That’s Super, Man

If a kitten mews forlornly in Trenton, does a PETA employee in Sacramento hear it and come to its rescue?

Flipping through PETA’s 2009 “Rescued” calendar, you sure would think so. Every page of the bright and upbeat calendar tells a story of an abused or neglected animal that was rescued either by PETA directly or by someone affiliated with the group. There’s Magpie, the pup who was thrown out of a van window into oncoming traffic and rescued by a passing motorist who happened to be the friend of a PETA staffer; there’s Audrey, the abandoned kitten who was found by two PETA staffers out walking their dogs; there’s Alec, the rooster who was lured to safety by a PETA staffer whose neighbor was in the habit of drowning chicks instead of gathering the eggs that were laid by a hen that lived on his property. And there are so many more.

Looking at this calendar, you would think that PETA is everywhere — an omnipresent, omnipotent entity ready to swoop in at a moment’s notice to rescue everything from hamsters to horses, from kittens to lions and tigers and bears. (Insert “oh, my” here.)

And that’s a good thing. That means PETA’s information officers are doing their jobs. And that can only be a blessing to the organization’s fundraisers. Because there is no way — no way — you can look at this calendar and not want to donate, to be a part of the solution.

From Parineeta, the smiling donkey on the cover, to Hollywood, the bunny who was rescued by a PETA member as he was hopping down the middle of a street on a rainy night (the rabbit, not the PETA member), this calendar supports some of the advice that you hear over and over from the fundraising gurus: Never underestimate the power of solid storytelling, and always leave donors and other supporters with the (rightful) impression that your organization is, indeed, the answer to the problem it’s missioned to solve.

We’re stepping out into a bright, shiny new year rife with possibilities. But the unstable economy is casting a bit of a grimy shadow over the whole thing. With that in mind, it’s a good time to take stock of things and make sure you’re telling the right stories and painting the right pictures. Now more than ever, it’s vital to get your message out there and let people know who you are. And let them know, also, that there are victories to be celebrated.

If you’re a nonprofit fundraiser, you are, after all, a superhero of sorts. Certainly, your organization is. Make sure your donors know that — and encourage them to grab on to the edges of your cape and come along for the ride!