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More Adoptathon Topics Coming Soon!!
Defining your goals Getting organizations involved Setting a budget Selecting a location Building the core team Recruiting volunteers Promoting the event Rules and regulations Getting the dogs ready Planning for the event Running the event Resources |
Adoptathon Planning
The goal of this website is to help dogs and cats find loving homes. And one of the ways to do this is by passing on what we have learned about organizing large scale adoptathons. Every year hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats are saved by thousands of no kill and slow kill shelters and rescue groups across the United States. All of these shelters face a common problem – how to adopt out the dogs and cats to good homes. While there is a growing awareness of the availability of rescue dogs and cats, and a growing support for adopting these animals, shelters still face challenges: the shelters tend to be in out of the way places, typically far from residential areas with suitable homes; because of budget constraints the shelters tend to have limited hours of operation; and the shelters usually lack the budget and expertise to market themselves and the available animals. The animal shelters in St. Louis face this same challenge - they are bursting at the seams with dogs and cats.
Beginning in 2001, a group of volunteers began organizing the largest adoptathons in the USA. From A-Z, covering every base possible, 9 events were held during the course of 7 years, successfully placing thousands of deserving dogs and cats, coming from as many as 28 different shelters and rescue groups, into loving homes. The adoptathons offered a unique approach. Because they were one-time events, and not permanent facilities, they could be held in more upscale, residential neighborhoods with a much larger supply of suitable homes nearby. Because they were actual events that were able to generate a significant amount of publicity and attendance and a sense of urgency on the part of potential adopters. And the adoptathons were able to tap into the awareness and volunteer base of all of the participating shelters, creating a much larger volunteer base and generating significant word of mouth interest and cooperation in the rescue community. After a break of a few years, we are back to work. A portion of this website will be to pass on the knowledge, organizational tools, forms, pitfalls, etc., to help others host adoptathons. Our hope is that people can take this knowledge as a starting point for organizing and hosting regular large scale adoptathons in their areas. Regular adoptathons have a chance to help place hundreds and even thousands of dogs and cats in good homes and relieve some of the overcrowding that challenge many shelters. We are starting to collect the names of people that would be interested in hosting adoptathons in their areas. If you are interested, please send your info using the contact page and we will add you to our mailing list so you can receive updates on new material. |
