideshow

The first time we read about a lost dog reunited with his owner thanks to a Facebook post from Joplin Humane Society Animal Adoption & Resource Center (JHS) asking their fans for help, we thought that was pretty darn great. The next time it happened, we realized the Missouri agency is really onto something here.

Take a minute to scroll through these. We promise, it’s worth it.It’s a real trip to read this thread and watch the story unfold: 1.) JHS identifies lost dog’s owner – yay microchip success story! – and asks for help. 2.) Fans look for owner. 3.) Fans find owner. 4.) JHS reports success. 5.) Everyone celebrates with an outpour of cyber support.

How did this engaged, take-action Facebook community come to be?

“We’ve been really fortunate to have such a following that developed during the tornado recovery in May,” says Dani Reynolds, JHS Administrative Assistant. “After the tornado, the cell phone towers were unreliable for weeks, so social media is where we spent a big chunk of our energy.”

According to Dani, the public helped JHS reunite an unbelievable amount of animals since they recognized them as pets of neighbors, friends and family members.

“We welcomed any help that we could get – and still do,” Dani reports. “Our Facebook page has taken on a life of its own where the fans will jump in and answer questions and look up phone numbers for us. As long as we get an owner’s name, the fans can usually track our dead ends down for us through Facebook or Internet searches. They’re a rather enthusiastic bunch and love to be a part of the reunions.”

And here’s the part where Dani makes our head spin: “In each case that we’ve posted, the owner has contacted us in less than an hour.”

* Return to Owner

Does your agency have a special Return to Owner story? Share it here!

P.S. Shelters, this story is a good reminder to ask your pet parents to keep their microchip contact info up to date.

Related Links:
Shelters Helping Shelters: Staff From 85+ Agencies Aid Animal Tornado Victims
Return to Owner section
Using Social Media