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Webinar presented by Humane Society for Greater Savannah’s
- Lynn Gensamer - Executive Director
- Guinn Friedman - Director of Operations
In 2011, the Humane Society for Greater Savannah (HSGS) won the ASPCA $100K Challenge Community Engagement Prize by targeting new groups and capitalizing on existing relationships. Learn how to significantly engage your community, get more visitors through your door and adopt more pets. HSGS leaders will explain how they used traditional and social media to connect with schools, businesses and potential supporters. Agencies looking to build relationships with their community to expand their support base will benefit from this free 60-minute webinar.
Listen to the recording
Download the slides (.pdf)
Top Tips from this Webinar
• Know Your Customer
Tailor your events to mesh well with the character of your community. Because Savannah enjoys an active night life, HSGS had great success with a “Pup Crawl” in which 10 local bars participated. And because the city is really into the green movement, they held a wildly popular contest that challenged the community to build cat and dog structures out of reused materials.
• The Write Stuff: Part 1
Use a professional email system to send regular updates to your supporters; HSGS uses Constant Contact. Take advantage of the system’s analytics tool to figure out important info like what kind of content makes readers hit the “donate” button.
• The Write Stuff: Part 2
So you have the email tool, but now what do you say? Your emails can get supporters fired up about your current campaign whether you need votes, donations or volunteer help. HSGS appeals to both the heartstrings and the cerebral by including “beauty shots” of their animals—and plenty of facts and figures, too.
• “Be Everywhere, Include Everyone”
Well, don’t these words from HSGS sum up the essence of community engagement! Enlist teens to participate in dog washes, or work with a local university to get volunteer help at big adoption events.
• Community Engagement Starts at Your Shelter
When it comes to chatting up your visitors, don’t just stick to a script. Ask them about their pets, and tell them about upcoming events. By getting chummy, you create a family sense—your visitors feel they belong to your shelter.
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