Have you wondered how to produce a slideshow for your rescue’s website to showcase your adoptable pets? Do you know how to use the power of videos to spread the word about your fundraiser at very little cost? Do you need help writing better press releases for your shelter? What about improving your shelter’s operation with better software? Following are online tools to help maximize your efforts on behalf of homeless pets.
Showcase Your Adoptable Pets with a Slideshow
Do you want to add a slideshow or video to your website to showcase some adorable adoptable pets?
“Slideroll™ is a photo slideshow maker for creating slideshows with your photos. Basic membership is free. You can publish your slideshows on your website or YouTube. You can also use the Videomaker to turn your slideshows into videos. Add your own MP3 soundtrack to your video if you wish.
Check out AARF Atlanta Adoptable Pets for an example of how effective this slideshow is. They used digital photos and added text of each pet’s name. You can do this! It’s always a good idea to try out a service like this with only one video or slideshow first. Embed the code on your website and see how it works before investing too much time. Notice the loading time and how well it works on different browsers and different Internet connections.
I haven’t used this product myself but it’s recommended on a couple of blogs I read. Check out the demo; this looks like a simple way to create slideshows. There’s even a forum at this site to ask questions.
Two additional resources are Slide and Imageloop.
Want to Add Music to Your Photo Slide Show?
Do you have a slideshow but you’d like to add music? How to Make a Photo SlideShow With Music tells you how.
Use Videos to Spread the Word
A brand new service called StreamThatCause.com is a clever way to use videos to spread the word about your shelter’s or rescue’s fundraiser, pet food bank, etc. According to the website, “upload a simple home-made video to your web page pitching your cause, and by utilizing the built-in blogging feature, email, social-network sharing, and word-of-mouth invite everyone you know to visit your cause’s web page and participate in your Video Web-A-Thon Event.”
One of the first users of this service is the Kentucky Humane Society to ask for donations to a pet food bank. The cost is only $39 for two weeks. This is definitely worth trying!
Get More Publicity
Do you need to send a press release announcing a fundraising event, an offsite adoption, or an open house for your animal shelter or rescue? Learn to write more effective press releases to get more publicity. PRWeb is one of the major online press releases services. Whether or not you use this service, you can take advantage of Tips, Guidelines, and Templates for Writing an Effective Press Release on their website. You’ll find ideas for content, formatting, common errors, and a template. Take a look at archived press releases on this website before you write yours. You’ll be able to see these tips in action.
Improve Your Shelter or Rescue Management
Does your shelter need help in researching shelter management software? Check out the Software Finder at PetFinder.com. This is a list of shelter management software outlining criteria such as pricing, kennel management, export to Petfinder capability, cruelty complaints, animal profiles, etc.
Ask for Pet Sponsors
Need an example of sponsoring a specific pet on your website? Take a look at Sponsoring a Best Friends Animal. Best Friends does a great job of telling a pet’s story and offering the option to sponsor that pet for $25. They will send an email with a downloadable photo and story for each pet sponsored. Could you do something like this for your shelter or rescue?
Sending a donation on behalf of young animal lovers in the family for a holiday or birthday gift is a good way to help educate them about remembering homeless pets.
Help Pet Owners Plan for Their Pets
Learn about estate planning for pet owners at Pet Trust Law Blog. This blog discusses estate planning for pet owners, pet trusts, power of attorney for pets, pet caretakers, legal definitions, etc.
