When bad shelters have good PR

Why are so many high kill shelters so damn good at PR? Because they have to be, to bring in donations in the face of their operational failure.

I find it so frustrating when shelters I know have horrible adoption policies and high kill rates also do a great job on their PR and promotions. I believe in "click-treat" for a  job well done, but I don't want to give bad shelters good press. And I don't want to help them use PR to whitewash their killing machine.

And I most particularly don't want to help them fool their donors into thinking they're doing a good job when they're not.

So if you're wondering if better PR can help your local high-kill shelter, my suggestion is this: Use your communications skills and resources to bring about fundamental change in how your shelter operates first. Work with a shelter reform group to get local media and your community on board with a no kill mission.

In the meantime, you can help save the lives of pets in the shelter by networking with (or creating, if necessary) a rescue group to find foster homes to move the pets into. Then you can market them for adoption in the name of the rescue organization, not the failed shelter.

Because while I want my tips and suggestions to be used to find animals homes, I don't want it to be at the expense of all the animals who find only a needle and a body bag from the people who claim to be "sheltering" them.

Comments

[H. Houlahan]

IME, there are large animal shelters (as well as other kinds of nominal charities) for which the "cause" serves as the hook to self-perpetuate the well-developed bureaucracy. The purpose of the organization is to keep its principals lucratively employed, provide patronage opportunities for the board members, and exist for its own sake. Their PR is all aimed to maximize fundraising and supporting false legitimacy.

This is not limited to the big, established, corporatized "traditional" shelters, though I know the ones of which you speak. There are nominal "no kill" shelters that have such an atrocious ratio of dollars in to animals sheltered and adopted that one has to wonder whether every employee isn't in on the grift.

[Christie]

I agree 100 percent. That's why I just roll my eyes when people say things like, "Everyone wants the same thing." No, we don't all want the same thing.

Of course, top-heavy, fundraising-driven non-profits are not at all limited to animal welfare. And they're good at PR, too. ;)

[Cindy Contreras]

I really like how you emphasized that making a change on how a shelter functions is what needs to be done in order to become a no-kill shelter. I know that the shelter in my community is not a no-kill shelter and they also do a bad job for caring for animals. But how do i found out about their PR and where they get donations from?