We Foster Challenge

Updated 4/14 at 11:14am Recording Now Available!



We Foster Challenge Huddle #2 will be happening tomorrow on Wednesday, April 13th at 11am PT. Our guest speakers will be @Tori Fugate from KC Pet Project and @Ryan Barker of SFC Virginia. They will be sharing ideas on how to ensure the marketing of your foster program is equitable and inclusive of the entire community followed by time for a live Q&A. 

Some examples include:
• Program is advertised and marketed in multiple languages as needed for all community members (for both foster volunteers and clients needing fostering)
• Marketing reaches new communities and neighborhoods
• Program marketing features pets and people that reflect the makeup of the community
• Traditional and non-traditional marketing approaches are used to reach entire community​

As a reminder, you only have to register once to sign up for all of the huddles. Be sure to bring your marketing questions with you or if you come up with any after the call, please use this thread to continue the conversation with the presenters and other challengers. I hope to see you there!
​

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Charlotte Otero
Community Strategist at Maddie's Fund
she/her
------------------------------

Hey everyone - I look forward to meeting you tomorrow!

Not 100% relevant to marketing, but I've attached our canine and feline foster manuals since people asked for examples last week, and here's a link to our Trello page as well - https://trello.com/b/4hpijMct/sfc-incoming

**Please note that our Trello page is not fancy and is mostly for me to communicate with our foster manager about who is coming in and will need foster care, but it is open to fosters as well.

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ryan barker
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Adding some resources here that Tori, Ryan & your questions touched on today:

Marketing & adoption counseling webcast

KCPP's foster resource page: https://kcpetproject.org/programs/foster/foster-resources/

Ausin Pets Alive!'s Scared Dog Behavior Handout for fosters

Job descriptions for foster volunteers and staff

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Kelly Duer
Maddie's Fund
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-12-2022 02:23 PM
From: ryan barker
Subject: Huddle 2: Marketing of Foster Program is Equitable and Inclusive of the Entire Community

Hey everyone - I look forward to meeting you tomorrow!

Not 100% relevant to marketing, but I've attached our canine and feline foster manuals since people asked for examples last week, and here's a link to our Trello page as well - https://trello.com/b/4hpijMct/sfc-incoming

**Please note that our Trello page is not fancy and is mostly for me to communicate with our foster manager about who is coming in and will need foster care, but it is open to fosters as well.

------------------------------
ryan barker
------------------------------

PDF of @Tori Fugate's (KC Pet Project) presentation


​

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wendy frink
Maddie's Fund
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Link to our adoption marketing survey: Google Forms - create and analyze surveys, for free.
My presentation/links in pdf form as well attached.

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ryan barker
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-13-2022 11:48 AM
From: wendy frink
Subject: Huddle 2: Marketing of Foster Program is Equitable and Inclusive of the Entire Community

PDF of @Tori Fugate's (KC Pet Project) presentation


​

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wendy frink
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Great Huddle today!! Thanks to Gina Knepp for hosting and recommending the Big Dog Master Classes on Maddie's University.  Watch them and earn RACE, CAWA and NACA CE credit, too! 

Big Dog Master Classes

Maddie's Fund, Maddie's® Million Pet Challenge and Human Animal Support Services teamed up to bring you 8 info-packed presentations to tackle your biggest challenges surrounding big dogs. Get proven solutions and data-driven protocols delivered in straightforward, streamlined modules for all levels of animal shelter professionals. We want your organizations to be supported as you learn better dog management, getting more live outcomes, shortening lengths of stay, and creating safer shelters.

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alison gibson
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Thanks to everyone who joined our second huddle! The recording is now available to watch on-demand here. 

Also just wanted to share a few resources that were shared in the chat during the call:

• QR Code Generators
  • https://www.qrcode-monkey.com/ (Free QR Code Generator)
  • https://bitly.com/ (Bit.ly has a QR code generator! Shorten your URLS + get a code in 2 clicks!)
• Tori Fugate shared KC Pet Project's Foster Resources page: http://kcpetproject.org/fosterresources

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Charlotte Otero
Community Strategist at Maddie's Fund
she/her
------------------------------

I have a question for Ryan Barker and/or other solely foster based rescue organizations in regards to one of the slides about integrating strategies for recruitment of fosters. 
One of the bullet points said "never shut up about it!" My question is, how often are you posting looking for fosters in an average week? For example I'm in charge of social media relations and marketing and I do the usual Fosters Fridays consisting of what our level our greatest need is like 2nd stage care for bottle kittens weaned. I'll also share some basic Q&A about what a foster is/does and at times other graphics templates to make the post stand out. I schedule the post to post at the same time every Friday. 
I've noticed by looking at number of audience reached as well as our fb page insights stats that our foster Friday posts aren't producing nearly as enough views as all of our other posts that consist of who's currently available, our 2 litters of kittens updates,  if we're in need of wishlist items as well as useful information and resources on a variety of topics.
Has anyone else experienced this as well as if your audience gets tired or annoyed by the same info and call for fosters when you're posting to get recruits?
We're based out of a more rural community with so many farmlands as well as an overpopulation of homeless felines within certain areas of the community.
Are there any similar organizations here that are having the same issues? I work very hard at PR stuff and have managed to grow our followers number by almost 2k in the 10 months since joining our board members. We're at 4,110 followers and have tremendous support from our community for what we do, monetary and supplies donations but getting fosters has been a huge struggle as many of us know and are facing. 
Do you or would you create a committee of 2-4 volunteers who would report to me and have their sole focus and purpose to be recruiting fosters? 
Is there such a thing as too much repeating of foster recruitment that can have a negative impact on your audience?
Any input, tips, ideas would be amazing! Thanks in advance!

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Tracy Hanson
Ellie's Legacy Pet Rescue
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-14-2022 11:30 AM
From: Charlotte Otero
Subject: Huddle 2: Marketing of Foster Program is Equitable and Inclusive of the Entire Community

Thanks to everyone who joined our second huddle! The recording is now available to watch on-demand here. 

Also just wanted to share a few resources that were shared in the chat during the call:

• QR Code Generators
  • https://www.qrcode-monkey.com/ (Free QR Code Generator)
  • https://bitly.com/ (Bit.ly has a QR code generator! Shorten your URLS + get a code in 2 clicks!)
• Tori Fugate shared KC Pet Project's Foster Resources page: http://kcpetproject.org/fosterresources

------------------------------
Charlotte Otero
Community Strategist at Maddie's Fund
she/her
------------------------------

Hey!

Are your posts geared toward both fosters you already have as well as recruitment efforts/do you have somewhere else that you're asking for help from your existing foster parents?

We post in our internal page constantly 2-4x/week with foster needs, and I would say that by and large we will almost all our fostering gaps that way. We don't throw up external recruitment posts on our page very often; I would say every couple of weeks?

I would integrate your requests for fosters/the link to apply to foster into your more popular posts if those fostering-specific posts aren't reaching your audience very well. You can definitely talk about foster all the time without it being the main point of your post, and then only put up those specific recruitment posts when you really need them. 

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ryan barker
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-15-2022 02:38 PM
From: Tracy Hanson
Subject: Huddle 2: Marketing of Foster Program is Equitable and Inclusive of the Entire Community

I have a question for Ryan Barker and/or other solely foster based rescue organizations in regards to one of the slides about integrating strategies for recruitment of fosters. 
One of the bullet points said "never shut up about it!" My question is, how often are you posting looking for fosters in an average week? For example I'm in charge of social media relations and marketing and I do the usual Fosters Fridays consisting of what our level our greatest need is like 2nd stage care for bottle kittens weaned. I'll also share some basic Q&A about what a foster is/does and at times other graphics templates to make the post stand out. I schedule the post to post at the same time every Friday. 
I've noticed by looking at number of audience reached as well as our fb page insights stats that our foster Friday posts aren't producing nearly as enough views as all of our other posts that consist of who's currently available, our 2 litters of kittens updates,  if we're in need of wishlist items as well as useful information and resources on a variety of topics.
Has anyone else experienced this as well as if your audience gets tired or annoyed by the same info and call for fosters when you're posting to get recruits?
We're based out of a more rural community with so many farmlands as well as an overpopulation of homeless felines within certain areas of the community.
Are there any similar organizations here that are having the same issues? I work very hard at PR stuff and have managed to grow our followers number by almost 2k in the 10 months since joining our board members. We're at 4,110 followers and have tremendous support from our community for what we do, monetary and supplies donations but getting fosters has been a huge struggle as many of us know and are facing. 
Do you or would you create a committee of 2-4 volunteers who would report to me and have their sole focus and purpose to be recruiting fosters? 
Is there such a thing as too much repeating of foster recruitment that can have a negative impact on your audience?
Any input, tips, ideas would be amazing! Thanks in advance!

------------------------------
Tracy Hanson
Ellie's Legacy Pet Rescue
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 04-14-2022 11:30 AM
From: Charlotte Otero
Subject: Huddle 2: Marketing of Foster Program is Equitable and Inclusive of the Entire Community

Thanks to everyone who joined our second huddle! The recording is now available to watch on-demand here. 

Also just wanted to share a few resources that were shared in the chat during the call:

• QR Code Generators
  • https://www.qrcode-monkey.com/ (Free QR Code Generator)
  • https://bitly.com/ (Bit.ly has a QR code generator! Shorten your URLS + get a code in 2 clicks!)
• Tori Fugate shared KC Pet Project's Foster Resources page: http://kcpetproject.org/fosterresources

------------------------------
Charlotte Otero
Community Strategist at Maddie's Fund
she/her