Animal Welfare Organization Resources

Public Awareness
Fundraising
Working with Volunteers
Managing an Animal Welfare Group

PUBLIC AWARENESS

Saving Shelter Pets: How to Network with Rescue Groups (.pdf)
An experienced rescuer tells you how to work with rescue groups to get pets out of shelters and into homes.

Marketing a Campaign for the Animals (.pdf)
The No More Homeless Pets in Utah campaign is using innovative marketing approaches to ensure that every adoptable dog and cat can be guaranteed a good home. An interview with marketing director Julie Castle. 

Developing Effective Media Relations (.pdf)
Dave Ortiz, the media relations manager for the No More Homeless Pets campaign, gives tips for working effectively with the media; some specifics on writing news releases, PSAs and letters to the editor; and some ideas for dealing with interviews.

Media Relations for Animal Shelters (.pdf)
Thirteen tips for working with the media, by Merritt Clifton, editor of ANIMAL PEOPLE.

How to Organize Your Own Week for the Animals (.pdf) This short publication by Gregory Castle, president of No More Homeless Pets in Utah, gives suggestions for instituting an annual week for the animals in your state, city or community.

Silent No Longer (.pdf)
A traveling exhibition by artist Cyrus Mejia takes its title, 575, from the fact that an average of 575 homeless dogs and cats are still being killed at shelters throughout the country each hour. An interview with the artist.

Special Feature: Animal Hoarding
They call themselves "rescuers" or "shelters," but they're really suffering from a serious mental illness. A case in Victorville, California prompted this profile and a deeper look at the symptoms of animal hoarding.

NEW! Objects of Their Affection: The Hidden World of Hoarders (.pdf)
This in-depth feature article from Best Friends magazine explores what hoarding is, how widespread it is and what can be done about it.

NEW!  Producing a Newsletter (.pdf)
This four-page document compares e-newsletters and print newsletters, and offers tips on how to produce a newsletter.

FUNDRAISING

Getting Your Paws On More Money (.pdf)
This guide covers the basics of fundraising for grassroots organizations. Topics include: key ingredients for success; exploring options and methods; developing and implementing your plan; building a mailing list; and getting publicity.

A Few Neutered Cats (.pdf)
This brief resource offers five ways to raise just enough money to get a feral cat colony spayed and neutered.

Fundraising at the Grassroots (.pdf)
An article from Best Friends Magazine offering tips for how to fundraise at the grassroots level.

Getting to Know Your Local Community Foundation (.pdf)
There are multiple kinds of assistance offered to nonprofits through Community Foundations, which provide funding and management support to strengthen nonprofit programs. Their primary function is connecting funders with donors, and vice versa.

How to Run a Successful Walk for the Animals (.pdf)
This 13-page publication provides tips for a successful event; an overview of planning and carrying out a walk; job descriptions of the key staff people you'll need; and a timeline for completion of the tasks involved.

FORUM TRANSCRIPTS

How to Get Public Money for Spay/Neuter: A conversation with Peter Marsh, creator of New Hampshire's publicly-funded spay/neuter program.

WEBSITE LINKS

Food For Thought (.pdf)
This 6-page brochure promotes the adoption of vegetarian policies for SPCA- and humane society-sponsored events. A short, thought-provoking booklet written by Animal Place.

WORKING WITH VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers: Getting Ready For Them, Finding Them, Keeping Them (.pdf)
Advice on preparing to bring volunteers on board; recruitment, training, and keeping volunteers happy and active; and a list of resources.

MANAGING AN ANIMAL WELFARE GROUP

Sheltering Is Pointless...Until the Need Is Reduced (.pdf)
This editorial from the newspaper Animal People explains why building more shelters shouldn't be the first step to solving the pet overpopulation problem. First, a community needs to focus on effective spay/neuter, adoption, foster and humane education programs.


Starting A Non-Profit Organization to Help the Animals (.pdf)
The manual explains how to start a community humane group. Includes a basic plan for developing an organization, tips for meeting common challenges successfully, and rallying public support. Includes a list of other helpful resources.

Community Assessment and Planning for the Humane Movement (.pdf)
Do you find yourself running around in circles, not sure if any of your programs are really working? This publication, specifically geared toward those in the humane movement, helps you to stop the madness. It describes 10 simple steps that you can follow to start gathering accurate statistics, perform an assessment of your community, and create a plan for ending the homeless pet problem and measuring your success.

Building a Successful Coalition: The 12 Cardinal Rules (.pdf)
Gregory Castle, president of No More Homeless Pets in Utah, walks you through a dozen ways to help build a successful coalition of animal welfare groups and organizations in your community.

Compassion is the Way (.pdf)
An article by Nathan Winograd explaining the success of the San Francisco SPCA's grassroots approach to helping people help animals, from building focus groups to developing programs that meet the needs of the community.

How to Start an Animal Sanctuary (.pdf)
This is a "must read" for anyone thinking about starting an animal sanctuary. It covers the basic elements of operating a sanctuary: shelter, medical care, food, legal issues, fundraising, dealing with people, adoptions, and education. Includes a resource section.

Insurance: Covering Your Tail! (.pdf) NEW!
Contains brief descriptions of the types of insurance you might need, suggestions for how to go about buying insurance, and examples of good practices to minimize your risk of loss. It also includes a few case studies and additional resources.

The Chess Master (.pdf)
Anyone who has spent years working in animal rescue programs can tell you that there's never a shortage of eagerness and idealism. But for the campaign to succeed, eagerness and idealism need a business plan, too. An interview with Dennis Stearns from Best Friends Magazine.

Learn from Your Dog (.pdf)
Your dog can teach you all you need to know about running an animal shelter like a business. Merritt Clifton's speech at the International Companion Animal Welfare Conference in Prague November 2002.

What Worked, What Didn't, What's Next? (.pdf)
A review of the third year of the No More Homeless Pets in Utah campaign. Includes a brief description of each program element: what was successful, what wasn't, and where it's headed.

Burned Out? (.pdf)
Seven tips for coping with burnout. An article by Faith Maloney.

WEBSITE LINKS

Board Cafe
A website and e-newsletter for nonprofit board members. Offers ideas, opinion, news, and resources to help board members give and get the most out of board service.

FORUM TRANSCRIPTS

For a complete list of forum archives, including other topics related to managing an animal welfare organization, please click here.