Who are you talking to?

When I write this blog, I know I’m talking to people who have taken one step beyond animal welfare clichés and are looking to find answers and resources which can help them make real and positive changes in their own communities. So skip over what we know to be the ‘basics’; I make the assumption I don’t have to tell you the mechanism of why mandatory desexing fails, just provide ongoing news and case studies. I don’t have to tell you why killing cats in an effort to ‘eradicate’ them is futile, just keep you abreast of the changes taking place here and overseas. And I don’t need to tell you what kinds of unhelpful mantras still exist in our industry, because I know you, like me, are dealing with them each and every day.

I know these things about you and it helps us both get the maximum out of our interaction.

But its not always conducive to speaking to the ‘rest of the world’ about our mission. Some of the comments I don’t approve are people at a different place on their animal welfare journey, who are still ‘regurgitating’ rather than thinking (“all the pets given as xmas gifts who end up in rescue, it’s just terrible…”) while others are too far committed to their current emotional state, to be able to open their minds to new information (“rescue are simply doing the irresponsible public’s dirty work”). I encourage these people to go and search and find – but they’re not my audience, so I don’t feel obligated to work for them.

“The moment you speak to the world, you speak to no one. Because, when you try to make EVERYONE happy, you give up your focus…”
~ Jonathan Fields

In my other job I write for people who’ve never had anything to do with rescue. Ever. And the difference is like chalk and cheese. Pet-lovers are a serious asset to our movement; engaging them and giving them good information is the first step to bringing them into our folds to help us with our work. But the message has to be different because they are starting from a different knowledge base. They have less interest in the detail or the science, but more in the ‘community’. They also regurgitate unhelpful industry mantra’s, but they are doing it because they want to fit in – they want to help – they want to be like us.

So what does any of this have to do with you?

Do you know who you’re talking to?

I see groups who’ve got absolutely no idea who their target audience is. Are they talking to other rescuers? Or the public? Are they looking to make friends, or confront people? Are they bringing a message of joy and hope, or do they want to play martyr; sharing their own misery around looking for company?

I’ve seen groups start Facebook pages, then fill them with protests for bullfighting in El Espinar, petitions against animal testing in Cardiff and Craigslist adverts from Sapporo. Like a relative who’s gotten their first internet connection, they send through every bit of animal related spam, rumour and Change invitation, filling up your news thread with gore and horror. Are these issues important? Of course they are. But the question groups don’t ask is; is this important to our own mission and audience?

Who are your peeps?

Understanding who your supporters are needs to be at the core of every piece of information you put out to your public. There are lots of reasons people will connect to you; don’t break those relationships down by ignoring those reasons.

Reasons people connect to animal welfare groups;

Because they love pets
They love their own pets and want to make a difference to the lives of other, less fortunate ones. But they want to make the world a better place, not have it confirmed that their efforts are futile in the big, bad world. For this reason, your positive messages need to be of a ratio of at least 3/1 for your negative messages. If the only time they hear from you, is so you can give them bad news, they’ll be tuning you out in droves.

Because they want to be supported in their beliefs about pet care
They believe every pet deserves a loving, caring home. They are nearly always ‘responsible’ pet owners. Putting out messages that criticise people who don’t care for their pets properly can be a way for people to reaffirm they are part of the ‘Good Owner Club’ with you. But remember, these pieces have to be designed to bring you and your public together, united in good behaviour. Chastising your public thinking it’s ‘sending a message’ ignores the fact that those on your mailing list aren’t the ‘bad guys’.

Because they’re a donor and they want to see what you do
It’s never been easier for the ‘little guy’ to have a one-on-one relationship with donors. But along with the benefits of this new level of ‘connection’ to our supporters, comes obligation. Whereas in the past people were happy to donate a couple of times a year to whichever major animal charity got to them first, people are wanting to know more about groups and their work than ever before.

There used to be ‘broadcasts to supporters’ – now there’s a constant feedback loop. They want to ‘own’ their community organisations. They want weekly or even daily insight into operations. They want to be able to show off their ‘membership’ to particular organisations to their friends. Harness that need to connect, and it’s incredibly powerful.

Because they need help
Your public consider you an expert in your field. When they think this field is animal rescue, veterinary care, behavioural training or fixing-every-pet-issue-that’s-ever-been, is where groups can feel exhausted and used. While you shouldn’t feel like you have to fix every single pet problem (its often better not to, simply to avoid litigation if you’re practicing outside your field), you do have to have some answers. These can often be relationships with other resources in the community. Would your local dog trainer give one free lesson in return for every referral? Do you know where your local dog training schools are? Is there a specialised cat-vet in your area, or someone with a passion for felines?

While its not necessarily in our ‘job descriptions’ to be a central point for pet care resources, not only does it keep pets in their homes, but can earn you fans in the long run.

Because they want to adopt
By far your biggest and most supportive advocates will be people who have, or want to adopt from you. Before you send your messages out, ask yourself; would this speak in a positive way about us to a potential adopter? If the answer is “not really, I just found it personally interesting/compelling/outrageous” then reconsider sending it at all.

Previous adopters make excellent targets for fundraising campaigns, Facebook advocacy and generating new adoptee leads. Could you invite every one of your previous adopters to ‘recruit a friend’? Foster? Buy a ‘I adopted from’ mug? Anything that makes them feel that they are playing a part in the success of your organisation.

Know who you’re talking to

Have a clear purpose to speak to your supporters in ways that compels and engages them. You know your supporters better than anyone else, so its a huge, missed opportunity every time a group forgets who they’re talking to.