When Greystone first announced the new Volunteer Time Off policy (the company gives each employee 3 paid days per year to volunteer at a not-for-profit organization, plus Greystone also makes a donation to this organization) I decided to use a service called VolunteerMatch to find the best place for me to do my VTO. Because of my likes (helping people and helping animals), I was partnered with a group called Pets Forever. This organization is “a Colorado State University sponsored non-profit program designed to help low-income elderly and disabled Larimer County residents maintain ownership of their pets for as long as possible, and to improve the health and well-being of these pets and owners by providing needed help and resources.”
I sent an email and promptly heard back from the director of the group, Lori Kogan. We exchanged a few more emails, going over the requirements and particulars of Pets Forever. By about the 5th email, something started niggling me in the back of my cobweb-addled brain—an odd sense of familiarity of sorts. The name Lori plus animals and CSU were all coming together to feel very déjà vu-esque. That is when it dawned on me: I know Lori because her partner in life (and maybe crime) is Todd Evans, Project Manager here at Greystone and he has spoken about her (glowingly, I might add) on many occasions. At this point, I emailed Lori to tell her that she was THE Lori, of Todd and Lori fame. Unbeknownst to me, she received my emailed and promptly turned to Todd and asked, “Who is Molly Hazzazelelrag?” Todd responded, “Um, that would be Molly Hazelrig. The Molly that I work with.” In the chick-flick world, this whole scenario would be what is called a “Meet Cute.”
I tell this story not just because of the cuteness, but because to me it really illustrates that my volunteer work for Pets Forever was absolutely meant to be. And how lucky am I that my company gave me the nudge that I honestly needed to do this? Very. That’s what I say to you. Not only do I get to (and I really do mean get to and not have to) work with adorable little furry faces, but I also work with some of the most interesting and wonderful human clients, too. Check out some of the heartwarming stories from Pets Forever in this promo video:
Additionally, because of my arena of work (digital marketing) I have been able to help Pets Forever with their social media presence. We’ve been able to develop a cohesive strategy for better engagement across the digital platforms. This includes stronger, more emphatic branding as well as consistent posting. We started first with their existing Facebook page and we’ve been able to increase the Likes, the Reach, the Visits, and have received 5-star reviews for the Pets Forever page. Using the connections I have made in digital marketing, we were even able to secure work from a graphic designer (and fellow pet lover) for the Facebook banner image and other branding pieces.
If you hadn’t noticed from the title of this blog, it is the first one in a series. The following blogs will feature interviews with Lori, as well as more detailed information about the digital media strategy implementation. Tune in or you will miss out!