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WWLDO Newsletter
January 2024
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January Co-Founder's Note:
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Focus On: Community Engagement
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Community engagement is the real superpower of a successful shelter. It’s the difference between just saving the dogs and keeping your head above water, or being an essential member of your community and an important resource for every pet owner. Not to mention, a place where people can come to invest not just in the animals, but in their community. It can be a place where they can take ownership, meet kindred spirits, find volunteer work that feeds their soul (and the animals), and, honestly, have a lot of fun.
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The shelter doesn’t just serve a community, it belongs to them. A shelter whose community is engaged in helping them save animals has the best chance at succeeding in doing so. The community must be willing to step up and be a part of saving and protecting the lives of its animals. And the shelter culture makes that possible or impossible. It takes leadership that invites everyone—from every walk of life — to join in this important work. And maybe most importantly, shelter leadership must see the community as a partner, on their side, and be open to ideas and efforts.
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A good shelter looks for ways to get the public into the building for reasons other than to drop off a found pet or look for a lost one. One way to do that is through hosting dog-centric events –whether that’s shot clinics, microchip clinics, animal wellness festivals (with pet product/service vendors), free training demonstrations, holiday events, guest speakers, or children’s programs. The more you get the public in your building, the more comfortable they are there and the more they see it as belonging to the community. It follows naturally that the next time they’re looking to add a furry family member, they will go to the shelter.
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Community engagement is one critical piece in creating a sustainable shelter that saves every savable dog. You can find loads of ideas for developing community engagement in our free Online Resource Guide, and you’ll hear a lot more about it in my upcoming book, Who Will Let the Dogs Out.
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This week, I hope you are following along as we tour shelters in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Find us on Facebook and Instagram for live videos, lots of pictures, and the
stories we learn firsthand in the shelters.
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Together we CAN let the dogs out!
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Until Each One Has A Home,
Cara Achterberg
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Urgent Need:
Shelter Fire Creates Desperate Situation in North Carolina
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Our shelter partner, A Shelter Friend, was victim of a very destructive fire on the evening of Friday, January 19th. Their barn caught fire and within a matter of minutes it was completely engulfed in flames. Luckily, there were only two horses housed in the barn and they were both able to escape into the pasture. No animals were harmed and that is truly a miracle. Unfortunately, the barn is a complete loss. They also suffered damage to their water system and are not able to access water for kennel cleanings. Some of their doghouses and supplies were also damaged in the fire. A Shelter Friend is seeking donations to help with the water repairs and loss of supplies.
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Please click here to make a donation.
Updates on their repairs and donations can be seen
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From the Blog:
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What Do We Do on Shelter Tour?
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Our next shelter tour begins Monday January 29. I’ve posted the itinerary below – four states in five days! If you know people in the areas where we will be visiting, please tag them on our posts to help raise awareness (or pass along this blog post). Ultimately, responsibility for improving the situation at any shelter, particularly municipal shelters, lies …
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Social Media Content Creators Needed!
Who Will Let The Dogs Out? is on the lookout for dedicated individuals to join our team as Volunteer Social Media Content Creators. As a crucial part of our mission to raise awareness and resources, you'll play a vital role in engaging our audience and fostering growth. Responsibilities include:
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- Producing high-quality, original content across various platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.
- Collaborating with photographers and videographers, staying informed about social media trends, and optimizing content performance are key aspects of the role.
We are seeking individuals with a creative mindset, strong communication skills, proficiency in social media platforms, and a commitment to supporting our mission.
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If you're interested in contributing your skills to make a positive impact as part of our team, please click the "Get Involved" link below.
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Virtual Volunteer Shelter Liaison Opportunity
Would you like to help raise awareness and resources for homeless dogs and the heroes who champion their cause? As a Shelter Liaison you can make a difference from the comfort of your own home. Shelter Liaisons play a crucial role in virtually supporting our shelter partners. As a Shelter Liaison, you will be monitoring our shelter partners' posts on social media and sharing their news, ideas, and needs.
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If you're ready to be part of our team, click the “Get Involved” link below or visit our website to take the first step!
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From the Resource Guide
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Professional Photographers Can Help Get Shelter Dogs Adopted
Shelter intake photos are a quick way to identify dogs but not the best way to promote these pets on social media or shelter and adoption websites. Most dogs are nervous and scared when they arrive at a shelter and intake photos don’t capture their true personalities. Partnering with a local professional photographer can make a huge difference in helping to find loving homes for shelter dogs. A wonderful example of this is the partnership between AGoldPhoto Pet Photography and the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, FL. The photo studio began by conducting monthly adoption photo shoots at the shelter. Many of the dogs found homes just days after their professional photos were posted on social media. Seeing this positive impact, the studio reached out to other local businesses to see if they would sponsor additional shelter shoots. They got a positive response and now the studio does two shelter shoots a month with plans to extend that to once a week. Additionally, the studio helped teach shelter volunteers how to take better photos and created The Ultimate Guide to Shelter Pet Photography, which is available free on YouTube. There are professional photographers in almost every community, and it's worth reaching out to see if they would help promote shelter pets. This partnership is a win-win for both shelters and photographers. And, of course, the biggest winners are the dogs who don't have to wait as long to find loving forever homes.
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WWLDO believes that successful shelters work to engage the community and invite local businesses and members of the public to become animal advocates.
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Tips for Shelter Partners
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Community Engagement & Grant Application
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The organizations giving out grant money to animal rescues and shelters typically ask many questions in a grant application, like:
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- How you’ll use their money
- What your mission is
- What kinds of programs you offer
- How many animals you take in and adopt out
But some go even further and want to understand how community engagement influences the success of your work. They may ask about events you organize or participate in that allow you to engage with your community.
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Why do funders care about these kinds of partnerships? Why might their decision be tied to how closely you’re connected with the people and businesses in your community?
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Because they want to make a sustainable investment. A shelter or rescue that has the backing of its community is more likely to flourish and can count on other fundraising approaches beyond grants. Funders are more likely to give grants to rescues and shelters that have the backing of their community – which is fostered through community partnerships and interactions – because that demonstrates that the organization is making good on its promise of saving animals and runs a respected operation.
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An example of an organization that asks about community engagement is the Pedigree Foundation. One request from its current grant application states, “please provide evidence of community partnerships and engagement.” Similarly, Maddie’s Fund will soon launch its annual Open Arms Challenge. This is specifically geared toward opening the hearts and minds to more accessible and inclusive practices and encourages animal shelters to pilot new approaches that welcome your entire community.
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Animal shelters and rescues that engage with their community are likely to benefit in many ways, including finding success with grant applications.
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Need help applying for a grant? Contact our Grant Advisor Nicole Sandler at nicolemiasandler@gmail.com.
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Community Engagement Ideas
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1. Contact local school PTA or public library and offer to do an assembly on the shelter! Bring a dog or two and the Animal Control Officer. Libraries especially are often seeking educational programs.
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2. Contact the local scouts chapter about shelter tours or small projects needed. Many scout projects for older children, like the Girl Scout Silver and Gold Awards and Eagle Scout Awards require creating sustainable community projects rather than just normal volunteer hours.
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3. Have a monthly Saturday event where children can come read to the dogs!
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4. Invite local elected officials to visit the shelter (especially in an election year!)
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5. Reach out to local church youth groups and invite them to visit.
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6. Ask local high school photography club students to come practice taking pictures of shelter dogs.
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Have ideas your shelter has tried that you want to share? Let us know at whowillletthedogsout@gmail.com!
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