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  • 1.  Foster Appreciation Program

    Posted 12-04-2023 08:54 AM

    I started a Foster Appreciation program based off of how many animals my fosters look after over the year or how many days they have animals in foster. Usually it is a hand written card and then a coffee card, or buttons or other small tokens of gratitude. 

    I did have one foster voice concern about being gifted items and that it could be taking money away from the shelter. I fundraise so I have these funds to help support fosters but am also looking into different ways I could "reward" fosters with supplies or other foster related things. 

    Any suggestions or ideas? 


    #FosterPrograms

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    Katie Pauli
    Foster Coordinator
    Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter
    MT
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  • 2.  RE: Foster Appreciation Program

    Posted 12-04-2023 09:35 AM

    Do you provide all the supplies that fosters need for their animals? If not, maybe you could give them litter, food, treats, etc.  instead. As a foster myself, I would prefer that over gifts for me.



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    Maria Saucedo
    GIS Analyst
    Pets for Life at HSUS
    Baltimore, MD
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Foster Appreciation Program

    Posted 01-18-2024 07:00 AM

    I agree completely with this thought too. We provide the supplies for the foster period (food/treats, litter/litterbox, collars/harnesses/leashes, etc) but a great gift idea could be items the foster can keep for future fosters too. For example, we had several cat trees and beds donated over the holidays which we simply don't have enough room for here. We sent them out to fosters and most were super happy to get extra items.



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    Erin Dams
    Community Relations Coordinator
    Roanoke Valley SPCA
    Roanoke VA
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Foster Appreciation Program

    Posted 12-05-2023 04:18 AM

    Last year, during Foster appreciation week which is in April (??), we did daily FB raffles of items that we bought or were gifted to the shelter that the shelter couldn't use. We had those heart beat stuffed animals for kittens/puppies, nylon play pens, gift cards, and stuff like that. We have a foster FB page and would post the giveaway items and interested people would comment and then the next day we'd have the Google random # generator pick the winner. It was a lot of fun for all of us.



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    Ellen Gratch
    Capital Area Humane Society
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Foster Appreciation Program

    Posted 12-08-2023 06:58 AM

    Hey Katie! 

      I'm not sure if this would work if your area but some stuff I do for events may cross over and not be a bad idea for your fosters. I would reach out to local businesses for donated gift cards and/or experiences. For example, when we have major events, I try to get all the items in our "vendor" bags donated from local businesses. We just did our first 5k-9 (5k w/ dogs) in November and these were some of the donated items we had in our bag for local food and attractions. 
     

    • Chick fil a - free chicken sandwich cards
    • 7 Brew (coffee shop thats growing nationally by the week it looks like) - free medium drink card
    • Epic Waters (indoor water park) - Free Passes
    • Main Event (indoor large arcade w/ bowling, karoke, laser tag) - Free one hour unlimited play cards
    • Ripleys Believe It or Not - Free day passes to all exhibits.
    • Bounce donated heavy duty pet dryer sheets (sample packs)
    • Dental company donated logod "swag" items
    • Bolder (indoor rock climbing facility) - free passes 

    And other stuff similiar to this throughout other places and other events. 

    This could be a win/win. I'd draft an email explaining what you're wanting (that can be changed if needed business to business) and why. The WHY is the most important part and to pull on their heart strings :) They say no, ok no biggie, youre in the same spot you are now... but for every yes you get... ! SCORE! 

    Hopefully you have some organizations around you that would be open to this but worth a shot!

    Angellee Vincent

    Grand Prairie Animal Services

    Volunteer & Event Coordinator 

    Grand Prairie, TX



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    Angellee Vincent
    Volunteer & Events Coordinator
    Grand Prairie Animal Services
    Grand Prairie, TX
    www.gptx.org/paws
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Foster Appreciation Program

    Posted 01-19-2024 08:39 AM

    Hello again!

    If it's an option, I've found that shelter-branded things promoting your Foster program are very popular. Useful items like t-shirts, thermal mugs, tote bags, etc. that foster volunteers can take out into the general public seem the most well-received. These items can be cost-effective when purchased in large quantities and have the benefit of being great tools for recruitment.



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    Krystyna Zarn-Langford
    Human & Animal Services Manager
    Geauga Humane Society's Rescue Village
    Novelty, Ohio
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    Original Message


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