Membership Development

DIRECT MAIL
On average, membership donations will provide at least 80% of your annual budget. As a result, enormous effort must go into attracting new members, and keeping existing members. One of the most economical and effective ways to bring and keep new members is a regular mailing program (usually referred to as "Direct Mail"). The post office gives special bulk mail nonprofit rates to nonprofit organizations and you will need to learn how to do bulk mailings. Your local post office has instruction booklets available to teach you how to prepare non-profit bulk mailings.

ACQUISITION MAILINGS
Like most people, at some time in your life, you joined an animal protection organization. Soon, dozens of other animal organizations' mailing appeals appeared on your doorstep. Many organizations will rent their mailing lists and eventually you can trade names with other animal organizations when you have developed your own membership list. Generally, you need a mailing list of at least 5,000 members to trade. Most organizations use mailing list brokers – one of the more popular ones for animal groups is Names In the News (1-800-282-6263). You must have a sample of your mailing piece and then the list broker will work with you to find organizations that are willing to rent or trade names with you. And don't forget to have a sign-up sheet at every meeting, animal event, conference, and outreach table to gather names for potential new members. For acquisition mailings, you can expect between a one and two percent return rate – which is why organizations tend to mail to hundreds of thousands of people. Start small, but just remember that the normal rate of return is low. Acquisition mailings are not necessarily a good fundraiser, but rather are used to bring in new members who will hopefully continue to contribute throughout the year.

IN-HOUSE MAILINGS
In-house mailings (i.e. mailings to your own members) are fundraisers, and unlike acquisition mailings, you can expect to raise needed funding for your sanctuary from these types of mailings. The general rule of thumb is to mail between three to four in-house mailings each year and each mailing should give members an opportunity to contribute to current projects and campaigns. For example, one in-house mailing might be for building a new barn, while another mailing might appeal for monthly sponsors for the sanctuary animals. Start collecting direct mail appeals from other organizations to learn how they write both acquisition and in-house mailings. You will find there are distinct ways to appeal for membership funds – see what works best for you by testing different techniques and then stick with it! Maintaining an accurate and regularly updated membership list is crucial for a successful membership direct mail program.Membership Enhancement

RENEWAL NOTICES
Every year you will need to raise the funds needed to care for your animals. This means that you need to remind your members that you are counting on them to continue their vital support. Your annual shelter expenses will not decrease (in fact, they will probably increase each year) and it is important to let your members know you depend on their annual commitment – whether they give $10 per year or $10,000 per year. This is particularly important for animal shelters that have annual, on-going animal care costs. Do not shy away from sending your members renewal notices. Many nonprofit organizations send out three or four notices – some send out more. Set up a regular renewal notice schedule each year. Your members must know how much you appreciate and need their ongoing support.

DONOR CALLS & VISITS
Get to know your members – especially ones who have made a major commitment to your sanctuary. Make the time to call major contributors, and whenever possible, visit them. Everyone likes to be recognized and
appreciated, and it's also an opportunity to find out what your members think about your work. Always extend an open invitation to all your members to visit the sanctuary, where they can see their support in action. Keeping members involved and active in your sanctuary is crucial – a simple call and thank you is often all it takes.

DONOR RECOGNITION
In addition to personally thanking your members, it’s important to provide recognition opportunitiesat various levels to commemorate their commitment. At higher levels, you may want to consider offering permanent plaques on barns, signs listing supporters at special events, and a listing of supporters in your newsletter.

Other Fundraising Efforts

ONLINE FUNDRAISING
Your website and email lists are vital tools in raising additional funds, especially for urgent and immediate needs. This method of fundraising is virtually cost-free once your website and email lists are established. You can use the website and email lists to solicit funds for new rescues or special projects throughout the year in between fundraising mailings, and also to send an electronic version of your direct mail appeals to give members an online giving option. It’s important to offer a secure method of transmitting credit card and other personal information, and there are a number of online resources for nonprofit fundraising such as www.JustGive.org that offer such technology.

FUNDRAISING EVENTS
In addition to educational or open house events, an annual fundraising event is an excellent way to meet your members, keep them engaged in your organization, and raise significant funds. A benefit dinner or cocktail party held around the same time each year offers an annual event for your members to look forward to attending. Identify the best location – either your sanctuary or a local restaurant or catering facility. Try to get food and beverage donated to save on costs; consider incorporating a silent auction with donated artwork, gift baskets, gift certificates and other unique items; present awards to volunteers or major supporters involved in your organization; create a slide show presentation showing happy endings and the year’s accomplishments as part of the evening’s program, and; recruit volunteers to help organize. Take these recommendations and you are on your way to a successful event!

DONATIONS-IN-KIND
Donations-in-kind (i.e. non-cash donations) can be extremely helpful and should never be overlooked. Many businesses and companies are happy to help, but it is often easier for them to donate items rather than cash. All you have to do is ask – the worst they can say is no! Call area businesses and ask to speak to the owner or manager, explain (concisely) what you do and what you need from their business, and let them know you will be happy to recognize their support in your newsletter. Every year, sanctuaries get everything from blankets to food to vehicles donated. And don't forget to ask your members for these items too. Every sanctuary should have a wish list. Put your list in your newsletter regularly or post on your website.

GRANTS
Many people are under the impression that foundations are abundant and waiting in line to give you money. Actually, your sanctuary needs to get in line, and it's a very long line. There are only a handful of foundations that provide grants for animal protection work, and each year, these foundations will typically get over 200 applications (and give out 10 to 20 grants). You should never count on foundation support for your annual operating budget. Foundation support is often helpful for one-time costs, such as building housing facilities or establishing new programs. Your grant will need to be well written and concise, and grants generally need to be written in a certain format. Check the library for books on grant writing basics with sample grants and other useful information. Grant writing and foundation resources are available online at www.thefoundationcenter.org and your library should also have grant directories where you can look up potential foundations that support animal protection work. Write to these foundations and ask for a grant application, information on the type of animal projects they support, and any upcoming leads for proposals.

Future Financial Planning

Long-term financial planning will be needed to ensure the sanctuary animals' safety and well-being. Many sanctuaries start an Endowment Fund – a restricted fund where the annual interest generated from the fund is used for the sanctuary. Assuming the endowment fund is managed responsibly and conservatively, this is an excellent way to have a regular yearly income for your sanctuary. Obviously, sanctuaries operating on a shoestring, day-to-day budget will not be able to start such a fund immediately. It is a good long-range financial plan, and something to work towards. Bequest gifts are a good way to start and build your sanctuary endowment fund.

BEQUESTS
Encourage your members to consider including your sanctuary in their estate planning. Funding from bequest gifts is very helpful and can be a substantial funding resource. Bequest gifts are most useful for one-time sanctuary expenses or special projects that are not part of your on-going annual budget. Include information on bequest giving in your newsletter, and ask members to let you know if they are leaving a bequest gift to your sanctuary. This information is useful for your future planning and it's nice to thank the members and let them know how much you appreciate their commitment. Outreach and

Visitor Programs

SPECIAL EVENTS AND CONFERENCES
Let the animals speak to your members by hosting special events and conferences at your sanctuary. Many sanctuaries regularly hold these types of activities to bring in new members and say thanks to their existing members. People love to get to know you and the animals and they love to socialize with fellow animal advocates! Your events can range from simple open house events to weekend-long getaways, complete with speaker presentations, meals and time with the animals. Special events and conferences do not need to be expensive. Keep your food and entertainment costs reasonable (which often means doing it yourself or finding businesses to donate), gather a committee of volunteers to help you and take advantage of the many animal protection speakers that give presentations free of charge. Keep in mind that special events and conferences can be very time consuming. Make sure you and your volunteers are willing to put in the time to make the event a success and it will be.

VISITOR PROGRAMS
No one sanctuary can take in all the animals in need of rescue. Through an effective visitor tour program, you can extend the impact that you have beyond the animals in your care. Your animal ambassadors can reach and teach thousands of people and show them that farm animals are loving, sentient beings. You will find it helpful to have a set tour schedule so that tours do not interfere with your daily animal care schedule. Take notice of which animals like human interaction and which animals do not, and arrange your tours accordingly. For example, Farm Sanctuary does not allow visitors to go into the rabbit barns or pastures since our rabbits give warning thumps when strangers enter their housing barns. Tours should always be conducted with the animals’ needs in mind, and all sanctuary animals should be able to avoid human contact if desired. Also, for the safety of the animals and people, we recommend that tours only be given with a trained tour guide. Though considerable effort and time must go into operating a good tour program, it is a great opportunity for people to be “touched” by the animals, which will bring in new
members and allow existing members to see their support in action.

Communicating with Members and the Public

As your sanctuary grows and you begin to participate in large-scale rescues, develop your membership base and incorporate educational programs, like tours and special events, you need to create opportunities to get your
messages to the public. Communicating your vision and mission will only serve to build a groundswell of support, whether you are looking to build membership or educate the masses. When you are running a sanctuary seven days a week, 365 days-a-year, creating these opportunities for communication can be taxing if you don’t have staff or volunteers in place to create and distribute your communication materials. The key is to prioritize – understand what will give you the biggest return on your investment in time.

BROCHURES
If you plan to have visitors at your sanctuary, you need to create a basic brochure that describes your organization’s values, mission and programs, with a call to action – to build membership, bring in volunteers and/or enable readers to take action for animals. As you grow and build out your programs, you will want to consider creating brochures for each that can be distributed to visitors, members and the public during special events.

WEBSITE
In this day and age, a website for your organization is necessary to build credibility and support. A basic site that offers contact information and a description of the organization is imperative. As with any project, research websites that you like for design ideas. If you are not well-versed in web design, it would be a good idea to put a call out to your membership for volunteers that know and understand the technologies behind website development. Top web design firms are expensive, but many will offer pro-bono work or a deep discount for nonprofit organizations. As you grow, you can add features to your website that will highlight special events, offer merchandise for sale, provide information for the media and maintain a dialogue with your membership.

ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTERS
Once your website is developed and you’ve begun building a membership list, one of the most cost-effective and least time-consuming ways to stay in touch with your members is to create an opt-in electronic newsletter. A monthly or weekly e-newsletter offers an opportunity to notify your membership of rescues, upcoming events and new programs. As mentioned earlier, it’s also a great vehicle to fundraise for emergency rescues and special projects.

PRINT NEWSLETTERS
Members are the people who make all your sanctuary efforts possible. They deserve and need to know how their funds are spent – and a print newsletter is the perfect vehicle to accomplish this goal. A newsletter distributed to your membership at least twice a year is sufficient, but a quarterly newsletter is
recommended. It doesn't have to be colorful and expensive, just a good basic design that includes photographs of the sanctuary animals, and the latest shelter news and information. Newsletters are a great way to invite members to special shelter events, announce new arrivals, and provide people with information they need to help animals.

Media Relations

The media is one of the most effective means available to educate the public about animal protection issues and get people involved in your efforts. The goal with media relations is to build relationships over time. Use a spreadsheet or database to track your communications with the media – this is essential for developing ongoing relationships where you are viewed as a good source for news and information. Start with local media. Once you build successes in getting coverage, expand your efforts to regional, statewide and national outlets as appropriate. When working to develop awareness of your sanctuary in the community, there are two primary media opportunities available: Events Listings and Press Releases.

EVENTS LISTINGS
Your local newspapers, radio and television stations offer FREE announcements for events offered by nonprofit organizations. Radio and television announcement spots are called “Public Service Announcements” (PSAs) and newspapers offer “Community Calendar Listings.” This type of media is used primarily for monthly meetings, volunteer recruitment and special events. Call your local media (you can find contact information either on the website for the media outlet or in the yellow pages under newspaper, radio and television). Ask to speak to the person who handles PSA's or Community Calendar Listings. Get in touch with that person directly, introduce yourself, find out when announcements need to be received, the correct format, etc., and thank them for including your announcements. PSAs and Community Calendar listings are short and to the point and typically have to be received at least three weeks prior to your event, sometimes longer depending on the outlet. PSA's usually have to be read in 30 seconds (sometimes 60 second PSA's are allowed). Make sure your PSA is not too long (i.e. practice reading it before submitting it). Always include a contact name and phone number at the top of your announcement.

PRESS RELEASES
Press releases are used for news-making events at your sanctuary (i.e. new arrivals, dramatic rescue effort, etc.) Press releases are generally one to two pages, with the facts (who, what, when, where and how) in the first paragraph, followed by additional details. Check your local library for books on media that contain sample press releases. There are distinct press release formats and you will find it helpful to learn the basics of writing press releases. Newspapers, radio and television stations received hundreds of press releases weekly. To make yours stand out, CALL the newspapers and stations, get the names (and correct spelling) of the news or assignment editor/director, along with their preferred form of contact. Email or fax the press release to their attention, then follow up with a phone call. If your news is breaking, keep trying until you reach someone live at the assignment or news desk. The best time to reach media is in the morning between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Once you've reached the appropriate media person, enthusiastically pitch your story (i.e. why it's so unique, how it benefits readers/viewers, etc.). That said, know your limits. Always think in terms of their target viewership/readership. If the story is important to them, it will be important to the journalist. NEVER call on deadline (i.e. daily newspapers are on deadline every day after 3:00 p.m.) Journalists are as busy as you are – do not annoy them with superfluous and irrelevant information. As mentioned earlier, the key to successful media relations is to build strong ongoing relationships.