‘Tis The Season To Be Jolly – But Not To Give Pets As Gifts

The holidays are upon us – time for spending time with family, baking and shopping for the perfect gift. Each year we seem to be on a mission to outdo what we’ve done in past years for our children. A common and mistakenly popular gift? Pets.

Why “mistakenly popular” you may ask? A pet – no matter what time of year you decide your family is ready for one – is a commitment of at least 10-15 years. It should not be an impulse decision or purchase. There are many factors to consider when adopting a pet. And yes, I said, adopt. We at Animal Rescue Superhighway stand firmly behind the idea of “don’t shop, adopt” and will never tell anyone to buy a puppy or kitten from a pet store or breeder.

On to why pets are a bad idea at Christmas time. Besides the obvious reason of choosing a pet that’s right for your family and lifestyle after researching what is available, the holidays are a very hectic time of year. With the constant cooking, baking, shopping, gift wrapping and parties, bringing a new animal into this chaos is not going to be good for any of you involved. If your home is like most at the holidays, you have a revolving front door as guests and well-wishers make their holiday rounds. This can be confusing to a new pet as they can become confused about who lives in the house and who doesn’t.

Still not convinced? Keep reading. A new puppy or kitten needs a calm environment in the beginning, particularly when leaving the chaos of a shelter. With the constant holiday traffic in and out of your home, it’s no wonder your new puppy will constantly be tinkling all over your home. Your pet needs to be secure in your home, with those who live in the home full time, before introducing them to a large group of strangers.

Strangers aside, there are still a few other things that can be dangerous for a new pet. Piles of crumpled wrapping paper and ribbons are prime “chew toys”, sweet treats that can be fatal and even alcohol all pose serious threats to your new puppy or kitten – and all things that need to be considered. What about your holiday travel plans – have you considered those? It’s a strain for a new pet to become accustomed to their surroundings in a “normal” state – it’s hardly fair to bring them to your new home for a day or two, only to further stress them by putting them in a boarding facility.

It’s understandable that you want to make a special memory for your family at the holidays – ’tis the season. But the last thing you want to do is cause your new pet to end up back in the shelter or worse. Don’t make an impulsive decision. If you and your family feel you are ready to take on the long-term responsibility of a pet, wait until after the holidays, when things are calmer and you, your family and your new pet can truly enjoy each other.

Using Social Media to Enhance Your Upcoming Event

In today’s technology-driven world, it may seem to be a no-brainer to use social media to enhance your next event; but it takes more than creating an event on Facebook and inviting guests. To truly use social media to make your event shine, you’ve got to have a way for your attendees to interact with each other – before, during and after the event, enhance their overall participation throughout the event and to have fun. There are many ways to use social media to spark an interest and add spice to your event – let’s take a look at a few of the most popular here.

Facebook

This is the most obvious, most popular and perhaps the easiest and most understandable tool for many to use. If you’ve been using our advice from previous posts on Facebook, then you have already created a Facebook profile and a fan page and/or group for your nonprofit. Now it’s time to create an “Event” page to begin inviting attendees. The Event page is a centralized location to schedule your event, invite attendees, track those who have confirmed attendance, those who have yet to respond to your invitation and those who have declined the invitation. The page also allows your attendees to communicate with each other to discuss event logistics like speakers and their topics or if overnight travel is necessary, perhaps to share expenses with hotels and cabs to and from the airport. Those who are attending your event can also share your Event page with others to help increase awareness and possibly attendance.

Success Tip for Facebook: When creating your Event page on Facebook, be sure to include ALL necessary information: date and time of event, venue location, address and phone number, who to contact for further information on your event and any other information that attendees will need: conference speakers, topics, etc.

Twitter

Twitter is another effective tool for upcoming events, though it will be used in a different manner than other social media tools.

A few weeks before your event, you’ll want to create what’s called a “hashtag” for your event. A hashtag is a key word specific to your organization or event preceded by the “number sign” or a “hash mark” – for example, our basic Twitter hashtag is #animalrescuesuperhighway. Event coordinators should adopt a hashtag well before the event so that there is uniformity when seeing it splashed across Twitter. Make sure you post the hashtag everywhere so that your attendees who Tweet can begin using it before and during the event. If you want to see how the hashtag is performing, you can use a free service like Tweetdeck to monitor any mentions of the hashtag.

Success Tip for Twitter: If you have the capability, scroll tweets using your event’s hashtag in the hallway or centralized place for your attendees to see what others are tweeting. You can also use Twitter (and your hashtag, of course) to schedule “Tweetups” – meetings with event attendees at a dinner or for drinks to help put faces with names.

YouTube

Yes, even YouTube can help create a buzz for your event. This particular tool will take a little more effort on your part, but worth it in order to spark an interest and increase attendance.

If you are holding a conference that will feature speakers about a particular topic, you can create short videos about the speakers and upload them onto your own YouTube page. Once you’ve done this, be sure to embed your video into your Facebook page, tweet about it (don’t forget to use your hashtag!) and email to your mailing list of attendees. By giving them a teaser of what’s to come, you’ll surely create a buzz.

Success Tip for YouTube: Is the event your planning a yearly thing? Did you have a similar event last year? Use pictures and videos of the last event and post them on to your YouTube channel to create excitement for your current event.

Blogs

Before, during and after your event – blog, blog, blog! By blogging about the information that will be conveyed at your event, you will help encourage those who are on the fence about attending to register and those who are already confirmed will share their excitement with others. Blogging during the event will help to create a buzz for those who couldn’t attend (and encourage them to attend the next event) but also those who are there and will also provide a recap of the day’s events.

Success Tip for Blogging: Be sure to include all of the other social media outlets you are using to promote your event here. Include links to your Facebook Event page link, the Twitter hashtag and the link to your YouTube page. All work hand-in-hand with your blog and other social media tools to help promote your event and make it a huge success.

Are you using social media to promote your event? Tell us about it! Please leave your comments below and help us help others find out what works and what doesn’t.

Are Vet Costs Contributing to the Increase of Owner Surrenders?

Just like your family doctor, your veterinarian is an important part of your family. Even healthy dogs have to see the vet for vaccines, yearly checkups and overall routine treatments. But are you being overcharged for your vet’s services?

Our animals, just like us, have health issues; whether these  appear as a puppy or are the diseases that come along with aging like heart failure, diabetes and cancer, they aren’t any different from us in that respect. But just as we complain about the high cost of our own medical treatments, some believe that the cost for caring for our animals is too high, and as a result, contributing to the increase in owner surrenders.

One pet owner recently expressed her frustration with the veterinarians who only consider the financial aspect of veterinary medicine and the charges implemented by her small animal vet, “Although I totally agree with responsible pet ownership, small animal vets make it impossible for people to “do the right thing.” Thank God we can afford the high vet bills for our small animals but I think to myself, “How in the world can the average family afford to take care of their animals veterinary care?”

Most pet owners know when they agree to take on the responsibility of a pet that it will include medical costs, just as bringing a baby into the family does. But for those who haven’t done their homework before adopting a pet, read on as we outline some ways to help make veterinary costs a little more bearable.

PLEASE NOTE: These tips are suggestions only and not meant to take the place of vet care – particularly in an emergency. The information below is intended for healthy animals;, if your pet shows signs of illness, serious or otherwise, or if you are unsure of or uncomfortable with any of the suggestions we have outlined here, talk to your vet immediately.

Vaccines

Veterinarians have told us for years that our dogs need a yearly booster vaccine. A little known fact, and one that some veterinarians aren’t likely to share you with you without a little prompting is that we have been, in fact, over-vaccinating our pets. Once your dog reaches the “adult” stage of life, the yearly vaccine boosters are actually bad for the dog’s immune system and their overall health.

Now before you set your keyboard on fire typing out a comment to this…stop. I’m not saying vaccines aren’t necessary – they are. I’m simply trying to outline ways for you to save a little money and still be a responsible pet owner.

Healthy puppies need the boosters because their immune systems aren’t healthy enough to fend off illness. As such, you should avoid taking your puppy to public places, like dog parks and even the groomer, until they have had three boosters; otherwise you are opening up yourself and your puppy up to contracting the deadly Parvo virus.

Saving money on these important boosters is easy. Buy the boosters online or check with your local feed store. IMPORTANT: If you find them at your local feed store, remember that the boosters need to be constantly refrigerated so bring a small sandwich cooler with some ice for your trip home. Also remember – the vaccines are NOT to be shaken before injected! This causes the medication to break down, thus rendering the vaccine useless.

Veterinarians charge you for the office visit AND mark up the cost of these boosters in order for them to  make money on their services. By the time your puppy is twelve weeks old, he/she will need three boosters and de-worming shots. By buying and administering the shots yourself, you can enjoy a savings of up to $200.

Diagnostic Tests

 Another area veterinarians tend to either overcharge or perform services that may not necessarily be in your pet’s best interest is diagnostic testing.

While certain diagnostic tests are necessary in assisting with diagnosis, as a pet owner, you are entitled to know what tests are being administered and whether or not they are necessary. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Ask if the test is necessary. Ask what the test will determine.  Ask if there is another option to the testing.

Become an Empowered Pet Owner

When you bring a four-legged member into your family, it is your duty to be a responsible pet owner. When it comes to their health, it your responsibility to become an EMPOWERED pet owner. It is your right to ask questions and if necessary, ask for a second opinion. When, and only when, you have all of the facts at your fingertips can you make the right choice for, and act in, the best interest of your pet.

If you are interested in receiving a FREE report on how to avoid being taken advantage of at your veterinarian’s office, please contact us.

Is The Poor Economy Even Affecting Pet Owners?

As the economy continues to take its time to turn around, more and more pet owners are forced to choose between caring for their families and caring for their pets. Animal shelters, veterinarians and other pet experts are seeing a growing trend of what some are calling the “economic euthanasia” of pets, as many are opting to have their family pets put to sleep because they are unable to financially care for them anymore.

Because of the current economic conditions, pet owners are being forced to make difficult and even painful choices where their pets are concerned; choices that include anything from giving their pet away to friends or family, surrendering their pet to a local animal shelter or having their pets euthanized.

Vets See Economic Euthanasia On The Rise

In vet hospitals, particularly those who offer emergency services, there is a steady rise in pets being brought in who need to be euthanized because of extensive injury or terminal illness. While this may not be an alarming fact, what IS disturbing is the number of animals being euthanized because owners are no longer able to care for them.

The Flip Side of Economic Euthanasia

Still some pet owners are choosing another method of dealing with their pet’s injuries and illnesses, both common and terminal. Something even more bizarre than having the animal put down: they are choosing, instead, to take their pet home without having it treated at all.  And the reason for this behavior? Financial difficulties.  

Shelters and Humane Societies are Seeing More Owner Surrenders

Heritage Humane Society in Williamsburg, Virginia, for example,  is just one of the many groups seeing a vast increase in owner surrenders. Just one day in November saw thirteen owner surrenders versus fourteen in the entire month of January. Still need further proof of this ever-increasing situation? The HHS manages to adopt between 80 and 90 animals per month – but has an intake of an average of 115. I’m no math wizard but this adds up to a huge problem that must be solved quickly.

What Can Be Done?

Plenty! These animals don’t need to be separated from their families and they certainly don’t need to be euthanized because of a family’s financial situation. More needs to be done to stress responsible pet ownership. More needs to be done to stress the importance of spaying and neutering pets. Local animal shelters, humane societies and other animal welfare agencies need to do more to offer resources for families who are truly in need.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to be a responsible pet owner. If your family is already suffering from the current economic downturn, don’t add to the stress by bringing a four-legged mouth to feed into your home and hope you can rely on others to help you keep it. This is a recipe for disaster and the animal will end up in a local shelter or worse. Choose your pets wisely. If there is a chance you are going to move to a place that doesn’t welcome pets, begin working with your local humane society to have your pet re-homed.

The point I am trying to make here is this: you HAVE options. Your pet didn’t ask to be put into this situation and he or she shouldn’t have to suffer from consequences of which they have no control.

My Dog Needs More Fiber – But How?

While adding fiber to your dog’s diet isn’t necessarily a requirement, doing so can introduce a host of health benefits which include a reduced chance your pet will become obese, improved colon health and the prevention of constipation and even diabetes.

You may be thinking “I’m not changing my dog’s food or diet, it’s hard on their system.” Relax – you won’t need to. Adding fiber to your dog’s diet isn’t as difficult as it sounds and can be done by adding foods you have right in your kitchen like brown rice, canned pumpkin and fresh fruit and vegetables, making the whole experience quite pleasant for your pooch.

Foods to Help Increase Fiber Intake

One of the easiest ways to increase your dog’s fiber content is with brown rice. It’s true, white rice can provide fiber, but brown rice has roughly three times more fiber content. Because of this increased content, however, you want to add this to your dog’s diet gradually. Brown rice is considered a “neutral” food and is easily digested by most dogs. It can be given alone or mixed with raw or cooked ground beef. A reminder, carbohydrates should only make up 10-30% of your dog’s diet.

Another good source of fiber for your dog’s diet is canned pumpkin. Take note – we said canned pumpkin – NOT pumpkin pie filling. Plain canned pumpkin can be added (1 Tablespoon’s worth) to your dog’s food each day; canned pumpkin pie filling contains sugars and spices, like nutmeg, which can be fatal to your dog.

Moving on, fresh vegetables are yet another great source of fiber. Adding these to your dog’s diet may take a little extra work as you determine which ones are your dog’s favorite and which he could do without. Fresh vegetables are the ideal choice here, but canned vegetables will also do the trick as long as the sodium content is low. A tip, most dogs like peas, carrots and green beans; for smaller breeds, simply puree 1/8 to 1/4 cup and add to his food at feeding time. Your larger dog probably can most likely tolerate the larger chunks so you won’t need the added step of pureeing.

One last good source of fiber for your dog is apples. Apples are a great snack for you and your canine companion – so if you’re feeling hungry, split an apple with him. Not all fruits add fiber and not all are good for your dog. Bananas and apples are good, for example, but just seven grapes can be fatal. A tip: apples are also a great way to help keep those canine chompers clean!

As you can see from this post, adding fiber to your dog’s diet isn’t a stretch. Keep in mind that adding fiber is a good thing, but adding TOO much can cause problems, such as diarrhea which can in turn lead to dehydration.  As you increase your dog’s fiber intake, keep an eye on his bowel movements – if they become too soft or runny, decrease the fiber-rich foods by half until things are back to normal.

Does This Leash Make Me Look Fat?

You may think that the few extra pounds Fido or Fluffy are carrying around isn’t a problem, but depending just how many extra pounds we’re talking about, your pet could be considered overweight. Affecting 25% to 40% of the pet population, obesity is the number one nutritionally-related health condition plaguing dogs today.

Most pet owners don’t realize their four-legged companions are packing on the pounds until they are at the vet’s office for another reason. A steady diet of overeating and under-exercising begin to take its toll over time and the next thing you know your pet is unable to breathe and walk properly and experience a lower tolerance for activity and heat.

How Will I Know?

If it looks like your pet may be gaining a few extra pounds, of course you can decrease his caloric intake and increase his exercise, but it should be the vet’s final word that determines whether or not your fur baby is considered “obese.”

Your vet can conduct a series of tests to determine your pet’s obesity. These tests can include measurements of body weight and body condition or blood work and urinalysis to determine if there are medical conditions contributing to the weight gain. If there are other conditions found, this may lead other tests to determine the problem before setting your pet on a weight loss program. Other tests include your pet’s daily diet: type of food, how much, snacks and treats and of course, exercise.

My Pet Is Overweight, Now What?

There are many pet foods out there that can help you begin your pet on a weight loss program, but changing their food isn’t the only step. As with humans, burning more calories than you take in each day will cause you to lose weight. You can also increase your pet’s fiber and water intake.

Who Cares If My Pet is Fat?

It may seem harmless for your dog or cat to be “not fat but fluffy,” but there are many reasons that obesity can be dangerous for your pet. In dogs, for example, carry around extra weight can lead to arthritis and back problems – particularly in breeds that are already prone to these problems. And just like in their human owners, extra weight can lead to an abnormal glucose tolerance level that can result in diabetes.For your feline friends, they are also likely to develop arthritis, back problems and glucose issues, they also are prone to fatty liver disease, skin disorders and feline lower urinary tract disease. In both animals, extra pounds can mean shorter life span.

It is my hope that by reading this brief post, you will begin to analyze your pet’s diet and weight and work with your veterinarian to determine if your pet is obese. If she is, take the necessary steps to begin a weight loss program. If she’s not, continue what you’re doing and your pet can expect your pet to live a long, healthy and happy life.

Are Your Children Ready To Help the Strays of Straytown?

For those of you who read this blog regularly, you know our main “diet” of posts is geared toward helping to educate our readers on animal rescue and helping nonprofits to extend their reach into their community. We don’t normally do “product reviews.” Well, this post is a little different. I want to take just a few minutes of your time and introduce you to a product that I stumbled upon while putting together our children’s humane education program: Koala’s Kids Klub.

There are many unique humane education programs circulating the animal rescue community. However, there is one that stands out and that is the Fur-Ever Home, The Animal Rescue Game. Yes, that’s right, we’re talking about a board game. Children love to play, and when you combine playing with learning valuable information, you’ve created the perfect environment for teaching children to truly make a difference.

Fur-Ever Home, The Animal Rescue Game is produced by Petsapalooza and offers a unique look into the animal rescue world. Children eight and up can play with three of their friends to help Spaghetti, Meatball and their friends of Straytown who are lost. Children will learn how a rescue operates – from the intake of animals to the struggles of keeping the lights on to what to do when the shelter is full.

If you are looking for a way to connect with your children and teach them about an important aspect of animal rescue, this game is for you. Combine teaching a love and understanding of animals to your children with quality family time and it’s a win-win situation for all.

Volunteers Vs. Burnout – How To Win The Battle

It is no secret that the lifeblood of any successful nonprofit organization is its core of volunteers. Because of the necessity of these volunteers, it’s important to avoid the dreaded “burnout” that so many experience.

What Is Volunteer Burnout?

The main difference between your full-time  job and your charitable responsibilities is the pay. Just as you become “burned out” from the 9-5 rate race, you can also suffer from volunteer burnout. This is a serious problem for both the volunteer and the organization and one not to be taken lightly.

Animal rescue nonprofits are no different than any other volunteer-based organization; there is always a core group of wonderful people who seem to do the lion’s share of the work. While this is great for the nonprofit, it’s not so great for the morale of the ones doing the work.

What defines volunteer burnout? The same thing that defines work burnout: volunteers become tired, disengaged, frustrated and at  wit’s end. They’ve lost enthusiasm for the cause, they don’t find the work  as fulfilling as it once was and will look for any excuse not to participate.

As the volunteer coordinator of your organization, it’s your job to identify this problem immediately and head it off at the pass. But how, you ask? There are several warning signs that your volunteers are becoming dissatisfied: constant crankiness, overreaction to the smallest issues, not completing assignments or just not showing up at all. Identifying the problem early and, more importantly, addressing it, can mean the difference between maintaining the productivity of your volunteers or losing them all together.

What Causes Volunteer Burnout and How Do I Prevent It?

As an organization that depends on volunteers, it’s important for you to understand what causes volunteer burnout before you can work to prevent it. Good volunteers are difficult to come by and you don’t want to lose those you have to something that could have been avoided in the first place. There are several reasons volunteers burnout:

1. The organization’s goals are unclear and there seems to be no defined direction.
2. There is too much work to be done and not enough to do it. People are afraid to say no out of fear that the work won’t otherwise get done.
3. Few rewards or recognition for a job well-done. 
4. All  work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Not enough downtime is a direct route to burnout.

Provide job descriptions with time committments for each of your volunteers. This will allow them to choose the jobs that will fit in with their other time committments.

Thank your volunteers regularly by pointing out their contributions. It’s also good practive to set up milestones and send out thank you cards, flowers or having a lunch for your volunteers who reach a certain number of hours served, for example.

Encourage your volunteers to take time off. It may mean taking on a bit more of the work load yourself for a little while, but it beats losing your volunteers permanently.

Be respectful of your volunteers’ commitments to their family, jobs and other priorities.

Have an open-door policy so that your volunteers feel comfortable in talking with you about concerns they have. Open and regular communication is key.

Volunteers are the key to your long-term success. Taking care of their needs and recognizing their contributions will keep them happy and more likely to stick around. Without them, the impact your organization COULD make will be much smaller.

For more information on volunteers and how they can contribute to your organization, please subscribe to our blog and visit the Volunteer Resources section on website.

Animal Awareness: Teaching Tomorrow’s Community Today

Some mistakenly believe that Humane Education is only for those in the animal rescue community and, more specifically, for adults only. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

While different methods of teaching need to be used, there is no limit for how young a child can be teach them how to be kind to animals and how to be a responsible pet owner. Some children are very young when they have their first pet – albeit a goldfish or a hamster – but it’s still a pet, nonetheless. How many times after their pet goldfish has died, have we heard a child say “Oh, I guess I forgot to feed it.”

Some of you reading this may be thinking, “How does a child know not to be kind to animals?” Sadly, many children who ARE unkind to animals, have learned by watching an adult. They may see it on television, at their friends’ homes or even in their own homes. Teasing animals, or disregarding the animal’s feelings in some other manner can often times lead to animal cruelty.

One woman has come up with a fun and unique way to teach children as young as eight years old about being kind to animals. Carianne Burnley, of Ohio, used her marketing and business savvy and combined it with her animal rescue experience to come up with a unique game: Fur-Ever Home, The Animal Rescue Game. The game play is simple and revolves around rescue groups and shelters workign together to help the stray animals of the fictional “Straytown.” The game provides a way to teach children about animal rescue AND a portion of the game price goes right back to the animal community.

This game is but one way of many to teach children the importance of treating animals kindly:

• Teach by example. The mind of a child is very much like a sponge – they absorb everything around them.  One of the best ways to teach a child to be kind, is for you, yourself, to be kind. Be kind to your animals. When they are old enough, take them to your local animal shelter and let them help walk some of the smaller dogs.
• Volunteer to work with children in their classroom or other group setting to teach them how to be kind. You may be able to partner with your local animal shelter and bring a few of the animals into the classroom.

Violence breeds violence. Those who start out by abusing animals, go on to abuse children and their spouses and some have even gone on to murder. You don’t have to be a “teacher” to instill values into children, you simply have to have compassion and knowledge to show them the right way. The lessons they learn from you can last a lifetime.

If you would like more information on how to work with children in your area or how to form a youth group in your area. Please contact us today!

The Facebook -NonProfit Link – A Surge in Effectiveness

In a previous post, we encouraged you and your nonprofit to get onboard the Facebook bandwagon. Here, we’re going to delve into that topic a little further and show you just how useful this social media tool can be.

Facebook is one of the top five sites on the Internet when it comes to being regularly used, so doesn’t it make sense that you’d want your nonprofit to get in on that action? Of course it does. But it takes more than creating a profile, a fan page or a group. When used correctly, Facebook can be a magnificent tool. Used incorrectly, and the whole thing can blow up in your face.

What is Facebook Anyway?

If you truly are a social media newbie and don’t have a firm grasp on what Facebook is or what it can do, read on.

Facebook is an Internet, or social networking, site that allows users with common interests to share information and photos with each other. Many nonprofit organizations are already using Facebook successfully. If you’re not, you will be soon. Simply follow the step-by-step guide below and you’ll be up an running on Facebook in just a few minutes. Keep in mind that this is not an all-inclusive, exhaustive list, but rather a brief overview. If you would like a more in-depth course  in Facebook for Nonprofits, I invite you to visit our Animal Rescue University and see our Course List.

Step-By-Step to Getting Started

The first thing you will need is your own Facebook account. You can get one here. Here’s what you’ll see:

You’ll need to add some basic information: your first and last name, email address, birthday and gender and then you’re in!  Once you’re in, you can wander around your new profile. add a picture and complete your biography. All of these steps should be completed if you are planning to use this as your nonprofit’s online presence.

After you’ve created your profile and entered the site, you’ll want to start looking for friends: people you already know and people who have similar interests as you. Here is what the search screen will look like:

Ok, now you’ve got your friends and your newsfeed is filling up. Wait – what’s a newsfeed? The newsfeed is your main Facebook page. This is where your friends will update their statuses, share pictures and links. Your newsfeed will look like this:

So, you’ve got your account, your friends and your newsfeed. What next? The newsfeed is a great place for you to post information about your nonprofit. But what if all of your friends aren’t interested in your cause? No problem. You can simply create a “group” for your organization and invite those who ARE interested.

Creating a group is simple. From your newsfeed page, look to your left to find the “Create A Group.” Here’s what you’ll see:

The small window is where you will enter the name of your group, type the names of those you want to invite and decide if you want your group to be private or public.

Does your organization have an upcoming event? You can promote it on Facebook. From your main newsfeed page, look on the left, just above where you selected “Create a Group” and click on the “Events” link. When you reach the next page, you’ll want to click on the “Create an Event” button on the top right of the page. Here is what you’ll see:

Once at this page, you’ll be able to add all of the details of your event: the date, time, location, who’s invited and even add a photo of a flyer or the venue.

The last thing I should cover is how to maintain some semblance of privacy. The Internet is a wonderful tool, but it is also a place for the unscrupulous. Facebook has privacy setting in place that you can control. To locate your Privacy Settings from your newsfeed, go to the upper, far right corner of the page and click on “Account.” From the dropdown window, select “Privacy Settings.”  Here is what you’ll see:

Once you’re here, you can select who can see what. From here, you can allow everyone to see everything or you can choose to “block” individuals from seeing anything you post. These settings are completely customizable and can be changed whenever necessary.

The last thing I want to touch on before I send you off to Facebook land is this. Facebook is a wonderful tool when used properly. However, if used improperly it can cause more problems than you or your organization may be prepared to deal with. Be leery of new people you associate with in the beginning. Chances are they are fine, but until you know for sure what kind of person they are and what they are involved in, be careful. Furthermore, the more people you become involved with who aren’t directly involved with your organization, the more likely you can be pulled into unnecessary “drama.” Avoid THIS at all costs. Not only does become a time waster, it can lower your credibility.

As we mentioned earlier, if you are interested in learning more about Facebook and your nonprofit organization, or social media in general, please subscribe to our blog, or visit our Animal Rescue University.