Patient Paws Program Proposal: Paw Patrol

June 5, 2016
By: Alana Stultz and Leonora Dedvukaj

Introduction:

The purpose of the Paw Patrol walk is to raise money and awareness for the Patient Paws cat and
dog shelter. This event has been going on for four years now and has been very successful in the
past. Through this event, we will not just be able to raise money but inform more people in the
local community about the shelter and everything that we do. We also will be able to bring the
animals to their prospective families rather than waiting for them to come to us. This event will
feature adoptable cats and dogs that are currently available so the prospective adoptive families
can view them simultaneously. We recommend the event be held at Stoney Creek MetroPark on
June 5th, 2016. There is no fee to attend the event, but you do have to pay to enter the park if you
dont have an annual pass. This event is designed to be a leisurely stroll with your leashed or
contained dog or cat while raising money for the organization at the same time. Those who
register will garner pledges from friends and family for each mile walked at the event and those
who raise the most money will receive a donated prize from one of our sponsors.

Research:

Other organizations in the Metro-Detroit area do these types of events and they are largely
successful. The Michigan Humane Society holds its annual Mutt March event the first Sunday
in June at the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores. According to Donna
Buchanan, Group Sales Director and Event Coordinator at the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House, they
have been holding this event for over 28 years at the same location, which proves it is a solid
money-maker and good for awareness. Over the past 5 years specifically, the MHS has had
anywhere from 1,000 1,800 people attend this specific event. For this event alone the MHS can
raise over $33,000, according to their web page. The MHS also hosts other walk-style events in
locations around Metro-Detroit including Belle Isle. Another organization which utilizes a
similar walk is the Michigan Anti-Cruelty Society, which hosts the annual Pooch Prance at the
Edsel & Eleanor Ford House on the second Sunday of the month in September. While the Pooch
Prance is smaller, averaging anywhere from 350 800 people at their event over the past 5 years,
it is still considered a noteworthy money-maker and good for the rescues awareness.
Objectives:

Our first objective for the Paw Patrol would be to raise $20,000 for our shelter. With this money,
we will be able to care for more animals more efficiently and provide the animals with better
food, better vet care, and better shelters. Our second objective would be for us to find as many
animals as possible a forever home. Ultimately, the turnover of our animal residents is crucial to
the success of our shelter. Being an anti-cruelty shelter means that we do not unnecessarily
euthanize animals, so the more animals we find homes the more space opens up for new rescues
and strays. With possibly 1,000 or more people all congregated in the same place, we can put
these animals on display to a large segment of the public all at once rather than waiting for them
to seek us out. We also want to become more relevant on social media platforms including
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and gain followers on these platforms because of individuals
sharing our posts about the event. These objectives are targeted in helping us achieve our goal for
a successful Paw Patrol event.

Program Activities:

The main activity of the event is the actual walk, which will run from 9 a.m. 12 p.m. on
Sunday, June 5th. The trail that we have mapped out in advance averages about 2.5 miles in
length. Participants in the walk will have the opportunity to walk solo or with their pets, with
pledges agreeing to donate an agreeable sum of money per mile walked prior to the actual walk.
Each participant will receive a 2016 Paw Patrol t-shirt along with a Paw Patrol water bottle upon
completion of a minimum of one loop around the trail. The three people who fundraise the most
for the event will receive a gift card for the amount of $100 courtesy of Biggby Coffee. There
will also be local animal related craft and business vendors by the starting/finishing point. Patient
Paws will have a large selection of cats and dogs available for adoption at the event for the
viewing convenience of prospective adoptive families. Those who do chose to adopt a pet will
receive a care package with basic necessities for animal ownership courtesy of Pet Supplies Plus.

Publics:

Here are the following publics we hope to reach with this event:

Internal:
Volunteers
Employees
External:
Donors
Families
Local Businesses
Sponsors
Media

Recommended Communication:

How we communicate with our publics is mainly through press releases and our
companys website, along with our social media platforms such as Facebook. Our
companys website has a newsletter which is constantly being updated and sent to
subscribers in order to inform our publics on any upcoming events along with
information about animal care they should be aware of (things like seasonal diseases, flea
and tick season, vaccinations, etc). Our social media pages help us connect directly with
 our publics. On Facebook, we will create a specific event page for the Paw Patrol
which allows those who like our page to invite others and communicate about the event
via their own social media profile. On Twitter and Instagram specifically we will be
promoting the hashtag #PawPatrol2016 for attendees, staff, and volunteers to attach to
their pictures and posts so all information posted can be cataloged for quick access and
discovery. We will also be sending out news releases to Debra Kazubski at The
Source, staff at The Detroit Free Press, and posting the event information on the local
Shelby Township Patch. The biggest form of publicity we will be counting on is word of
mouth via social media and person to person interaction.

Evaluation
We will evaluate the outcome of our program by how many dogs and cats we find forever
homes and how much money is raised. Our goal is to have at least five cats or dogs
leaving with an adoptive family and to bring in $20,000 in funds. We also hope to raise
our Facebook likes and Instagram/Twitter followers to 10,000 by the sharing of this event
on social media. However, this event is intended to be light-hearted in nature and will not
mean the making or breaking of the shelter if these requirements are not met. If at least
one person learns of our shelter and our mission through our publicity for this event we
will be pleased with the outcome, and in accordance with our mission statement if we
find at least one animal a forever home through this event we will consider it a success.