Original Message:
Sent: 12-01-2023 12:30 PM
From: Charlotte Otero (she/her)
Subject: November & December 2023 Resource Drive: Holiday Promotions
Hi @Angellee Vincent! You've been randomly selected as the resource drive winner for November! Thanks so much for sharing so many incredible ideas for holiday promotions on this thread. Please be on the look out for a direct message from me so we can send you a $50 gift card for participating in this resource drive.
We're continuing the holiday promotions fun for the month of December so please continue to share your favorite promotions on this thread for a chance to win in December!
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Charlotte Otero
Community Strategist at Maddie's Fund
she/her
Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2023 06:37 AM
From: Angellee Vincent
Subject: November & December 2023 Resource Drive: Holiday Promotions
Hey Everyone!
I work at the municipal shelter; Grand Prairie Animal Services in TX (DFW area).
I LOVE the holidays so starting end of Sept we prep for our annual Howl-o-Ween party that involves an indoor trick or treat trail through our shelter for the kids and an outdoor bark or treat trail for our furry friends.
- November we're usually taking a breather from Oct and prepping for Dec but this year we put on our first 5k-9 (dog friendly 5k) Fun Run and it was decently successful for the first time ever doing one!
But December is our baby!
- This year will be our 4th annual "Fill Their Stockings" Campaign. This is our 3rd year partnering with the local girl scouts troop; and they are donating 200 hand decorated stockings from the troop. They are actually dropping them off tomorrow. So the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we will hang a stocking on EVERY animals kennel in the shelter. We implore the public to come in and fill their stockings. They can choose to focus on one specific animal or they can share with many. It's completely up to them! We also have an Amazon wishlist specifically for the event and when items arrive we'll put them in the stockings. Mid way through december as animals are adopted their stockings will go home with them. If they are still there for Christmas Day instead of giving them their stocking just yet; we go through all the donations/presents that have been left under the tree in our lobby and dole those out on a live video. We give the animals until new years eve with their stockings and those who are still there on NYD get their stockings then.
- We run a Santa Paws Sleepover Dec 23rd - Jan 2nd. Very few animals come back from this program after the short term foster as they are adopted by the family fostering, adopted to someone the foster family knows and/or they decide to continue to foster until the dog is adopted.
- We're doing Photos with a life like Santa & Mrs. Claus no Dec 3rd and may be doing a Grinch photo option this year as well.
- Our 3rd annual Chipmas event will be Dec 9th - We offer free microchipping and registration to the public (not just our city but anyone who wants to come and get their pets chipped). We usually do over 100 animals that day.
- This will be our 2nd year doing Prairie Paws Postage - we sell holiday cards; you can pick xmas, Hannukah, kwanza, etc and we fill out the card exactly as you'd inscribed in your submission purchase and then we add actual cat or dog paw prints inside the card, a cute photo of the actual animal dressed up in holiday gear/theme. We also do this for Valentines Day and it does better with that option but it's basically no cost for us after the initial investment of cards last year so we'll continue to offer it until we run out of cards and/or if it does better we'll restock if we run out.
- We no longer do this event because it was pretty much all me and one of my interns but before I had my son we'd do the Pawlar Express; we'd allow adoptions the week before Christmas and hold the animal until xmas eve/xmas day and then we'd dress up as elves and hand deliver them (on a live which people LOVED). It was parents adopting for their kids and it was truly the cutest/sweetest thing! But then covid happened and I had my son and I want my holidays with my family but I'm considering doing Xmas eve deliveries again since we do not do anything on Xmas eve currently! It was super cute and the parents would fill out forms I had made, so we'd know the kids names/ages and if they believe in Santa or not and then spin a whole thing around each family. The kids believed we were elves when we'd come in and know each of their names and we let them know Santa had an extra special present for them but he couldn't take them no the sleigh with him all night so he asked us to make a special delivery. We even delivered a guinea pig one time. All in all it gives the feels and it can easily be catered to how ever you'd want to set it up.
That's pretty much all of the current stuff I put on at my shelter but always looking for new ideas and new programs/campaigns to add/try!
If you want any additional info on any of the events we put on just let me know and I'd be happy to share or answer any questions you may have.
Sincerely,
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Angellee Vincent
Original Message:
Sent: 11-01-2023 09:30 AM
From: Charlotte Otero (she/her)
Subject: November & December 2023 Resource Drive: Holiday Promotions
#CommunityPartnerships*
#FundraisingandDevelopment
#MarketingandSocialMedia
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Charlotte Otero
Community Strategist at Maddie's Fund
she/her
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