Benefits of Participating in E.V.C.O.R.
***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!