From Dakota’s Den: We love hearing about creative ways that organizations find to help homeless animals. When we sent information about this venture we couldn’t help but “say cheese!”.How many times do parents complain that their teens spend too much time online? It seems that they post never-ending streams of photos to their friends on Facebook. Now, they can put those “itchy-fingers” and photos to good use by taking pictures to help animals in need. READ ON!
Famed Photographer and
Campaign Spokesperson
Nigel Barker
Teaches Teens
to Find Their Inner Fur-tographers
DoSomething.org and Nigel Barker are launching their first
nationwide animal adoption campaign, ‘Pics for Pets’ aiming to increase adoption
rates in shelters through teens, their cameras and Facebook, while saving some
adorable animals’ lives in the process.
DoSomething.org is putting the bite back in the fight for homeless shelter animals. With the help of campaign spokesperson and world-renowned photographer, Nigel Barker, DoSomething.org is launching their first nationwide animal adoption campaign. ‘Pics for Pets’ aims to increase adoption rates in shelters through teens, their cameras and Facebook, while saving some adorable animals’ lives in the process. AOL is also supporting the cause by spreading the word about the campaign to their enormous audience.
Every year, approximately 5-7 million companion animals enter shelters nationwide, and approximately 3-4 million are euthanized (50% of dogs and 70% of cats) simply because they are not adopted. One big reason why these animals aren’t adopted is due to sub-par pictures. All too often, the pictures used to market the potential pets are taken when the animal first arrives at the shelter, disheveled and frightened. DoSomething.org has set out make a change, arming teens with the skills to provide updated, irresistible pictures of animals to their social networks in hopes of finding new homes for these furry friends.
Running through November, ‘Pics for Pets’ is hoping to increase adoption rates across the country, utilizing the internet’s most powerful asset: sharable pictures of cute animals. Working closely with Facebook, DoSomething.org has created an easy-to-use Facebook app to help teens take and share awesome pics of animals in their community. Using the app, teens will have everything at their fingertips to locate a shelter, learn how to take beautiful pictures of animals and upload pictures to the gallery in hopes of spreading the word about shelter animals and where to adopt them. As a companion tool, DoSomething.org will also be releasing Pics for Pets iOS and Android apps for teens who wish to visit their local shelter and become animal photographers using their smartphones.
Teens who participate by sharing their pics will have the chance to win a $10,000 scholarship. DoSomething.org will also be giving up to $10,000 in pet toys, food and bedding to partner shelters depending on how many times their animals profiles are shared on Facebook.
“Utilizing something that teens are already experts in (sharing photos on Facebook), we are hoping to show people that their next potential pet can be the cute animal down the street at their local shelter” says Greg Thomas, Campaigns Manager at DoSomething.org. “By joining forces with Nigel Barker and AOL, we have the chance to make a significant increase in the amount of animal adoptions—and all it takes is a few photos.”
Nigel Barker cares about saving animals’ lives too, and is lending his expert photo tips to help these teens make a difference. He adds some bite to the bark of DoSomething.org’s animal adoption campaign by starring in a Public Service Announcement (PSA) helping teens to build the perfect photo shoot to get these shelter animals adopted.
DoSomething.org and Nigel Barker are launching their first
nationwide animal adoption campaign, ‘Pics for Pets’ aiming to increase adoption
rates in shelters through teens, their cameras and Facebook, while saving some
adorable animals’ lives in the process.
“It’s been a really rewarding experience helping bring awareness to animal adoption, and it hasn’t hurt that I’m working with the most affectionate photo subjects I’ve had yet: animals,” said campaign spokesperson, Nigel Barker. “I’m hoping teens will take my lead and brush up on their photography skills while helping to save a few animals’ lives.”
“We know that pets are a topic that resonates with our audience, and we’re thrilled to support worthy initiatives like Pics for Pets,” said Blair Cobb, Senior Director of AOL’s Cause Marketing & Partnership initiatives. “By leveraging our platforms, including AOL.com, AOL Mail and Patch, we are able to create awareness around this campaign and truly help shelters across the country.”
To view Nigel Barker’s PSA and get started on ‘Pics for Pets,’ visit Picsforpets.org, download the ‘Pics for Pets’ mobile or Facebook app, or text “PETS” to 38383.
About DoSomething.org:
We love teens. They are creative, active, wired…and frustrated that our world is so messed up. DoSomething.org harnesses that awesome energy and unleashes it on causes teens care about. Almost every week, we launch a new national campaign. The call to action is always something that has a real impact and doesn’t require money, an adult, or a car. With a goal of 5 million active members by 2015, DoSomething.org is one of the largest organizations in the US for teens and social change. Join us at www.DoSomething.org.
About AOL Inc.
AOL Inc. (NYSE:AOL) is a brand company, committed to continuously innovating, growing, and investing in brands and experiences that inform, entertain, and connect the world. The home of a world-class collection of premium brands, AOL creates original content that engages audiences on a local and global scale. We help marketers connect with these audiences through effective and engaging digital advertising solutions.
Dakota's Den 