HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

I know its not even Christmas yet, but the New Year is not far behind.  The hearts of many turn to creating a clean slate, or trying something new.  The impossible resolutions of the past often make way for the practical.  Volunteering for a good cause is sometimes one of them.  What prohibits people is often the time or money commitment involved.  In the past, I have presented general lists of ways someone can pitch in.  However, this year, I am looking to hear from grass roots causes and charities themselves on how people can assist them even if they only have a short amount of time to give.

Volunteer opportunities that are a one time gig, or require a time commitment of less than 2 hours per week are being sought.  Also, if the volunteer need not handle currency, that would be a plus. Opportunities that require even less are highly welcome to receive the most amount of volunteer interest possible.  Please submit your specific calls for volunteers, with the guidelines in mind.  The volunteer opportunity must be able to be filled by someone that fits this profile:

• The volunteer need not have a specific degree or certification.
• The volunteer does not need to own special equipment (i.e., sensor equipment, a dump truck)
• Gender of the volunteer does not matter.
• Age of the volunteer is 16 or over.  Upward age does not matter.
• Volunteer opportunity can be fulfilled as a one time gig, or in a time allotment of less than 2 hours per week.

There will be two categories: Live opportunities, where a volunteer needs to appear in person at a site, or needs to be in close proximity.  The second category is for virtual opportunities.  The volunteer CAN be in close proximity or further away, but the opportunity does not call for meeting regularly in person to fulfill their duties.

Please submit opportunities with the following information:

Name of organization or cause
Type of cause (if not obvious from the name. What are you all about?)
Physical location (city or locality)
Decription of opportunity
Time commitment
Dates of opportunity if applicable
If the opportunity is an ongoing need or at the volunteer’s convenience, indicate it.

Send the following information to: volunteers  at gmail.com.  The list will be published at the discretion of houndsgood.com.  Some opportunities may not be published due to space, complexity of the opportunity, or if the cause conflicts with the mission of Houndsgood.com.

Deadline for submiission  but will be rolling, but it would be super nice if you could submit by january 23rd.

From time to time, I receive notices called “DNA” notices.  They mean “Do Not Adopt.”  Conversely, “DNR” means “Do Not Rescue.”  It is to alert other rescues to deny an adoption to someone, or for a shelter to not let a rescue pull from their available dogs and cats.  It may be helpful in some cases to alert individuals who may not be aware of legislation against the individual for animal abuse.  However, take great care in making the decision to send someone’s name out on a list.  Before you consider alerting your friends, please consider the following:

1) Rarity of name.  If the person you are referring to is a John Smith, a Mary Baker, or another name that is common, your alert may prevent a perfectly innocent person from being able to adopt a dog or cat. People usually don’t walk around with

2) Personality conflict.  Is your decision based on fact, or is it because you just didn’t gel with them?  Sometimes people are quick to judge someone who appears very shy or abrupt.  There are people that treat their animals like queens and kings, but are not “people” people.  Observe them with the actual animals.  

3) They want the perfect dog.  Recently, I think I put my foot in my mouth.  A rescue on a list I am a part of alerted everyone to a potential adopter who wanted “the perfect dog,” one that is crate trained, housebroken, but is a puppy or a year old.  They implied to “watch out for this person.”  Well, we were all pretty ignorant until we learned.  People that had a dog growing up but never raised one from puppyhood may remember their dog as being fully housebroken.  In fact, their parents probably trained the dog before the individual was aware of it, or cleaned up accidents, not them.  There is no reason to flag the person for wanting “the perfect dog,” they just need to be educated that yes, there are housebroken dogs out there, but occasionally, if the dog is sick or not let out often enough, they will have an accident.  Steer them towards a dog that is well trained but lost their family rather than a newborn, or a dog that lived life as stray and is learning the ropes. I remember some promotional pens a law practice gave out that read “Practice makes perfect.” My dogs have made sure I have had lots of practice, but there was a time when “I didn’t know.” 

I am not saying that you have to adopt a dog out to them, but take a moment to educate them.  A short amount of time spent on education will save you from having to pick up a puppy they buy from the shelter later.   Also, what about recruiting them as a foster family for a decently trained dog?  They can get some real world experience for a short time, as long as they live in the rescue’s geographic area.

4) Are they unsuitable to have any pet whatsoever, or just for “your breed.”  There are many people out there that would be a less than suitable home for an older chihuahua, but would be a dream come true for an active young retriever, and vice versa.  Before spreading someone’s name around, think about that.

5) Fenced in yards.  Some rescues will not adopt out to someone without a fenced in yard.  No reason to blacklist this person to other rescues.  There are plenty of rescues who will adopt a dog out to someone without a fence.  A four pound Yorkie gets the exercise it needs, even in a house.  And a laid back older dog may be content with walks with their best friend. 

6) Other rescuers were not born yesterday. If the person’s application appears that they are blatantly unsuited for pet ownership, other rescues are going to pick that up right away too in their vetting process.    They don’t have time to go through big lists.  Keep your “DNA” alerts on REAL threats, such as someone who has been convicted of animal cruelty in your area and may be reaching outside of your area to adopt rather than about someone you didn’t hit it off with.

There are way too many dogs in shelters dying every day.  If someone can financially provide for a dog or cat, and has the love to give, we need to be careful about not turning them off to the idea of rescue entirely just because they don’t pass our muster.   They may not be suited for every pet, but with a little knowledge, they would be a good match for some dog or cat out there who wishes to live.

I fostered a dog once that was like oil and water with my dogs.  They couldn’t be just left to roam around with each other in the house.  The foster wasn’t aggressive.  She was just a big, friendly, overgrown pup who didn’t know her own strength or size. A tiny dog and a senior dog just were having none of it.  She went for walks with me because I didn’t have a fenced in yard.  She spent several hours at a time crated in the kitchen as I had to juggle dogs away from each other.  It wasn’t ideal. A wise person in rescue told me that it might not be “the perfect situation” for her - I didn’t have a huge fenced in yard,etc , but she was alive, fed, exercised and loved.   She ended up getting a great home.

Many animal charities have pet food, old towels, and a variety of other things on their wish lists. Those are easy for the general public to procure. What about vaccinations and other supplies or incidentals?

A great idea is to give a few lower denomination prepaid credit cards. This way, an organization can place them in the hands of volunteers for their gas money if the organizations transports pets from shelters to safety. They can also use it to send someone out to get supplies in a pinch. Of course, there are many times when people simply volunteer their time and resources, but sometimes people have time but no resources. With a prepaid credit card, they can put gas in the tank of a volunteer vehicle, or perhaps the organization’s donated van or Spaymobile. This makes it easier for volunteers knowing that they won’t have to be responsible for gassing up a group’s van, especially if they have the time to volunteer because they are unemployed.

The organization will also be able to make purchases online and over the phone. There are some wholesale companies that they may want to get supplies from, but cannot because the organization doesn’t have a credit card, so they end up paying more for things.

Of course, you can also get prepaid debit cards to help you budget. There is no danger of overdraft that way. When you are done you are done. For small organizations and loose bands of volunteers, they provide less red tape. They can simply be handed the card, and just keep track of their receipts versus chasing someone down for a check. It is especially hard if the check writer is a volunteer themselves and are working their “day job” at the moment one needs the cash. Another thing is that it helps a group hold onto the purse strings. It may be tempting to give more volunteers access to the cash, but prepaid cards insure that if someone proves unreliable, they cannot walk away with sensitive information, or very much.

If you are looking for a new idea, and the group you wish to donate to does a lot of pick ups, a prepaid debit in low denominations may be the perfect idea. Of course, a higher denomination is a great auction donation, but they will also do in a pinch for the day to day affairs.

I was looking for more ideas for auction items for a few upcoming charity auctions, both silent and live. I have been to a few where there were gift baskets, but they didn’t generate a lot of interest. I think it was because they were filled with items that were basically advertising specialtiessuch as mugs and mousepads with the logo of the business that donated them, or the items were very unrelated. The ones that were the bigger hit were those that featured liquor, or were nice enough for the winner to give as a gift to someone.

I found some inspiration over at Giftwish. The baskets feature a very tight theme, and the contents of some of them are quite luxurious.  What I never thought of before was making up or buying a gift basket that wasn’t actually a basket at all.  It could be a platter or a suitcase as well, like the one at left.   The site has other possibilities, too.  You can construct your own gift basket from the ground up, or you may buy all the different items individually. If you have ever received a gift basket, and then wish you had gotten more of a particular item, there is your chance.

Surely, there are items that you can pick up at your local better grocery store, but there are truly some things that the recipient might not normally try.  There are artisan cheeses, for example, that are very afforable.  The selection greatly expands on what might be available at the local store.  Also, sometimes folks are hesitant to commit to buying a large portion if they don’t like it, or don’t know what to try.  There are assortments that will make the process easier.  Of course, you can also buy one at a time.  How about putting a certificate up at the charity auction and then the donor buys three cheeses of the winner’s choosing?  That sounds like a gourmet would bid it up.

There have been some gift certificates given for a few charity auctions I have helped organize that entitled the winner to receive a massage. Sometimes, the gift certificate is given by the spa, but many other times, it is given by a very happy client of a massage therapist. They purchase the certificate and donate it themselves.  The results are usually overwhelmingly good as far as bids go.  They are typically the most popular item in the auction if started at a reasonable price.

They are easy to obtain from a therapist or spa, but if you are looking for something more instantaneous, The Tiffani Kim Institute has gift certificates available on their website. The lucky recipient has their choice of a variety of chicago spa packages

You choose the amount for as little as $25.00 or as much as $1000.00.  Then, you choose a design for the occasion, such as the examples at left.  There are popular selections and recommendations for special occasions.  After you choose a pretty picture, you can write your message.  The gift certificate, complete with bar code can be printed, or emailed to the recipient.

I know people occasionally misplace things in the excitement of an auction.  I have definitely seen it happen. You could make a nice card to place on the auction table, and then when a winner is determined, go home and purchase the gift certificate online.  Then, it will be conveniently emailed.  If they have a printing snafu or lose that one, they can always print it out again.  How convenient.  It also helps the charity, as volunteers won’t have to watch the coveted gift certificate with eagle eyes during the hustle and bustle of the event.   In addition, sometimes the massage certificate generates so much interest that people get bid happy and bid up other items too, or draws more people to the auction.   That works for you, doesn’t it?

When an organization moves, it is easy to change an address at the post office and not miss a letter. In the following six months, your supporters will have time to change their address books. Small organizations sometimes have a unique problem. The mail may go to the home of one of the founders, or is received at a personal post office box. When the person leaves and someone new fills their shoes, it often takes more work to switch the mail. The founder still exists at that address. Certain correspondence should no longer be directed to them.This is why address labels are so important. Return address labels can be purchased with not merely just the name and address, but perhaps “NEW ADDRESS.” People take notice. A standard address label as room for a name and three additional address lines. It gives you plenty of room to get the message across.

Right now, 123Print.com has them available for .02 or less a piece if you buy a roll of 500.  It certainly is worth the price to have all of your supporters follow you to your new place or mailing address.

I was thinking about a conglomeration of things over the past few days.  One thing is that the older distinguished gentleman in my life, Alex the weenie dog, is 10 1/2 years old.   October 31st is the anniversary of the day I met him as a 17 month old young man.  For some reason I remembered looking online at rescues and different things at that time on my old, slow computer.  Remember when people had Geocities and Angelfire sites?  You got a free site, but there was no guarantee that the site would stay up and running.  If yours was popular, it would crash until the cache was cleared at the host.  Of course, in some cases, visitors were treated to some amazingly beautiful (not) popups that crippled their computer.

Nowadays, website hosting has come way down, so there is little excuse to not be able to pay for a site if you are serious about telling people something, but I think there still is a market for the free site.  Not everyone wants a blog site, and besides, what is a ten year old to do when they want to show the whole internet their collection of Pokemon cards?  Whoops.  Pokemon cards are so out, but chalk that up to my trip down memory lane.  At that time they were the big thing. I found out that there is still a place where you can build a free website at Hpages.com.

While I recommend that for registered rescue organizations and nonprofits that you get your domain, these would make great secondary pages. Also, I think that when you are starting out and just want a place to post your photos, etcetera, it is a good place to try out your ideas.  Some may say the format of a static free website is obsolete with all of the blogging platforms that are out there.  On the contrary, I think that blogging only works if your site is not going to be static.  Nothing is worse than when your blog hasn’t been updated in months.  People stop visiting.  A static site, however, may be what you need for your family pictures or neighborhood grassroots effort that does more in person than it does on the web.

There are actually few nice features that you can use that makes the old free sites a real far cry.  There is a feature where you can disable right clicking on your site.  This way, no one can copy your photos onto their hard drive.   You may think that it is no big deal, but if you have a personal page with photos of your family, it is a good move.  When you get a site, the domain name will have .hpages.com attached to it.   While it may not be a good idea for a business, it is perfect for a personal site.  Someone can’t randomly type in domain names and find your page if it is something you only want to share with a small group of people.  Of course, if people link to it, search engines will find it, but not if no one does. The other nice thing is that you do have access to stats. They may not be as detailed as a paid service, but they are definitely quite adequate for the needs of a smaller site. Of course, I don’t have any stats yet as I just registered to give it a whirl ten minutes ago.

There are a certain number of people who make up a charity’s base of donors who would pitch in no matter what.  However, there are others that a group must win over before they are going to spontaneously drop even a small amount in the donation jar.  The donation jar today is more likely to be a button on a website.  Many charities are using a service like Paypal for their online donations because they will never see the donors’ credit card information for security purposes.  This gives individuals extra confidence.  Not everybody likes to use Paypal, however.  Some individuals who are not on the computer as much rather just give a credit card number a more traditional way.  For charities, there are fees that could come off the top of the donation.

There is now a Secure Payment Agent, Shop Shield. You make purchases and pay bills online like you normally would, except the difference is that instead of giving out personal information, Shop Shield anonymizes your email address and the payment is processed without the places you shop having your actual credit card number. There is a Shop Shield companion that you can download for your web browser. Right now, it works with Firefox on both Mac and Windows.

Instead of the buyer and seller or donor and charity exchanging credits, Shop Shield creates a temporary credit card number for the transaction that expires when the transaction is complete.  This way, if the information is stolen at the company or charity, the card number will not be valid.  Also, it protects you from being looked up or tracked down.  The anonymous email that is generated for you prevents you from having to remember what username you created at each site, and also forwards any correspondence to your real email address.

This seems like a complicated process that might be costly.  On the contrary, most sites that accept major credit cards are eligible for you using Shop Shield with.  The buyer or user pays for the service, with prices ranging from free to use with checking accounts, to a small monthly or per transaction fee for major purchases.  This way, if you are selling items with the proceeds going to your organization, you do not have to deduct fees.

Awhile back, I saw some plaques, like the one at left, at a horse stable. They were emblazoned with the horse’s name on it.  Underneath, there was a hook mounted for a halter and lead.  I thought it lended a nice touch and made the stable look more high end.   Little did I know that some of these horses were rescue horses and when they went home, their plaque went with them to their new barn or stable.   I thought this was very nice, sort of sending a rescued dog home with a nice, brand new squeak toy and collar.

I looked around online and found out they are Whitehall Address Plaques.  In this case, of course, they were not used for addresses. They are a bit more than just getting stick on letters, of course, but they definitely hold up to the weather a lot better!  I found that they are running just under $50.00 each on sale.  How did a rescue afford this?  You may say that money is a drop in the bucket compared to what it costs to feed and care for a horse.  The horses had sponsors and there was actually an individually who purchased them and donated them when a new set of hooves came into the barn.

I looked at other Whitehall Address Plaques  that were different styles, but of the same quality and attractiveness online.  The horse stable really got me thinking. Some dog rescues that I know of have been lucky enough to have a small building that has been donated to them.  Sometimes they sell them to raise funds, but often they use them for a facility.  It usually comes with the territory that they need a little fixing up.   Occasionally, volunteers get together and bring it up to code, to make it workable.  However, many groups neglect the little details to make their buildings welcoming.

When you first open, there are many people who will look at handmade signs and decide that you might last six months.  When you take the time to make the front entry inviting, not so ironically, people tend to want to enter!  It doesn’t matter what the rest of the resue community thinks about the appearance, the people that matter are the folks that are going to come in adopt, support you, and spread the word in the community.  It is important to be respected by other groups for your care and methods, but they are not the ones who are going to be your donor base and provide the homes.

Of course, you don’t want to blow your whole budget on a plaque. However, there are many ways around this, just like seeking someone who might want to purchase them for you.  One might say it takes money away from the actual cause, but there are people who have special interests and their “thing” is to donate to decorate as they may be an interior designer themselves, or would be interested in purchasing items and then helping arrange them and put them in for something enjoyable to do.

By the way, as you probably have figured, the Whitehall Addess Plaque, at left, really isn’t just a quarter plaque.  They only make whole plaques.  I was just getting carried away with design software.  It is just like the kind of donor I talked about above.  They may not have buckets of money, or may never individually sponsor a pet in the program, but they will spend a lot of extra time on the skill they enjoy the most.

Here’s another cost saving idea for the charity or the individual that doesn’t have unlimited funds (imagine that!). Before you jump into a hosting contract, shop around for web hosting. Don’t just look at the bottom line as far as the actual price, as if you have to spend hours of down time either chasing after a live person in the customer service department, or hours of down time of your site, the expenses of an inexpensive host add up. If you have someone that is extremely committed to the organization, such as a founder, who has unlimited talented when it comes to servers and the internet, then your group is a rare species. You may be able to afford to get a bare bones service. However, what happens if that person leaves?

You want to look for the features offered. In other words, value over price should win out. Spending just slightly more and getting something that saves you time and volunteer hours is key. Watch out for the hidden add ons, though.

Although Webhostingchoice.com doesn’t have users chiming in about the various hosts, and offers an editorial review of top web hosting web hosting companies solely, there is some valuable information to be had. I never knew this before, but did you know that some hosts register your domain in their name instead of theirs, making it impossible for you ever to transfer? That could cost you a lot of money right there being locked in. Research before you jump, that is for sure.

Someone asked me the other day if they do rescue transports in the UK like they do in the United States. I wasn’t entirely sure, until I found some information on the German Shepherd Rescue - Scotland website:

Anyone willing to do some driving is always welcome. Often, if there is some distance to take a dog, we work where possible in relays, cutting down the amount of driving any one of us has to do by each taking the dog just a part of the route.

Apparently there are relayed transports just like there are here. I wonder if they bring dogs to a central location, where most of their fosters and key volunteers are, or are there areas in Scotland that are tougher for dogs that need rescue. It is hard to say, but I might just ask.

Relay transports are often run by volunteers. However, sometimes an organization receives a donation of a vehicle or finds that is time to purchase a van. This way, they always have reliable transportation and can rely on a volunteer or two for a longer distance versus a transport hinging on many. Of course, a free vehicle isn’t always free, as van insurance costs money. Perhaps your organization could do a fundraiser to cover it. Another idea is to approach donors, especially those that are key members of businesses to underwrite it. It is a tax write off for them in some cases, but it will also limit out of pocket spending for the organization. Donors can be assured that all of their money stretches farther.

Just go to Autonetinsurance.co.uk first before courting donors.  This way, you are aware of the exact amount you need, instead of asking for incrementally more.

Sometimes things are a bit “cart before the horse.” Instead of coming up with a business plan, small businesses and charities find out if the domain name is available or do a trademark name search first.  Of course, its smart to know if the name you thought of was already in use, but wouldnt you think that you would try to come up with a solid business plan to make your venture a success first?  Today, it is believed a catchy name is gold, but not if you don’t have the customer service and the planning to back it up.

Scrutinize your over all idea before jumping the gun. I have seen folks just give up on their whole idea if their name is taken, some even go as far as to want to sue or write letters to someone who may have already registered the domain.  I didn’t know how this worked, but I read up on TradeMarkCompany.Com:

To prevail in a domain name dispute, we must be able to establish that the other person:

• Registered a Domain Name that is
• Confusingly Similar to Your Existing Trademark, Business Name, or Brand and
• Did so in Bad Faith.

In other words, if the name you came up with is a combination of common words, it may be a case of “great minds think alike” rather than someone deliberate out to sabotage your business.  It is smart to register a domain or a trademark before you register the business, but if your name is taken already, don’t automatically assume it was taken with malice.  Malicious registration would be like someone registering the name of a well known business and trying to solicit them to purchase the domain.  If your business should already be well established, a trademark company can help.  However, remember, there can be a Joe’s Pizza in every town, so also use the benefit of the doubt.

If you have a charity website, you are often tempted to look for volunteer help and deep discounts to maintain fiscal responsibility. There are some things, however you have to pay for to make sure that there are no breaks in service. Web hosting is one of those things. It is great to get a website that is hosted free, or a local business provides you, but then no one is accountable should your site go down, or the person granting the service leave the company. You may have to start all over.

It is difficult sometimes to determine which is the best website hosting for you. There is an article resource at WebHostingRating.com that helps you sort it all out. Look in particular at the articles concerning the benefits and pitfalls of cheap webhosting services. I, for one, dissuade people from using free hosting services. The primary reason is because there is no guarantee that your site will always be up, as stated prior, or it will have the bandwidth to support your traffic. The other reason is something I have not thought about but is highlighted in an article. Sometimes “free” sites are breeding grounds for malware. Free hosts are trying to combat it by limited the number of accounts an individual can have, but it is difficult to police.

Also watch for hidden fees.   There are many charges, such as setup fees and upgrade fees, that you may have not factored in.  They may or may not be in the fine print.  You may think that you need no more than basic hosting, but the minimal package may not have enough bandwidth to host a basic website.  Email addresses are another way to incur additional charges.  You may only have one mailbox unless you pay extra. There may be no toll free number for support.  This may be okay if the host is local, but not if it is in a foreign country.

It might save you some headache researching a little bit first before venturing out with your own spot on the web.  Don’t always be seduced by the lowest initial price. Your time, or the time of your volunteers, is also money. There are bargains to be had, but look for value over the most rock bottom, especially if you cannot provide your own tech support.