A foster program is crucial to many shelter and rescues year-round, but did you know that the holidays can be a great time to recruit new foster homes? Many of our members have had success with holiday foster programs and their pets love it too. Find out how you can get started with your own holiday foster promotion!

Why celebrate?

• A unique opportunity to connect with your community
• A way to start a fostering program or develop new foster families
• A way to promote your adoptable pets
• Watch the video below to find out what a program like this has meant to one shelter!

 

How does it work?

• Choose a length of the foster program that works for your organization. This can be anywhere from a two day period over the holiday to two weeks.
• Encourage your supporters and potential foster families to contact you and help place every pet in a home for the holidays.
• Petfinder has resources available to help you start or update your foster care program.

 

What’s involved?

• Promote the celebration within your local community
• If several organizations in your area are celebrating, consider having a joint press conference to benefit the animal welfare community.
• Email your supporters to spread the word. Get the buzz going around town.

 

Resources

These resources are meant to be a guide to help your foster program be a success. Because your group has its own individual policies, please review the documents below carefully. To ensure a happy relationship on all sides, it is important to give your foster homes clear information about what they can expect as a foster parent. If your organization chooses to use any of the resources, please tailor the information to your group’s policies and specifications to manage your foster homes’ expectations.

Resources for your organization:

• How to Recruit Foster Parents
• Michigan Humane Society’s Foster Care Program Manual (Word document)
• Michigan Humane Society’s Foster Care Program Manual (PDF)
• Sample Foster Program Tracking Sheet (Word document)
• Sample Foster Parent Application (Word document)
• Sample Foster Parent Contract
• Fostering 101 and Fostering 102 Webinars

 

Resources for your foster homes:

• Foster Home FAQ (Word document)
• Preparing to be a Foster Parent (Word document)
• Bringing your Foster Pet Home (Word document)
• Sample Foster Pet Evaluation Form (Word document)
• Special Pet Precautions for the Holidays (Word document)