Pet sitters have a super opportunity to both raise money for shelter pets in need and raise the profile of their business by getting involved in the Wishbones for Pets project in the coming months.
This is a project that I’ve been aware of for a few years now – but this year I finally have time to get fully involved – it will be my first year of participation – and I’d love you to join me!
Wishbones for Pets is a fund raising project especially for pets sitters that started in 2004, where each year pet sitters collect donations of money and supplies for a animal shelter in their local area . The program runs each year in the 6 weeks prior to Thanksgiving (in the US).
Pet sitters ask local business owners to host collection bins in their stores that are labeled with the pet sitting business name, the name of the local charity, and list of requested supplies. These bins give visibility to the pet sitting business and foster community goodwill. The goods from the bins, as well as monetary donations are collected at the end of the 6 week drive and then delivered to the local shelter by the pet sitting business.
The Wishbones for Pets website lists the great benefits of participation in the event:
“What are the business benefits?
- Publicity for the individual pet sitting service
- A public awareness of this industry
- Publicity for the sponsors
- Retail traffic and potential sales increases for the drop off stations/sponsors
- Community responsibility showcased
- A charity receives the needed donations
How does the pet sitter benefit?
This program enables pet sitters to significantly increase its public profile by informing the community of the fundraiser for a pet related charity and brings an awareness of their own services. Without this type of marketing, the community might not otherwise learn what is offered without the pet sitter having to incur significant expenses associated with media advertising.
Initial ideas for promoting will include a list of targeted participants, offering promotional items, placing alternative advertising throughout targeted areas, radio/television announcements, assembling volunteers to assist in weekly pick-ups, developing co-sponsorships, and much more.
All pet sitters participating in the program are free to use the Wishbones for Pets logo on their literature and/or website as well as a link to the official Wishbones for Pets website displaying information about the sponsor. The advertising exposure for everyone involved is enormous!”
So take a look at the Wishbones for Pets website today – it’s easy to register and there is a Yahoo group that can offer you support and guidance so that you make the most of the event.
A press release template to send out announcing your participation – and asking local businesses for their help to host collection bins has been added to the Yahoo group. So no excuses – will you join me to help some pets in need?
Let us know if you have participated in event by leaving a comment ….. and be sure to let us know your tips and how you made the most of the program!
My business is a member of Professional Pet Sitters of Minnesota (PPSMN). We are an association of pet sitting business owners dedicated to promoting the welfare of all animals and raising the standards of the pet sitting industry through example, education and cooperation.
PPSMN has participated in WishBones for Pets for six years. I have been chairing the event for the last two years. Last year we collected $1255.76 in funds and over $600 in food and goods for Second Chance Rescue. We did this by sending all of our clients a letter about WishBones and our effort to help homeless animals. We also asked pet related retail stores, groomers and veterinarians to host a collection jar and/or bin at their business and assured them that we wold monitor the bins and jars weekly to maintain a quality appearance in their location. We also put their business names in our brochures to acknowledge and thank them for participating.
This year we are collecting for Red Lake Rosie’s Rescue and hope to exceed last year’s totals using the same methods as last year.
Here is a list of the “Top 10 Tips” that I would recommend:
Tip 1 – Network With Other Pet Sitters
Register yourself on the WishBones Forum to learn and share ideas and stories with other pet sitters who have participated in WishBones. There is a wealth of helpful information in the File section of the forum on how to run an event, letters to send to clients and businesses and there are pictures of jar and bins that people have used. When you sign up on the WishBones for Pets site you can use the WishBones logo and all the templates, including tips and press releases to use for local media.
Tip 2 – Ask Your Clients
Send letters to your clients to announce the WishBones for Pets fundraiser and ask for donations. If you send a newsletter to your clients, make sure to highlight the WishBones for Pets campaign.
Tip 3 – Get Local Businesses Involved
Send letters to local pet related businesses and offer to advertise on your website that they are supporting the program. Making an in-person request after your letter or without sending a letter is also a good way of getting businesses to participate.
Tip 4 – Brochures & Postcards
Create brochures that describe WishBones for Pets and list your selected charity who will receive the proceeds and list the businesses who have agrees to host a jar and/or bin. This is good advertising for your business too. It helps get your name out there as a professional pet sitting business and it shows that you are concerned with the welfare of animals. Give some brochures to locations that have agreed to host a bin or jar so they can see their names listed. Vista Print regularly has promotions and sales where you can get 100 brochures (post cards, business cards etc..) for just the cost of shipping.
Tip 5 – Maintain and Keep in Contact
When a business does agree to host a jar and/or bin make sure to monitor them weekly so the jars/bins don’t get too full or start looking bad. You can use this as persuasion tool to get the business to agree to host a jar or bin. If they know you will taking care of everything they will be more likely to host. If you do not maintain the jars and bins and they become an eyesore or issue for the location it could turn into a bad experience for them that they would not be willing to repeat.
Tip 6 – Social Networking
Announce your WishBones for Pets efforts on your social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter & Linked in. After announcing on Linked in last year we received a donation of six heated pet beds from a pet store manufacturer on Linked in.
Tip 7 – Get Your Charity Involved
Chances are that the animal charity you select for the proceeds will have media contacts or other ways of getting the word out. You can suggest that they advertise the WishBones event on their website and/or in their Fall literature and you can put a link to their website on yours in exchange.
Tip 8 – Show Your WishBones Enthusiasm
Start getting the word out early. Get people thinking and preparing for the WishBones for Pets charity at least by the beginning of September. You can start in August and keep reminding them until it begins. For those few months prior to Thanksgiving you should eat, sleep and breathe WishBones! Raise awareness of the event; talk about it, tweet about it, post it, mail postcards, use your newsletter, wear WishBones T-shirts -anything you can think of to get the word out.
Tip 9 – Say Thank You
Send thank you notes to every client that donates and send a thank you to every business that participates.
Tip 10 – Keep Good Records
Record all letters sent, calls made, businesses visited, addresses from checks received, so you can be prepared for next year. Send letters again, letting them know “it’s that time of year again” and “you may remember getting my letter last year” and “we would like to invite you to participate this year.” If you had brochures the previous year, include one in your letter to businesses that did not participate so they can see how the participating businesses were listed in the brochure and where their name could go this year. You can send thank yous again to the participating businesses with an invitation to participate again.
Biggest Tip – Have Fun – and be proud of the work you are doing to help animals and to promote the pet sitting industry! Pet sitters are invaluable ambassadors for the pet world.