Dear Fellow Spay/Neuter Advocates,
Best Friends is looking for event coordinators to help us with the
2008 Tom Cat Special, a program that provides low-cost neuters for male cats who live with low-income people.
Founded by three Oregon spay/neuter groups in honor of
Spay Day USA, the
Tom Cat Special has been a successful local program for the past five years. And now, Best Friends has received permission to take it national.
During the event, which runs from Valentine’s Day through St. Patrick’s Day, local veterinarians agree to neuter a minimum of
10 male cats for $10 each.Our volunteer event coordinators screen interested parties to make sure they qualify, then refer them to a local participating vet. Best Friends will provide mentoring and support for all volunteers.
If you’re interested in joining us, please reply now to
celestecrimi@bestfriends.org.
Together we have a chance to make a real difference for a lot of cats and their families. To learn more about the Oregon Tom Cat Special, please visit
http://spayoregon.org/.
The following FAQ provide all the information necessary for you and/or your organization to make the decision to participate.
How much money will I have to raise? None! There is no cost to coordinators. Low income recipients will pay the $10 per cat directly to the vet & Best Friends will supply the thank you plaques to present to participating vets.
When is the Tom Cat Special? All appointments will be between Valentines Day and St Patrick's Day, 2008.
When does the planning process start? Planning starts now to ensure that all participants are comfortable with their role & have the information they’ll need to start preparing in earnest at the end of 2007. Right now, event coordinators will be signing up and learning more about the event (it’s easy)!
How much time will the Tom Cat Special require, from how many volunteers? One person can put on a Tom Cat Special in their area if they have the time & energy to do so. 2-3 hours each month of planning are required between now and December, 2007. About 20 hours per week total are needed January 2, 2008 through March 31, 2008. This can be from all one person, or divided amongst multiple volunteers.
What sort of support is Best Friends offering? We’ll be here for you every step of the way! Local coordinators will be provided with live support with a real person, as well as a complete tool kit including:
o Support: How-to manual, Resources, Online mentoring
o Promotional: Flyer, online marketing help including via Best Friends Network City/State sites
o Veterinary paperwork: invitation, contract, reminder, patient log, follow-up survey
o 3 news releases: Pre-event, update & post-event
What can I expect to get by participating?o Proficiency coordinating a model program that can be replicated anywhere
o Shared project with fellow local animal welfare advocates
o A history of success working with local veterinary clinics
o A chance for future partnerships with local veterinary clinics
o Recognition from local media that you are newsworthy!
o Satisfaction knowing you have made a better life for kitties in need & their people!
What will be my duties as a participant? o Commit to stay informed and engaged through event completion (begin now, wrap-up March 31, 2008)
o Recruit as many volunteers as necessary to fulfill all tasks (see above for details; combined total of about 20 hours per week Jan 2-March 31, 2008, a few hours monthly now)
o Recruit local vet clinics to each neuter a minimum of 10 male cats for $10 each during the event
o Promote event with flyers & news releases (templates of both will be provided, as well as media contact help as needed)
o Provide a phone number & email address for media and recipients to call.
o Screen would-be participants for financial need, support qualifying recipients to find a participating clinic near them
o Provide ongoing support before, during & after event to clinics, recipients & any other volunteers (answer their questions, be available for feedback, etc).
o For more information about what to expect, please click
here What if I’m not sure I want to participate? That’s okay! Please let us know (send an email to
celestecrimi@bestfriends.org) that you’re interested in learning more and we’ll keep you in the loop and add you to our Tom Cat Special contact list. If at any time you decide that you’d rather not participate this year, just let us know and we’ll take you off the list.