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Marketing and Public Relations Articles

Marketing and public relations sound intimidating to many animal welfare organizations, but learning how to do them well is an enormous boon to the organization and its mission. The articles below provide a wealth of "how-to" information for getting started.

Adoptable Ideas

January 2013
Do your Pits need some pizzazz? Looking for ways to give your bully breed dogs an image makeover? Need some tips on creative and successful strategies for finding homes for your Pit bulls, Pit mixes, and Pit-appearing dogs? Take a look at these ideas and resources. Read More

Breed Stereotype and Effects of Handler Appearance on Perceptions of Pit Bulls

November 2012
Would posing an available pit bull in a picture with a child or elderly woman enhance the perception of the dog's friendliness and adoptability? You bet. Read More

How to Get the Media to Take Your Animal Welfare Story Seriously: Tips from Christie Keith

August 2012
As a pet columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate.com and a blogger known to write about no-kill and shelter reform issues, Christie Keith says she received “what may amount at this point to two tons of communications from animal advocates wanting me to write about their cause.” Find out why most of these messages are doomed to fail, and how yours can succeed. Read More

One Good Story Can Raise Funds to Save Lives

May 2012
Bonney Brown, Executive Director of the Nevada Humane Society, capitalizes on the stories of special needs animals to find the pets homes, underwrite their care, pay for the rehabilitation of nearly all the treatable dogs and cats in the shelter, and generate more awareness and financial support for the entire organization. Read More

The Shelter Pet Project's Greatest Hits

March 2012
Get some great tips and look at some hilarious examples of clever and effective pet adoption listings for websites or Facebook pages. Read More

Feline URI in Your Shelter? Have a 'Cats With Colds' Clearance!

February 2012
A great idea became a winning marketing tool at the Dane County Humane Society - and found new homes for cats with colds. Read More

Marketing Resource Guide

September 2011
Nothing boosts adoptions like great marketing. For some clever, out-of-the-box marketing ideas, take a look at these great resources. Read More

Maddie's Marketing Competition

February 2009
Scroll through winning competition entries for dozens of marketing ideas for hard to place pets. Read More

An Insider's Guide to Working with the Media, Part One

April 2010
Pet columnist and blogger, Christie Keith, provides an overview of the basics - finding the right media people, building relationships with them, and writing ledes and press releases. Read More

An Insider's Guide to Working with the Media, Part Two

June 2010
Tips from pet columnist and blogger Christie Keith on pitching bloggers, podcasters and web-only publications. Read More

An Insider's Guide to Working with the Media, Part Three: Getting it Right

April 2011
Nationally recognized pet journalist and blogger, Christie Keith, shows how to get your organization acknowledged by the media. Read More

Crisis PR for Animal Shelters

August 2010
It’s important to know how to react to a PR crisis. It’s even more important to anticipate and plan a media strategy before one occurs. Read More

Optimizing Your Petfinder.com Listing for The Shelter Pet Project

August 2010
Discover the simple tricks that will get your shelter pets noticed on Petfinder.com. Read More

The Truth About Free Cat Adoptions

August 2012
Research has proven that worries about free cat adoptions are unfounded. Now fee-waived adoptions are catching on in animal shelters nationwide. Read More

Nevada Humane Society's 'Staff Picks'

2008
The personal touch works wonders for the at-risk pet. Read More

A Place for Second Chances

November 2010
Discover how great customer service, marketing and out of the box ideas enable the Oregon Humane Society to adopt nearly 11,000 healthy and treatable dogs and cats each year. Read More

Maddie's Shelter Medicine Conference

November 2009
On October 23 and 24, 2009, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine hosted the second annual Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Conference in Gainesville, Florida. Eight power point presentations from the conference are available for viewing. They include: transitioning to adoption guarantee, creating a pet evaluation matrix, top adoption and marketing strategies and foster care. Read More