I used my many years experience as a pro photographer to create an online course that teaches shelters how to upgrade from cell phone snapshots to pro quality photos.
Shelters and rescue groups any where in 48 states will be able to use this course and
learn to make pro quality photos of shelter pets.
I also developed a photo booth that makes it easier to create pro quality photos of pets
The booth eliminates 3 major problems.
Lighting. Backgrounds. Perspective. Eliminating these problems makes the photography much easier and even people who are just learning will be able
to make good photos .
About the time I finished working on the course, I learned that Apple spent 1.8 BILLION DOLLARS in a single year on Marketing. I wondered how much pet shelters spend on marketing each year? I suspect that many barely have enough money to feed their pets and pay the staff and vet bills.
Pet shelters do not receive funding from local, state or federal governments.
I thought about this for a while and realized I could create 3 programs that would generate major benefits for shelters.
1 Teach shelters to make pro quality photos of the pets in their shelter.
2 Teach them how to use those photos to create a robust marketing program that would enable them to double their current adoption rate and eventually double their membership.
3 Create a powerful calendar fund raiser that uses great photos and a zero risk approach.
I will create a website that shows every photo in the calendar plus an order form so people can order and pay for their calendar online. The shelters responsibility is to get every pet lover in their region talking about the amazing photos in the calendar.
"Please join us and support our campaign to create a bright new image of pets from shelters and rescue groups."
The shelter needs to contact every one in the pet community and ask them to check out the calendar website. This would include pet groomers, pet stores, vet clinics, dog day care centers etc.
The shelter should recruit all their members and ask them to support the campaign by contacting all their pet loving friends and relatives.
The calendar sells for $20 so if the shelter sells 1,000 calendars, they would gross $ 20,000 making it a very profitable annual fundraiser.
Far more important than the money are the enormous PR benefits. !!
A calendar finds a home on a wall in someones home or office where it stays for 365 days until it gets replaced by next years calendar.
It is difficult to imagine how many people will see and enjoy and talk about the photos with friends and coworkers.
Or how much it will change peoples perception of shelter pets.
The Calendar is a great start. Here are a few other ideas on how to make the PR program even more effective.
1. Modify the front end of your web site so you can keep your finest photos front and center on your web site.
2. Social Media Your pro quality photos will provide a big edge over shelters that are still using cell phone snapshots. Now that you have pro quality photos, you will be able to recruit people who would enjoy growing your social media program making it even more effective.
3. Newspapers and TV stations will be happy to tell their readers that your shelter was one the first in the country to upgrade to pro quality photos. And to uselots of your photos.
4. MailChimp. Build a large list of people who purchased a calendar and send them some of your finest photos or 4 times a year thanking them for their support. You want them to know they are appreciated.