Last week, I was asked to speak at a pet blogger's conference called BlogPaws that was held in Salt Lake City. My husband James Byrd and I spoke about developing products and marketing online. The cool thing was that the conference organizers actually encourage bringing pets, so the Fuzzy White Dogs went with us. It was the first major road trip for them and they did great. (I wrote a blog post called 25 Things I Learned on the Road to BlogPaws, if you're curious and/or like to look at pictures of cute white dogs.)
Changes and Working Together
So that's why I'm writing this later in the month than usual. However, more importantly, today I want to share some changes that are happening with NAPRP. As you may recall, I went to the Humane Society's EXPO late last month. Part of that trip was about how, NAPRP (read: me) and HSUS can work together to do more to help those of you working in rescue to save animals.
At their conferences and in their Animal Sheltering magazine, HSUS has always focused mostly on people who are employed at shelters, not smaller rescue groups that may be staffed by volunteers or be completely foster based without a facility.
That's one reason I started NAPRP. I felt like the "little groups" didn't have anyone to turn to for information. But HSUS has recognized the fact that the work rescues are doing is having a big impact on how many animals are getting out of shelters alive. So they want to broaden their education to help you too.
They are hiring for a full-time position of Rescue Coordinator, but in the meantime they want me to consult with them to help them understand what you need and help get their new programs for rescues off the ground. Because my mission has always been to help rescues, how could I turn down an opportunity to reach more people? The people I talked to from HSUS were fantastic and really want to help as much as I do. I view this as a huge opportunity to get the word out to more people about the great work you're doing.
What It Means
So what does this mean to you and to NAPRP? To avoid any conflict of interest, I've actually turned off the item in our shopping cart that lets you buy a paid membership to NAPRP. (If you already have a paid membership, rest assured, nothing changes; your login still works and you can still access all your stuff.)
You also may have noticed that I don't have any new teleseminars listed on the Web site. While I am working to develop new programs with HSUS, I'm going to take a break from monthly teleseminars. We're still figuring out what would be most helpful, but it may include taking some of the past NAPRP recordings and making them available for free on their site, which is something I couldn't afford to do myself. (Bandwidth is expensive.)
As you can see, all of this is a work in progress. But consider the fact that HSUS has a much bigger budget than little ole me. By working with them, I can do things I could never do by myself. I view it as a huge opportunity.
Dream BIG!
So because I'll be working with HSUS for at least the next six months, this is your chance to tell me what you need. What information or programs would help you do your work better? I'll do my best be your voice if you tell me what would help you.
Dream big! A large humane organization is recognizing the amazing work you do. It's a huge opportunity for change!