Summer 2012 QUARTERLY News for and about our animal-welfare partners PetSmart Charities Celebrates 5 MILLION ADOPTIONS! Together We Save Lives Adoptions through PetSmart Charities Adoption Centers as of June 2012 5,000,001 On June 2, 2012, PetSmart Charities celebrated an amazing milestone. A 5-year-old rescued Husky named Dodge found his forever home with the Little family and was the 5 millionth pet adopted from a PetSmart Charities Adoption Center at the PetSmart store in Boynton Beach, Fla. Dodge was turned in to the Save-a- Dog, Save-a-Cat Animal Rescue of Lake Worth, Fla., by his former family that had a young child with medical issues and could no longer care for him. The Little family had volunteered for local animal rescue groups in the past, and understands firsthand the importance of adoption in ending pet homelessness. I am so excited to have Dodge as the newest member of our family, says George Little. Today is a great day for my family, Dodge and me. I m so happy! As part of this historic milestone, PetSmart Charities teamed up with actor Josh Duhamel to launch the High-Five for Pet Adoption campaign celebrating the 5 million pets lives that have been saved through PetSmart Charities Adoption Centers. As an advocate for pet adoption, Duhamel George Little, fiancée Tracy, daughter Kennedy, and Dodge Actor Josh Duhamel and his dog, Zoe hopes to raise awareness of the homeless pet problem and the important role that adoption plays in saving lives. Pet adoption changed my life when we were looking to find a companion for our seven-year-old dachshund, Zoe, said Duhamel. Soon after adopting Meatloaf, I learned that these pets are just grateful for the love you have to give them. I applaud PetSmart Charities for its achievement of saving 5 million pets, and I m honored to work with them to encourage everyone to bring the joy of an adopted pet into their lives and help save millions more pets. Working with more than 2,000 animal rescue partners since the organization was founded in 1994, PetSmart Charities has achieved 5 million adoptions by saving on average 1,100 pets every day or about 400,000 pets every year. Generally, one pet s life is saved every minute that a PetSmart Charities Adoption Center is open. With the support of a Hollywood star like Josh to raise awareness about the importance of pet adoption, we aim to save millions more lives, said Susana Della Maddalena, executive director of PetSmart Charities, Inc. Through the High-Five for Pet Adoption campaign, we want to make sure others know they can help through simple actions like choosing to adopt, giving back and sharing your adoption story. Everyone can contribute to finding a lifelong, loving home for every pet. For more information on the 5 millionth adoption, or to share your adoption story, visit petsmartcharities.org
Bones of the Business TIPS FOR WORKING SMARTER Creative ways to rethink a specific element of the important work you do. If your organization is stronger, you can do more for animals! THIS QUARTER S TOPIC Using webinars for effective training CHALLENGE It s increasingly difficult to find the time and money to send staff to off-site training. SOLUTION Access PetSmart Charities free educational webinars to keep staff informed and up-todate on best practices and new technology. Webinar presenters are the best in their fields and deliver information specifically for the animal welfare audience. Topics for these on-line workshops range from: Adoptions to administrative issues, Bully-breed to behavior issues, Fundraising to foster care, Sanitation to spay/neuter, And, volunteers to vaccinations. Who should attend these free webinars? Shelter-based, foster-based, and municipal agencies of all sizes. Foster parents, board members, fundraisers, educators, operations staff and volunteers. How does the training work? Each webinar is offered live once. Attendees at the live webinars get the opportunity to interact with the presenter through Q&A and chat options. All webinars are recorded and placed into on-line archives to view at any time just like watching a movie. Each recording includes a compilation of the Q&A and chats from the live session. Recordings allow you to stop and start, to watch in separate viewings or to review specific points. Recorded webinars are available at petsmartcharities.org/ resources. What are some ways to use the webinars? Watch online at the comfort of your desk. Share and discuss with others during live or recorded sessions. Organize brownbag lunches or evening pizza parties and project the session onto a larger screen for everyone to view. Use recorded webinars as part of orientation for new staff and volunteers. Cross-train staff from different departments or committees. Training plays an essential role in building a strong agency. PetSmart Charities e-learning opportunities offer practical, free access to experts on the topics you need. For more information or to be added to our webinar mailing list, contact our Learning Team at learning@petsmartcharities.org. You can also stay up-to-date with our upcoming seminars through PetSmart Charities EDU LinkedIn page at linkedin.com/groups/petsmart-charities-edu-4325508 Fostering 4 Rock Stars Want to double the number of kittens in your foster care program? PetSmart Charities is looking for 10 animal welfare organizations ready to build or expand their kitten foster care program. Fostering 4 Rock Stars is a unique foster care program developed by the Cat Adoption Team in Sherwood, Oregon, that provides participating shelters with three days of on-site training, one year of mentoring and a framework to get your program off the ground with very few in-house resources. You will receive practical tips on finding and training foster mentors as well as helpful handouts and recruitment and media materials. But there are only 10 opportunities available this year for this free program. Hurry and apply online so that your agency can be Fostering 4 Rock Stars in 2012! Visit catadoptionteam.org/fostering4rockstars PARTNER ADOPTION NEWS Keep in mind that: Handling pet illness in the adoption program Occasionally, a pet may become ill while at a PetSmart store for adoption. If that happens, every effort will be made to keep the pet comfortable until the Adoption Partner can be reached. If transportation cannot be immediately arranged by the Adoption Partner, a PetSmart store manager may seek medical treatment to stabilize the pet. The Adoption Partner is responsible for the cost of medical expenses incurred while pets are participating in the Adoption Program. These incidents are documented with the Pet Safety team. Please keep your contact information current with Store Managers to ensure quick attention for ill pets. 2
MODEL VOLUNTEERING PROGRAM REWARDING AGENCIES FOR INNOVATIVE VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS Second Chance Pet Adoptions creates successful internship program If you re on the fence about whether or not to hire an intern at your agency, consider the successful Power of Internships program being implemented at Second Chance Pet Adoptions in Raleigh, North Carolina. This model volunteer program enlists students from local colleges to help the shelter with general operations, marketing and special events. How it got started With only two full-time people and one part-time person on staff, Second Chance relies heavily on volunteers. They can t always find volunteers, however, that can work during the week or have the specialized skills to help them with special projects. So when the shelter needed someone to update their website, Second Chance Board President, Joanna Reynolds, suggested finding an intern through one of the local colleges. We agreed that this age group was far more computer savvy than most of us on staff, says Lisa Imhof, Director for Second Chance. So we thought this was a good idea. Developing a solution Second Chance looks for interns to help with taskoriented projects that have clear goals, such as updating a website, coordinating a special event or writing grant applications. They reach out to students at area colleges by visiting their online career centers and posting internship opportunities on their websites about three months in advance of their needs. Here is a shortened sample of one of their college intern postings: Event management intern needed Assist with planning our 5K Run and 3K dog walk. Work with the Fundraising Coordinator, Run/Walk Committee and other staff to contact potential sponsors, coordinate participants and develop event timelines. Flexible, 10-20 hours per week. Length of Internship: Summer and/or Fall 2012 semesters. Must be organized, have excellent communication skills. Some event planning experience preferred, but not required. College students respond to these internships via email, attaching their resume for consideration. Students go through the same hiring process as any staff person, but exchange a paycheck for a resume-building experience. When their newly-hired intern was successful in streamlining a very complicated online sponsorship page on their website, Second Chance saw an immediate increase in sponsorships. That s when we knew we were on to something, says Imhof. The end result Because of the Power of Internships program, Second Chance says marketing and development projects have improved dramatically for the small agency. So far, the college interns have helped: Organize a golf tournament; Create a press kit that has improved relationships with local media; Write grants, providing more than $140,000 in new support for the agency; Develop new fundraising programs, including a monthly dog wash fundraiser, which is their most profitable non-event fundraiser to date; Launch a new program that assists families in need by helping with veterinary assistance for their pets; Attend board meetings and engage board members in the organization s projects. This is a win-win situation for everyone, says Imhof. As much as they have helped us, this internship program helps them too. It gives them real world experience, which is invaluable for any potential employer. College interns can be valuable resources for animal-welfare agencies. LET S HEAR WHAT YOU RE DOING! Submit your MVP application by visiting PetSmartCharities.org/mvp and complete the template as directed. We select a winning agency every quarter. The winning MVP receives a $1,000 award check and is featured in this newsletter and on our Facebook page. 3
PetSmart Charities adds new team members Heather Vana / Online Communications Manager Relocating from Chicago with her husband and two dogs, Heather joins the PetSmart Charities team as Online Communications Manager. She is an innovative content marketing and social media strategist who has worked in the telecommunications industry for the past five years. Previously, she held roles in external and internal communications and specializes in developing content and lead generation through websites, social media and blogs. She has a B.A. in English with a minor in communications from the University of Illinois. Lisa Kramer Friedman / Major Gifts Manager As the new Major Gifts Manager, Lisa is charged with developing and managing a portfolio of major national donors. She spent the last six years working at The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) Team Foundation, where she worked on a capital campaigns with the Board of Trustees to build a state-of-the-art training facility for USSA s athletes. Additionally, she helped manage and implement an executive level hospitality and entertainment package for 120 high networth guests at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, and the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. Prior to that, Lisa worked as the associate director of special events at the National Alzheimer s Association where she managed four major fundraising events, including the Chicago and New York Rita Hayworth galas as well as galas in Los Angeles and Washington, DC, bringing in $6,000,000 for Alzheimer s research. A Detroit native, Lisa received her Bachelor of Arts from Michigan State University. She currently resides in Chicago with her husband. Primp Your Pit campaign launches in August This August, 65 spay/neuter clinics will participate in the second phase of PetSmart Charities, spay/neuter blitz with the Primp Your Pet campaign. Participating clinics will utilize marketing funds and materials to promote the campaign and encourage pet parents to make an appointment for a $20 spay or neuter and a nail trim for their pit bull terrier and pit bull mix dogs. Collectively, the clinics hope to sterilize 6,730 pit bull terrier and pit bull mix dogs across the nation. To join these campaigns in 2013, watch for the grant announcement this fall and apply. The grants are available only to nonprofit agencies that operate their own spay/neuter clinics. 4 This Newsletter is Available Online Download digital issues at petsmartcharities.org/quarterly Susana Della Maddalena / Executive Director sdellamaddalena@petsmartcharities.org Julie White / Director of Grants juwhite@petsmartcharities.org For free-roaming cat spay/neuter grants: Bryan Kortis / Program Manager bkortis@petsmartcharities.org For targeted spay/neuter grants & Rescue Waggin program: Ronda Steciuk / Program Manager rsteciuk@petsmartcharities.org For spay/neuter capacity-building grants U.S.: Aimee St. Arnaud / Program Manager astarnaud@petsmartcharities.org Monica Neal / Program Manager mneal@petsmartcharities.org For Canadian grants: Kit Jenkins / Program Manager kjenkins@petsmartcharities.org For grants administration: Karen Froehlich / Senior Program Manager kfroehlich@petsmartcharities.org Brenda Najera / Grants Specialist bnajera@petsmartcharities.org For emergency relief: Wanda Merling / Emergency Relief Manager wmerling@petsmartcharities.org For webinar information: Vanessa Mosher / e-learning Program Manager vmosher@petsmartcharities.org Suzy Hayton / Program Facilitator shayton@petsmartcharities.org For the in-store adoption program: Larry Johnson / Senior Program Manager ljohnson@petsmartcharities.org Barbara Fought / Adoptions Partner Manager bafought@petsmartcharities.org Derinda Lewis / Adoption Relations Specialist dlewis@petsmartcharities.org For adoption rewards: Patricia Lerma / Adoption Rewards Facilitator plerma@petsmartcharities.org For newsletter information: Steve Pawlowski / Communications Manager spawlowski@petsmartcharities.org PetSmart Charities, Inc. is an independent, 501(c)(3) organization, and PetSmart Charities of Canada, Inc. is a registered charity of Canada. Your donations to both organizations are deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
GRANT HIGHLIGHTS Project Purr to target owned cats Last year, the Kent County SPCA took in 15,000 dogs and cats more than half were cats. When people must choose between feeding their families and sterilizing their cats, they understandably feed their families, says Jaime Lay, Director of Development, Kent County SPCA in Camden, Delaware. We want to do what we can to reduce the number of kittens entering the shelter. Armed with a $101,090, two-year grant from PetSmart Charities, the Kent County SPCA plans to launch Project Purr, a program to help 1,500 owned cats with free spay/neuter services, rabies vaccinations and microchips. The grant will target six ZIP code areas where feline intake is the highest. Free-roaming cats in Victoria, British Columbia, sterilized and saved Dee s Orphan Kitten Fund in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, received their first grant from PetSmart Charities in 2011. The $9,500 grant allowed the group to sterilize five free-roaming colonies and prevent the start of three more colonies for a total of 115 sterilizations in the Sooke region of Greater Victoria. The group reports there were three tame, pregnant females that were found close to the colonies that were put into foster homes. Upon weaning their kittens, they were all sterilized and adopted into new homes. Another semitame cat, found with serious health issues, was also placed in a new home. While the project may sound simple, the organization had special challenges not usually faced by agencies in more urban communities. With cats capable of reproducing up to three litters per year, it s easy to see how quickly a colony could grow and encroach on neighbors. We had Although not quite tame when they found them, Dee s Orphan Kitten Fund in Victoria, British Columbia, removed these two kittens from a free-roaming cat colony, sterilized them and placed them into foster care for two months. They were eventually placed into new, forever homes. a local farmer who left the feral cats alone, but reportedly bagged up the kittens from a colony on his property and drowned them, says Natalie Kroschinsky, founder of Dee s Orphan Kitten Fund. It was just horrible. Thankfully, this grant allowed us to talk to him and get him to agree to let us sterilize the 17 cats in this colony and pull all the kittens to re-home them. He has allowed the colony to remain on his property, so long as they don t reproduce. We watch the colony carefully. As a result, Dee s Orphan Kitten Fund says only 90 kittens were taken in by their local animal care services compared to the 134 the year before. GETTING SOCIAL the basics Social media is a natural fit for nonprofit organizations, providing fast and interactive, real-time engagement with a global reach. Generally, these tools also are free to use. Nonprofit social networks provide a means to connect with the public, promote your cause and need, and maintain an on-going dialog by sharing news and events about your organization. Essential social media networks that you should be using include: 1. Facebook Whether you have a website or not, you should have a Facebook page. Facebook allows anyone with an existing personal profile to also create a Facebook page for business purposes. 2. YouTube Video is the new show and tell. For animal welfare organizations, YouTube can: Showcase the personality of an adoptable pet. Provide a forum for donors and volunteers to give testimonials about your agency. Explain your organization s mission and highlight successful programs. Present volunteer orientation sessions as refresher classes or perhaps in lieu of in-person presentations. Capture a recent event s activities to excite your supporters. 3. Twitter A 140-character limit gets a brief message out to the masses. Share quick notices, updates and links to photos and URLs. Use Twitter to complement Facebook posts. Post news about your adoption event on Facebook then provide updates from the event on your Twitter profile. If you re new to Twitter, hashtags (#) preceding words make the word a search term while the ampersand (@) preceding a word references another Twitter profile. 4. Pinterest This new site is a visual delight that provides new opportunities to showcase adoptable pets. Check it out at: pinterest.com. If social media is unchartered waters for your organization, you may be limiting your reach and missing out on engaging people that want to help with your cause. How to get started 1. Go online and get familiar with the social media networking services mentioned in this article. A website that was created to help homeless people learn about social media resources is also a great resource for other new learners, so check out: wearevisible.com. 2. Recruit social media gurus to your organization s volunteer corp. You may want to contact your local college or university for classes. 3. Devote one hour a day to social media monitoring and posting. In the next issue: Social media tools that help you monitor and manage all of your social channels. 5
Summer 2012 QUARTERLY News for and about our animal-welfare partners INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1 PetSmart Charities Celebrates 5 MILLION ADOPTIONS! 2 Handling pet illness while in the adoption program 2 Using webinars for effective training 2 Fostering 4 Rock Stars 3 Model Volunteer Program 19601 North 27 th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85027 4 PetSmart Charities adds new team members 4 Primp Your Pit campaign launches in August 5 Grant highlights 5 Getting social: the basics 2012 PetSmart Charities, Inc. All rights reserved. CONFERENCES PetSmart Charities believes in professionalizing the field of animal welfare. In the next few months, we re sponsoring training events at: Saskatchewan SPCA Provincial Conference 9/28-30 Saskatoon, SK, Canada sspca.ca Alberta SPCA Provincial Conference 10/4-5 Edmonton, AB, Canada albertaspca.com Colorado State Conference (animal welfare/animal control) 10/4-5 Black Hawk, CO cfawa.org Virginia Animal Control Conference (VACA) 10/17-19 Virginia Beach, VA vwacaonline.net Best Friends No More Homeless Pets Conference 10/25-28 Las Vegas, NV nomorehomelesspetsconference.com SAWA Annual Conference (Society of Animal Welfare Administrators) 11/4-6 St. Petersburg, FL sawanetwork.org Apply for a High Impact Spay/Neuter Grant Trying to make an impact on dog or cat overpopulation in your community? PetSmart Charities will be accepting grant applications for our High Impact Spay/Neuter Grants from July 15 through August 31, 2012. These High Impact Spay/Neuter Grants target specific geographical areas, saturating them with enough spay/neuter surgeries to make a long-term difference. Targeted Spay/Neuter Grants focus on altering pet cats and/or dogs, while Free-Roaming Cat Spay/Neuter Grants focus on Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) projects for free-roaming cats. The key is to fix a substantial percentage of the unaltered cats or dogs in your targeted area. For example, one Free-Roaming Cat Spay/Neuter Grant resulted in the sterilization of all the feral and stray cats in an island community, while a targeted spay/neuter project involved altering 1,000 pit bull and pit bull mix dogs in one county. 6 Funding is available for spay/neuter surgeries and reasonable expenses for items needed to get the surgeries done, like marketing materials and traps. To learn more in detail about what kind of proposal will qualify, watch our recorded webinar, PetSmart Charities High Impact Spay/Neuter Grants: What Are We Looking For? To learn more about our online application process, watch the webinar, Navigating PetSmart Charities New Online Grant Application. Both webinars can be found at PetSmartCharities.org/grants. Apply and let us help you end pet homelessness in your area! PetSmart Charities will be accepting grant applications for our High Impact Spay/Neuter Grants from July 15 through August 31, 2012.