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How Can We Help More Animals?

Please save the date! Saturday, January 7th will be a 1/2 day long gathering of animal lovers at Mesa Main Library in the Saguaro Room–2nd Floor. More Details Coming Soon! Any requests? Any suggestions?

This Gathering of Animal Lovers is open to any Volunteers, Nonprofits, Rescues or Philanthropic Groups that want to Help Animals. It is also open to groups that work with any type of animal (dogs, cats, horses, bunnies, birds, reptiles, etc.) in any capacity (rescue, rehabilitation, animal assisted therapy, service dogs, lost & found, etc.).

Let’s all get together and see what happens! Let’s set some exciting Goals for the New Year! Come meet some like-minded folks, connect with some new volunteers and meet some new organizations to cooperate with!

11:00-1:00 Meeting for Animal Rescues Interested in Partnering through E.V.C.O.R. East Valley Coalition of Rescues AND Maricopa County Coalition of Rescues (M.C.C.O.R.)

*****At this meeting we will Discuss Joint Fundraising Plans, the new Marketing & Social Media Marketing Team available to help you, the Animal Overflow Shelter that is available for you to use for temporary housing, etc. All attendees will also be able to sign up to receive automatic email alerts when dog/cat food donations & supplies become available. We will add your animal rescue adoption events and locations to our map. We will upload your fundraising & special events onto the community calendar. We will also discuss ways to get the word out about your animal rescue and your volunteer & donated item needs. We will sign rescues up for Group Purchase of Food & Supplies that they need so that we can drive down the price.

1:00-4:30 Free Animal Related Seminars for the Public, Animal Rescue Volunteer Palooza & an “Unconference” for Animal Rescues

1:00-4:30 Animal Rescue Volunteer Palooza

Come Meet Local Animal Rescues that Need Your Help!

This is the time to meet animal related nonprofit organizations! Each organization will be given 3 minutes to introduce their organization, their mission, their current projects & what they need from the community in order to successfully accomplish their organization’s mission. You may also freely mingle and network during this time.

Networking! Visit with other animal groups and find ways to work together. Share your organization’s mission. Discuss plans for cooperative collaboration on projects. Optional Networking Experience is also available.

1:00-4:30 FREE Animal Related Seminar Topics Open to the Public—Every 20 Minutes there is a New Topic. Sample Topics:

***What to do if you have Lost or Found a Dog or Cat. Where to post online and which local organizations help.

***Where to go for FREE or Low Cost Vaccinations, Microchips, Veterinary Care Spay & Neuter. Where to find a complete calendar special events, low cost clinics & a list of all related resources.

***What to do about Outside Cats Options & Information on the FREE Spay & Neuter programs and the City of Tempe Program & TNR effort.

***”How to Find and Select the Perfect Rescue Dog or Cat for Your Family Good resources to share with potential adopters.

***What to do with an Unwanted Dog or Cat. How to Safely Place or Rehome them. Good resources to share with people with unwanted animals. *****We will also discuss the NEW Unwanted Dog Intake Form and introduce the Dog Placement Service and Unwanted Cat Service (same as Dog project) before they are out how we can all work together more effectively and efficiently on “Courtesy Postings”.

***Where the Pet Food Banks & Resources for FREE or Low Cost Pet Food. We will also discuss how to participate in a Group Purchase Project. This is especially useful if you are feeding multiple animals.

***What to Do in an Animal Emergency & How to Create a Disaster Plan and Travel Kit.

***How to Handle possible Animal Neglect or Abuse Cases.

***Where to go for FREE or low cost Help with Dog or Cat Problem Behaviors. Ask questions about any animal behavior issues.

***What Volunteer Opportunities are Available to Help Animals?

***How Young People Can Get Involved and Help at Adoption Days, Take Photos, Create Videos, Code & Manage Websites and even Use their Social Media Skills to Help Animals!

***Brainstorming Sessions on what Schools, Faith Communities, Businesses & other organizations can do to help animals.

1:00-4:30 This is an “Unconference” see description below.

An “Unconference” is much less formal than a normal “Conference”. An “Unconference” is created by the participants who attend that day. The topics emerge organically from the interests of the participants in attendance.

What would you like to discuss? What issues are most important to you? Do you have a project that you would like to see created and need information, help or support from others in order to create it? You get to pitch the topic and whoever is interested in that topic will join you in the discussion.

If you already know of a topic that you would like to propose and if you would like to offer it at a particular session hour, please send it in to us via the comments section below and we will add it to the agenda. Here are some sample topics to get your creative juices flowing:

*****How Can We Create a Pool of Money for Animal Medical Emergencies that People Can Borrow from & Pay Back over Time?

*****Let’s Create an Animal Marketing & Social Media Marketing Team that Markets on Behalf of all Animal Groups. Help us Brainstorm some Marketing Ideas! How Can we Get More Rescue Animals Adopted?

*****How Can We Increase the Number of Foster Families Available to Help Rescues?

*****What Types of Volunteer Positions are Available for Youth to Help Animals? Let’s Brainstorm: Help posting pictures? Help with social media? Help at adoption day events?

*****Social Media to Help Animals & Improving Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your Website–Q & A and Quick Tips from the audience and Idea Swap.

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You are Cordially Invited to this Gathering of Animal Lovers, Volunteers, Nonprofits, Rescues & Philanthropic Groups

When? Saturday, January 7th gathering from 11AM-1PM
for E.V.C.O.R. Meeting and 1PM to 4:30PM for Volunteer Pallooza, Animal Seminars for the Public. Optional networking and/or help posting your projects, your events, your volunteer & donated item wish lists, your Free listing in the Directory of Services & Organizations, etc. after the information sessions end at 4:00.

Where? Saturday, January 7th: This meeting will be held at the Mesa Main Library at 64 E. 1st Street in downtown Mesa. From downtown Mesa’s Main Street, between Country Club and Mesa Drive, take Center St. North to E. 1st street. Look right and you will see the Post Office. The next building to the right is the Main Library. From downtown Mesa, the Main Library is 1 block north of Main and just East of Center St. We will be meeting on the 2nd floor in the Saguaro room. After you go up the stairs, turn left and then turn left again and you will see the Saguaro room on your left side. Here is the Map Link to the Mesa Main Library–Click Here!

Please be sure to bring a notebook, a pen, any organization brochures, your lunch, your good ideas, a willing spirit of cooperation & creativity and a laptop computer, if you wish. There is WiFi available.

This event is 100% Free! There are plenty of eating establishments and picnic tables within a short walk or drive. We are not allowed to have food or open beverage containers in this room. The library has been kind enough to allow us to use this space so we want to keep it nice and free from spills. There is a coffee shop in the downstairs lobby of the library.

While it is not necessary to R.S.V.P., it is helpful to us. The room holds as many as 125 people so we should be able to accommodate everyone, even people who decide at the last minute that they can attend. You may R.S.V.P. by sending us a message via the comments section below. Please help us to spread the word by sharing information about this “Unconference” with other animal lovers. The social media buttons at the top of this post make it easy to share this event with others who may be interested.

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Will you help us? You can Help Get the Word Out about this Gathering of Animal Lovers is open to any Volunteers, Nonprofits, Rescues or Philanthropic Groups that want to Help Animals. The Social Media buttons at the top of this page make sharing information about this meeting easy! Who do you know that is interested in helping animals?

By following a project, you continue to participate in the conversation about this project and receive a free e-mail notification when new information or updates are added to this project post. It is free to participate. To follow a project that interests you, simply subscribe at the bottom of this project post. We will also be contacting those following this project post to give them a friendly reminder about the meeting times & dates.

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***We will have a group of volunteers whose services can be utilized by any nonprofit. We will have Foster Home Volunteers, Emergency Foster Families, Bottle Feeders, Animal Transportation Volunteers, Clerical Volunteers, Computer Volunteers, Phone Volunteers, etc. who can be utilized by any E.V.C.O.R. partnering organization. They will not be attached to any one organization. They will be a pool of volunteers that any partner organization can access. They will “float” between organizations as needed.

***We will have one group of volunteers whose sole mission is to secure donations of food & other animal supplies on behalf or us all.

***We will have an Outreach Team visiting Businesses, Senior Centers, Schools, Universities & Colleges recruiting volunteers. A Volunteer Coordinator will keep track of your volunteer needs and strive to help you fill positions. We will make connections with professors & students to spread the word out internship and capstone project opportunities with nonprofits.

***We will have a Marketing & Innovation Team that will work on increasing awareness about animal related issues & services. They will also work to find innovative ways of increasing public awareness of the volunteer & donation needs of the participating animal rescues. They will be available to help promote your adoption days & fundraising events!

***We will have a Social Media Marketing Team of volunteers and a Fundraising Team that will work on projects to benefit us all.

***We will have a group of volunteers that do presentations, attend volunteer recruitment events, visit organizations requesting volunteers, donated items and resources on behalf of all of us participating in E.V.C.O.R. They will bring the information & brochures of all participating animal rescues to every event and promote all organizations equally.

***We will keep you informed of events & training opportunities in the community that may assist you in managing your nonprofit, connect with supportive community organizations and promote the services & needs of your nonprofit.

***We will help you to promote your classes, events, fundraisers and volunteer trainings by using our connections in the community and through social media.

***We will offer volunteer training for your volunteers for Foster Home Volunteers, Adoption Counselors, etc. from a curriculum that we all agree to. We will have the ability to do volunteer trainings to benefit all animal rescues that want to use this service. You may send as many of your volunteers as you wish to the trainings free of charge.

***We will have a joint storage facility where donated items will be stored and any animal rescue can freely take the items they need from the storage unit. They can also drop off what they do not need and wish to share.

***We will have a Lending Library for items others are willing to Share & Lend. For instance, if one organization has extra dog crates, they can retain ownership of them and leave them at the storage unit. They are then available to lend out or to be “checked out” by organizations that need them.

***We will have an on line Breed Request System for people seeking to adopt specific breeds and/or types of animals. All participating animal rescues will be able to view the Breed Request Lists on line.

***We will have a Pre-Adoption “Interest Questionnaire” that we all agree on that can be used by anyone interested in adopting an animal from any of our organizations. That way, an interested adopter can fill out the form one time and it will be accepted by all as the potential adopter moves between adoption sites. This will provide an easy way for animal rescues to initially see if they have an animal that is potentially a good match for the adopter. (We have heard many potential adopters complain that they have to fill out long forms on many websites answering the same questions over and over again. Many have even told us that they got fed up and bought a dog from a breeder because the process was so difficult, even thought they preferred to adopt a rescue animal!)

***We will post the Pre-Adoption “Interest Questionnaires”on line on a password protected web page for all participating animal rescues to see. That way you can easily see the information about people who wish to adopt and check to see if you have a match for them. You will be updated via email when new potential adopters come into the system. You will be alerted to the specific type of dog or cat the adopter is seeking.

***We will have an on line form for unwanted cats & dogs. That way information to cross post can be taken once by 1 organization and shared instantly with us all. Specialized volunteers will contact the person to get details on the animal and its behavior, as well as the reason the animal is unwanted. This saves the animal’s family from contacting lots of different rescues about the same animal. It also saves all of us the time & energy of all working the same animal case, not knowing that others are working hard to save the SAME animal! This will prevent animals from coming into the system in a chaotic way with little or know health history or behavior knowledge.

***We will have a specialized team of volunteers who work to solve the problems BEFORE the animals reach the animal rescue system. They will specialize in directing people to free pet food resources, animal behavior specialists, etc. There will be “Help Desk” volunteers who help the public solve common animal problems. There will Animal Ombudsmen community volunteers who specialize in solving especially complicated animal problems. Ombudsmen will also advocate for animal welfare in specific situations that need more attention.

***We will post unwanted animal cases on line and everyone will have the ability to see the animals that are entering the system and comment on what their rescue is able to do to help. A project will be opened up on each animal and all can work on the case and be fully aware of what others are doing to try to help the animal.

***We will invite independent rescuers and participating animal rescue groups to share our ongoing adoption days at Petco & Petsmart in order to generate more enthusiasm and share volunteer capacity.

***We will assist you in “marketing” your difficult to place animals & post your “Helping Hand” fundraiser projects for specific animals needing medical attention on our website.

***We will assist you in getting Community Sponsors to help cover some of the costs of running your animal rescue. We will be looking for sponsorship from local business, schools & faith communities.

***We will help you place your senior animals through the Senior to Senior Program. Please check out the link for more information on this project: Senior to Senior Project–Learn more. Click Here!

***We will have a Speakers Bureau of volunteers willing to go out to speak for Free on various animal related topics. Please let us know if there are topics that you are willing to give presentations on. Speakers Bureau of volunteers will go to schools, businesses, faith communities and anywhere else to increase awareness about animal issues.

***We will be giving Free seminars to the public about Dog Topics, Cat Topics and Outdoor Cat Topics. We will be informing the public about where the local resources are for animal rescue adoption, spay & neuter, lost & found, pet food assistance, volunteer opportunities, etc. This is an effort to teach animal lovers in the community about how to respond to common questions that their own friends, family & colleagues may be asking them regarding animals. Because they are know as an animal lover in their social network, we want to prepare them with current & accurate information. We want them to serve as “information booths” of good information to all those who know them.

***We will also be available to provide emotional encouragement & support to each other as we do this meaningful but difficult work of helping animals.

***Another Opportunity: You are also invited to join in the effort to create an Animal Overflow & Support Facility that would allow any rescue to rent shelter space & allow the administrative costs to be shared among all rescues. Have you ever thought of having your own animal shelter? Let’s join in and create one together. Spaces could be retained by the day, week or on a monthly basis. To learn more about the idea, please go to this link. Please send in a comment on that Animal Overflow & Support Facility project page if you know you would like to be involved.

Animal Overflow & Support Center
http://communitycause.org/animal-overflow-and-support-center-for-shelters-rescues/

Organizations participating in E.V.C.O.R. will choose to specialize in whatever they are good at and do that on behalf of all participating organizations: Recruiting New Volunteers, Getting Donated Items, Taking in Certain Types of Animals, Connecting with Local Businesses that Can Help, etc. Together we can make a big difference in the lives of animals.

Come share your ideas at E.V.C.O.R. and M.C.C.O.R.. We are looking forward to meeting you!

Please R.S.V.P. at this website link: All Animal Rescues are invited to East Valley Coalition of Rescues (E.V.C.O.R.) meeting Animal Rescues Working Together http://communitycause.org/east-valley-coalition-of-rescues-meeting/ Just send us a note to let us know you are coming.

We hope to make the East Valley Coalition of Rescues (E.V.C.O.R.) a template for how a West Valley and North Valley Coalition of Rescues will work together.

Please direct any questions you have to the comment section of this website link Animal Rescues Working Together so that we can answer them once for all to see.
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