Hi Marissa,
For our Kitten Foster Program (385 kittens fostered last year ~140 foster families) we send out a weekly blast every Thursday with general info like number of animals in foster, any changes to medical office hours in the coming week, reminders, etc, as well as any changes/updates to protocols or other info we need to share. Contact info for everyone on the management team, relevant links, etc are also included at the bottom of every blast.
On Mondays every foster with kittens receives a check in/report card they fill out. (replying is mandatory) It's done via a Google form, so it's really easy to track responses. And since the responses are on a shared google doc, other members or the management team (and mentors assigned to newer fosters) have easy access to it as well. And if a foster indicates there is a problem or has a question on the form, they will get a reply that day.
For after hours emergencies, the fosters have phone numbers to call that go to KFP management team members who will assess, and if needed reach out to shelter medical to make the call if we need to go to the ER or not.
We're big on communication and stress that it goes both ways. If they have questions, we tell them to ask (better you ask too many vs too few, especially to start), and if we ask questions, they have to respond. (If we stop hearing from you, you'll stop hearing from us.) Everyone gets a "I just got kittens" checklist when they take their kittens home that has all contact info/what to do if there are medical issues, etc. Basically the most important parts of the handbook as a one sheet. We also give this to every new foster when we give the shelter tour and tell them to put it on the fridge.
The biggest thing is consistency. The Thursday blast goes out every Thursday, and those Monday report cards go out at 7am every Monday (love that scheduling feature in Gmail...) and if a foster hasn't responded by Tuesday, they get another email and a text. Lather, rinse repeat. Usually we have all responses by Tuesday, but you'll need someone who will consistently follow up/email/text. We've got everyone pretty well trained to reply by Tuesday (they're tired of me bugging them).
For supplies, they get starting supplies at the shelter when they pick up their kittens, and afterwards they email or text the supplies manager at least a day ahead of time to arrange resupply pickups (they're done offsite). That's another one we beat into their heads: restock before you run out, don't wait till the last minute.
I'd be more than happy to chat with you further or send examples of our check-ins/blasts if you'd like.
Chris de Zorzi
Finance/Development Chair and Kitten Foster Dad
The Volunteers of the Burbank Animal Shelter
www.thevbas.org
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Chris de Zorzi
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-26-2026 10:02 AM
From: Marissa Knoebel
Subject: Communicating with Fosters
Hello! I am the new Operations Coordinator at a county shelter in Indiana. As I am reaching out to meet and introduce myself to my potential and current foster people, a repeating theme I have seen is the lack of communication from the shelter to our foster during their time fostering. Especially my kitten foster parents as kittens sometime need urgent responses during the closed hours at our our shelter. What ways have help your programs on keeping fosters in the loop with things and also keeping staff happy with their work life balance? Some initial ideas are to create a weekly email list to send to foster just to keep a line of communication up and check on any supplies needs they have and two utilizing a group page on Facebook more for fosters to reach out to each other and staff on items when they need to communicate with someone. I appreciate any and all responses.
#FosterPrograms
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Marissa Knoebel
Operations Coordinator
Jeffersonville Animal Shelter
IN
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