Blog
Crisis Communications during COVID-19: You’ve Got This!
The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented in its scale and impact on our day to day life, and for many — if not most of us — the news that our shelters and rescues would need to close or seriously limit services came nearly overnight. Moments of this significance require a swift response, and once staff…
Read MoreCOVID-19 Communications: Free Tools for Shelters & Rescues
For many of us, it feels like the past week has contained the emotions and activity of a year. So much has changed, and continues to change, about our daily life in general. And for shelters and rescues responding to the moving target of COVID-19 response, we know it’s been a series of pivots to…
Read MoreCommunications & Marketing Guide for Shelters, Amid COVID-19
It’s been quite a week, hasn’t it? We know how hard everyone is working to balance both human health and animal lifesaving as information about Covid-19 rapidly evolves. And we know this can mean struggling to keep the community abreast of how each of these changes impacts your organization’s programs, events, and most importantly, pets.…
Read MoreHow Merchandising Can Help Spread Your Mission + Messaging
More and more, shelters and rescues are creating merchandise – selling items in freshly minted retail areas in shelters, selling online or as part of a fundraiser, using t-shirts or pins to commemorate a special event, and more! But have you ever stopped to think about how, even beyond raising funds, merchandise can play a…
Read MoreTweetalong for a Behind the Scenes Peek at Shelter Life!
It was 4th of July week, which is one of the most dreaded weeks for all shelters across the country. Typically, we see animals flood into our shelter over that time period – most as strays and many without forms of identification. Each year during the days leading up to and following Independence Day, KC…
Read MoreA Shelter Dog Story From Start to Happy End
And for a shelter pet, that story can be the link to a lifetime of love and happiness. Well, this is Indy before he had a photo that helped him tell his true story. Indy arrived at Fort Worth Animal Care and Control as a stray and quickly captured the hearts of the staff and volunteers caring for him. With…
Read MoreCreating an Internal Stock Library Shelter Shot List
When it comes to putting our best marketing foot forward in animal welfare, much of promoting our animals, services, and organizations comes down to being able to tell the stories of our work. Beyond promoting available animals, we start to connect with our communities best when we’re showing them everything from the enrichment we provide…
Read MoreSeen = Saved The Perfect Exposure Project Ignites Creativity and Lifesaving
This year, HeARTs Speak’s Perfect Exposure Project (PEP) is celebrating 5 years of hands-on, collaborative workshops in shelter photography and marketing. In that time, the program has worked with more than 571 shelter staff and volunteers who represent 99 different organizations in 25 cities/locations! Even more importantly, those participants in past workshops will be able…
Read MoreEasy Tips for Great Shelter Pet Photos
Photos are a vital part of not only finding homes faster for homeless pets but transforming the way communities perceive shelters and pet adoption. A great photo helps a pet make an emotional connection in an instant— and that can be the key to motivating someone to visit the shelter to save a life. Here…
Read MoreYour Social is On Fire! (Here’s How Not to Burn Out)
Go you! You’ve been absolutely killing it on social media! Your posting schedule is robust, no comment goes unresponded to, and your engagement is through the roof. But, rather than riding high on your success, you’re feeling erratic. After months of highly-engaged posts, you’ve found yourself getting sloppy and uninspired. Each new push notification makes…
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