Enhancing The Online Presence Of Animal

Shelters

An Introduction To MyShelterSite.com, Guide For Navigating Shelters Through Social Media

What We’ll Be Covering

• About Rachael Ray Nutrish™

• Getting You Up & Running

• Extending Your Presence Online

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About Rachael Ray

• Chef, best selling author, dog lover and host of the Emmy-winning daytime television show Rachael Ray

• Believed that her dog Isaboo should eat as well as the rest of her family, but had a difficult time finding a food that combined both good taste and nutrition

• She began working with Ainsworth Pet Nutrish to create a super premium brand that was delicious, nutritious and also helped shelter animals…

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About Rachael Ray Nutrish™

• In July 2008, Rachael and Ainsworth Pet Nutrition launched Rachael Ray Nutrish™. The brand includes two varieties of all natural dog food with real meat as the first ingredient (Chicken and Veggies; Beef and Brown Rice). There are no by-products, fillers, artificial flavors or preservatives.

• Rachael Ray Nutrish™ is available almost everywhere you shop for pet food. The dog food line retails anywhere from $7.99 to $16.99, depending on package size and retailer.

• In the next few months, you’ll also see Just 6™ crunchy dog treats. Varieties include beef, chicken and lamb and all will be made with only six natural, simple ingredients.

• To learn more about Rachael Ray Nutrish™ you can visit www.nutrishforpets.com or follow us on Twitter handle @Nutrish. You can also receive a free sample by visiting www.switchtonutrish.com.

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About Rachael’s Rescue™

• Heartbroken by the thought of the millions of mistreated and abandoned animals taken in by shelters each year, Rachael started Rachael’s Rescue™.

• All of Rachael’s proceeds from the sale of Rachael Ray Nutrish™ go to Rachael’s Rescue™, which is dedicated to helping at-risk animals through adoption, medical care and educational programs, along with training and outreach initiatives. Donations specifically go to 501c3 no-kill animal shelters and organizations.

• The three main arms of Rachael’s Rescue™ :- Food donations- Monetary donations- New initiatives, i.e. Mutt Madness, MyShelterSite.com

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About Rachael’s Rescue™, Continued

• In 2008-2009, more than 65 tons of Rachael Ray Nutrish™ were donated to local shelters across the country via Rachael’s Rescue™.

• In November of 2009, Rachael surprised a New Jersey woman who converted an old barn into a shelter for distressed animals with $20,000 for shelter renovations, a tractor full of dog food, a dozen fleece blankets and cases of treats.

• Also last year, the brand launched the first year of “Mutt Madness,” a pet charity contest that offered charities with 501c3 status a chance to win $50,000. The second place winner won $25,000 and 64 other organizations received $1,000.

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How Else Can We Help?

• Approximately 3-4 million dogs and cats are adopted from shelters each year*

• A growing number of potential pet parents look online before deciding to adopt a pet

• Understandably, many shelters/rescues don’t have time/people/ resources to build a dynamic Web site

*Source: Humane Society of the United States

Introducing…MyShelterSite.com!

• A dynamic, user-friendly site to show your loveable friends & connect with your community

• Easy, Easy, Easy

• Absolutely FREE!

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How It Helps You

• Cost savings – money better spent elsewhere

• Community Activity - Includes adoptions, news, blog, donations, forms

• Fundraising – Pay pal integration for donors to contribute

• Social Media – integration to spread the word

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Let’s Get Started

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4 Easy Steps And You’re Off and Running

• Every site has its own web address (this and the original administrator can not be changed).

- For example, if you want your site to be at http://acme.mysheltersite.com you would enter acme in the field below.

• If you already have a shelter URL and would like that URL to point to your new MyShelterSite, just follow the directions located in Step 1.

Step 1: Creating Your Shelter Site

Step 2: Designing Your Site• Choose a site template that works for you. The Beagle option is for

shelters that concentrate mostly on adoptions. The Shih Tzu template is catered for shelters focused on news.

Adoption-first template News-first

template

Step 3: Upload Your Images

Upload your shelter logo here

Color-customize the

site in your shelter color

palette

• If you have logos / photos you want on the home page of the site, it is easy to upload them.

Step 4: Verify E-mail Address• You’re basically done – all that’s left to do is check your e-mail to verify your address

• Time to get started!

Extra Features That Are Easy to Use

• Easy to integrate social media, i.e. Casa Del Toro’s twitter feed• It can always change!• Google analytics• Designed with your needs in mind

- Miscellaneous page- Monetary donations- Mailing lists- Pet adoption grids- Custom wish lists

The Power Of Social MediaEnd Of Part 1:

MyShelterSite.comPart 2: Social Media Tutorial

Social Media Landscape!

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Making It Relevant

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• The right mix of social media tools can make the biggest impact for your shelter – help you connect and meet your goals!

- Facebook

- Twitter

- Google Alerts

Facebook• Key stats:

– It’s hugely popular – 400 MILLION users worldwide– Has multiple touch points – through individual profile pages, fan pages

(“Like”) and Groups

• Why Facebook:– It is a great social networking device. By creating a shelter profile, you

can inform interested parties of your latest news and events, etc. – If you want to spread the word about something coming up (event, new

animals available for adoption), post it on Facebook so people can re-post and further get the word out to their constituents too!

• Completing your Fan Page profile

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Twitter

• Key stats:– Popular micro blogging tool – 105 million

accounts worldwide

– Say it for less: all Tweets in 140 characters (120, actually)

• Why Twitter:– Effective method to get your message out

and build relationships with influential folk via social media

– Stay in the conversation! Hashtag Tweets to follow topics and gain new followers #shelterdogs

• Tweeting etiquette

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@Nutrish• @Nutrish talks about dogs

and pet news

• @Nutrish wants to hear from you!

• Follow us – we’ll follow back and give you a #WoofWednesday or a #FollowFriday shout out!

• While you’re at it…we recommend following @RealPawPawty and @BlogPaws too

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Google Alerts

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