Latest; $100 Boosts A Pet's Social Profile

[_PL_]

Not sure if anyone remembers my thread asking about the donation grab?

Well here's the outcome. Pet Rescue no longer works for us. We work for them.

Response from the last time I asked.

Heya!

If anyone ever has concerns about stuff like this, I'm always happy to hear from you. I've been on back-to-back maternity leave having my two girls, but am on deck now - [email protected].

I pop by DOL as often as I can, so am also happy to chat here (but I might not see it straight away).

The layout being discussed is the side bar. We use this for our primary advertising and have headed it with a donation bar. We do this to make money. Yup! We use the space for advertisers and donations because it is prime real estate. A potential link to the profiles had never occurred to us.

We've looked at many other revenue streams as we continue to grow - the obvious one being some kind of membership or the like. But seriously, we're not in the business of taking money from rescue groups - we don't want to charge you. We want you guys to set your adoption fees and keep the lot. We don't even charge the millions of visitors who come to the site. We don't sell a super successful product on the side. We're a revenue-free business model!! GENUIS! Except, TOTALLY NOT GENIUS. We've had to find ways to scrape revenue. Like with a donate button.

And to be honest, I'm a bit sad to hear everyone leap to the conclusion that this is an effort to do you out of genuine donations. I don't want your donations. I want to run a healthy business doing good and on its own merit. If anyone in my team was told by a donor they'd donated to us in error they would have been horrified, just as I am. And it would have been sorted out. Something else happened - I can't tell you what as I don't know - but Jill, email me and I promise to do anything I can to sort it.

Please - we want to be in the business of SAVING rescue groups money. We secure excellent tv adverts and radio play and calendars and national tv spots. If anyone has ever tried to get any of that stuff alone, you'll know it costs money - friggin stacks of the stuff. We bust balls to get PetRescue in every major place we can - so more people see your pets - more adopters come forward - more animals get placed - rescue groups get more revenue so they can take even more of a chunk out of the major players - and independent rescue grow and have an even greater standing in dictating policy in the animal welfare space - that 'rescue voices' get heard. That pets are made safe.

By joining forces with you, we can secure the exposure levels of the major players. We want to be able to do cool stuff for you. If anyone feels our membership 'costs' more than it provides, then I'm really, truly sorry. We totally failed you.

Not much more I can say

Edited June 14, 2016 by Powerlegs

[_PL_]

Saving Pets FB Discussion

[Malti]

Wow, such different information given than when Shel was with Petrescue. I am sure the legal letter was paid with donations too

Amazing how people just blindly believe Petrescue is not a business employing people to do work and claim how hard they work 'with' rescues to have a singular platform for rescues and adopters to go. The only one making money from Petrescue is the people that work for them and rescues are held hostage by only having this one site as the mass platform you can't win either way you go to be honest.

Edited to add - reading on their page, people still confuse petrescue as a rescue.

The money Petrescue get is huge, and never have animals in their care, just get to sit in an office and run a website.

Edited May 30, 2016 by Malti

[Andrea]

So essentially it was OK to take the money from the many kind hearted supporters for use by Petrescue while Shel was at the helm of it all.... and now she isnt she says it isnt right???

Seems to me she loaded the gun that shot the bullet!

I wonder... is it possible that she should self fund the project like we do our rescues? and have done since she started petrescue!

[_PL_]

Yep! It was all there long ago. Long before she quit.

And you wouldn't believe the arrogance of the current lot when they are challenged. I'm surprised our account wasn't suspended when I poked them with a stick over a preachy misleading newsletter.

Same as when Shel was their mouthpiece. Their response was approx; You're reading things into it that aren't there and don't understand. We work for all rescues. etc etc

Oh and I just heard; all the food donations went out. I guess our email got lost.

Edited May 30, 2016 by Powerlegs

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

That's outrageous.

I used to recommend petrescue but erm... I will put warnings to contact rescues direct now.

I never donated tho. It seemed clear to me that the donate button was for the website not the rescues.

It's like the uber of pet rehoming. Urk.

Are they for profit or not?

[Malti]

That's outrageous.

I used to recommend petrescue but erm... I will put warnings to contact rescues direct now.

I never donated tho. It seemed clear to me that the donate button was for the website not the rescues.

It's like the uber of pet rehoming. Urk.

Are they for profit or not?

It says right near their donate button they are not for profit

[tdierikx]

It's a pity that this has happened, as Shel is so passionate about, and has put so much research and effort into the Saving Pets project...

I may not agree with how PetRescue is modeled or run, but it's still the largest and most well known resource for people to use to find a rescue pet.

I may not agree with all of Shel's Saving Pets project tenets, but it's still early days there, and I reckon if anyone has a chance of making it work, Shel is the woman for the job.

I believe there is room for both projects to run separately, each refining and strengthening their models... to make positive changes for pound/rescue animals in need.

T.

Edited May 30, 2016 by tdierikx

[mita]

It's a pity that this has happened, as Shel is so passionate about, and has put so much research and effort into the Saving Pets project...

I may not agree with how PetRescue is modeled or run, but it's still the largest and most well known resource for people to use to find a rescue pet.

I may not agree with all of Shel's Saving Pets project tenets, but it's still early days there, and I reckon if anyone has a chance of making it work, Shel is the woman for the job.

I believe there is room for both projects to run separately, each refining and strengthening their models... to make positive changes for pound/rescue animals in need.

T.

Well said, every word.

[_PL_]

That's outrageous.

I used to recommend petrescue but erm... I will put warnings to contact rescues direct now.

I never donated tho. It seemed clear to me that the donate button was for the website not the rescues.

It's like the uber of pet rehoming. Urk.

Are they for profit or not?

They are a charity. But like a lot of charities, once you get large enough you can allow for wages and office space, expenses etc. Completely legal. ACNC has the records of all registered charities.

All set out like this My link

I guess the sum of legal expenses in this rush to claim exclusive rights, will be included on the EOFY report. A ridiculous waste of time and energy and donated funds which I doubt will come out of the employee pockets. It's always possible a pro-bono arrangement has been made. But it's still laughable, and a red flag in the direction PR will be taking from hereon out.

[koalathebear]

What's a viable alternative to petrescue though? Almost all of our foster dogs hav found their Furever Homes via petrescue ... from memory only one has been adopted by a person I know from work and a couple via the rescue groups own website/facebook.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

From their FYE2015 report

Continuous industry improvement

???? Support a cooperative approach between shelters and rescue organisations in the re-homing of animals in their care, and facilitating the sharing of information and education

???? Disseminate best practice, evidence-based information from local and international sources

???? Attract corporate sponsorship opportunities to the industry to increase the exposure and resources available to rescue

don't seem to be quite doing that. And they list rescues as beneficiaries but it's obviously not direct financial benefit.

Did they ever own the IP/copyright to the booklet that Shel wrote? How does stopping her from using it - help when one of their aims is to spread the word as much as possible?

[Scottsmum]

From their FYE2015 report

Continuous industry improvement

???? Support a cooperative approach between shelters and rescue organisations in the re-homing of animals in their care, and facilitating the sharing of information and education

???? Disseminate best practice, evidence-based information from local and international sources

???? Attract corporate sponsorship opportunities to the industry to increase the exposure and resources available to rescue

don't seem to be quite doing that. And they list rescues as beneficiaries but it's obviously not direct financial benefit.

Did they ever own the IP/copyright to the booklet that Shel wrote? How does stopping her from using it - help when one of their aims is to spread the word as much as possible?

On my phone so will keep it short. There çould ve some thing in her employment contract

[_PL_]

That would be one of the sticky areas of IP.

Say I decided to leave my own rescue and take everything I've done with me which would be website, domains, emails, graphics/images, records; the lot. As a legal entity my org has a right to claim IP and make moves to stop me damaging their interests. I could argue as founder that stuff is all mine, created and paid for by me. They could go at me for lost funds, something that is clearly measurable. On and on and on. Then the lawyers would have to fight it out.

I would probably lose.

[_PL_]

What's a viable alternative to petrescue though? Almost all of our foster dogs hav found their Furever Homes via petrescue ... from memory only one has been adopted by a person I know from work and a couple via the rescue groups own website/facebook.

No readymade alternative really.

We only put the most basic on a profile stuff with a link to our website for full profiles. Most inquiries now come via the website rather than PetRescue.

Other groups have left completely but it's harder work and I don't know if a huge group could do it without a huge upheaval.

Like I said, we work for them now. Not the other way around.

[Jingle Bells]

So essentially it was OK to take the money from the many kind hearted supporters for use by Petrescue while Shel was at the helm of it all.... and now she isnt she says it isnt right???

Seems to me she loaded the gun that shot the bullet!

I wonder... is it possible that she should self fund the project like we do our rescues? and have done since she started petrescue!

Shel put her hand in her pocket and use her own money???? Excuse me while I roll on the floor convulsing with laughter over that one!!!

Shel has one set of rules for herself and another for everyone else.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

so if there is an employment contract and that had a clause in it that all work created for the rescue belongs to the rescue - all good.

For IT work ie building the website - there's a lot more behind the scenes than just the logo. If the logo is registered with organisation - it stays with the organisation.

But if a volunteer created the website or wrote a brochure - that content stays theirs if there is no contract saying otherwise. They could re-use the code in their next project. They just can't say they are or represent the other entity. They need their own name and logo that won't be confused with the other one.

It gets a bit clearer if the volunteer (or even a paid employee) uses open source software to create the website. Or uses content provided for the purpose of helping dogs find homes, created by other rescues (with their permission) - the work won't suddenly belong to that rescue.

But you're right - if it goes to court - the only winners are the lawyers. And pretty sure that would go against all pet res cue's written intentions and missions - takes away from helping dogs get placed.

[_PL_]

Very interesting Mrs RB! :)

[mita]

What's a viable alternative to petrescue though? Almost all of our foster dogs hav found their Furever Homes via petrescue ... from memory only one has been adopted by a person I know from work and a couple via the rescue groups own website/facebook.

Yes, good point.

I've also found it a unique resource in gathering profiles for a breed rescue. Even tho' PetRescue doesn't have a search by breed option, I've found that by Googling two pieces of information, up will come the PR profiles of the breed.

Then it's an easy matter to sift out those currently for adoption. This, in turn, means that any of the breed listed on PR can be picked up quickly & the profile links posted on the breed's 'collection' Facebook page....& also brought to the attention of anyone who has already registered interest in adoption. Done in minutes & a big help to the dogs in need.... as well as helping, with publicity to breed fanciers, the shelters/rescues holding them.

Worth its weight in gold, in that regard.

Edited June 3, 2016 by mita

[tdierikx]

I think people should maybe stop and think about exactly what it has taken to build PetRescue into what it is today.

1. It is a resource provided for FREE to rescue organisations.

2. A lot of time and resources (which WE haven't had to pay anything for) have been put into getting the word out to the public about this one-stop site to find a rescue pet.

3. Most, if not all, of the startup and development of this resource was done by people on a volunteer basis. They may be reaping financial reward now, but the early years would have been very lean indeed...

4. PetRescue owns the resource, therefore THEY get to set out the terms of its use.

Rescues still have a CHOICE whether they want to use this resource to list their animals available for adoption... we are all free to go about it on our own... *grin*

T.