202 TAILS OF HELP
(CLINIC FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN)

To start your own 202 Tails Campaign, download a clinic kit:
(available NOW), please CLICK HERE

Proceeds from this campaign will help Albertans in need to get essential health care for their ill or injured pets

“A visitor poses for a photo op  at the 202 Tails of Help  campaign display”

Three clinics in the Edmonton Area — Terwillegar Veterinary Clinic, Town Centre Veterinary Hospital, and Companion Veterinary Clinic, — were the trailblazers in our new 202 Tails of Help campaign last spring. They each displayed the 202 Tails of Help campaign poster (kit available by download using links at top/bottom of this page, or available at no charge from WDDC part #300664) for around a month and sold paper tails for $2 each, or 3 for $5, or 15 for $20. The three clinics raised a total of nearly $1000 and sold nearly 500 tails. Many people donated more than 2 or 5 dollars, and some people donated 20 or 50 dollars. Visitors often had not heard of Tails of Help before this, but once they heard of our mission “to provide financial aid for essential veterinary care for Albertans in Need”, they were excited and happy to help out.

Some of the clinics had door prizes for gift baskets with items donated by Royal Canin, a premier corporate sponsor for Tails of Help. We also received donations from other generous companies as well as from the clinics themselves. These were attractive and appealing additions for visitors. Sherri, from Terwillegar, and Megan, from Town Centre, made baskets with dog toys and items and a separate one just for the cats we all love. The clinics also used Facebook, blogs and in-clinic TV to let visitors know about Tails of Help.

The success of this pilot fundraising campaign was largely due to the enthusiasm of the reception staff at these practices. Kyla, the TOH coordinator from Companion Veterinary Clinic said “I created a product number without GST for a two dollar donation, told clients about the charity at time of checkout and asked them if they would like the donation added to their invoice. It was easy.” The staff wrote the names of the pets on the paper tails and often decorated them with spots and paw prints before placing them beside the poster.

We should give great credit for this creative fundraising idea to the originators of this campaign. It began in May of last year, initiated by a Registered Animal Health Technologist named Jenna Hall at the Coach Hill Veterinary Hospital in southwest Calgary where she worked (Hall has since moved to work at Springbank Pet Hospital in northwest Calgary). Inspired by other non-profit fundraising efforts she has encountered through the years, Hall designed a campaign to boost donations as well as awareness in clinics.

Tails of Help campaigns in Veterinary Clinics are about educating visitors and making them aware that the veterinary community cares about all people and pets, whatever the financial status of the owner. It is wonderful to get donations, but it is equally important to inform and educate the community about Tails of Help and the wonderful role that veterinary clinics play in helping others. Sherry e-mailed “I believe all of the clients responded that this was the first time that they heard of you guys {TOH}, so that’s good that we explained the purpose of Tails of Help. After they were informed, all of the responses were with a smile and thoughts of generosity and kindness that Tails of Help is giving”.

Megan, the TOH coordinator from Town Centre Veterinary Hospital, wrote in an e-mail at the end of the campaign “It has been super fun coordinating this charity in our clinic, and the response from clients is awesome!”
Tails of Help gives our sincere thanks to all these clinics and their dedicated and enthusiastic staff for doing the first trials of our “202 Tails of Help Poster Campaign”. They were real innovators!

To start your own 202 Tails Campaign, download a clinic kit:
(available NOW), please CLICK HERE

Proceeds from this campaign will help Albertans in need to get essential health care for their ill or injured pets

DOWNLOAD YOUR KIT TO START YOUR OWN 202 TAILS CAMPAIGN: CLICK THE LINK SHOWN ABOVE THE GRAPHIC!

Tips from a very successful 202 Tails event at Landing Animal Clinic in Calgary
(Dec 2015):

1. The staff members started it off by buying tails. This helped fill the bulletin board and draw attention to it at the beginning of the month.

2. We made a large thermometer with the number of Tails sold and kept adding to it as the month went on.

3. The staff were really enthusiastic “look how many tails we already have – isn’t that exciting”. We never asked clients if they wanted to buy tails. The staff tried to chat about it before clients would go into their appointment.

4. We had a sign taped to the desk that said how much the tails were.

5. We had Tails of Help brochures in a few locations.

6. The staff was able to tell clients facts about the charity (“they have helped 115 animals stay with their families in just 2 short years”, the “charity helps low-income people who can’t afford their veterinary bills”)

7. Most clients came out after the appointment and bought tails. Eventually the whole waiting room was covered in tails. We did put up all 800(-ish) tails.

8. We allowed people to add it to their vet bill and therefore we did use the VISA/debit machine. We also accepted cash or cheques.

9. I did a powerpoint presentation about Tails of Help a few months before at a staff meeting, so they knew more about Tails of Help.

Assistance To Financially Challenged Pet Owners.

Tails of Help is seeking to raise commitments of $236,000 during its fiscal year ending May 31, 2023 through its fundraising campaigns. We estimate that it will cost our organization $59,000 to raise this amount. We anticipate that these fundraising costs will be entirely covered by corporate sponsorships and grants. This means that all additional donations will go toward our charitable activity of helping pets and families. We plan to use the donated money to fund essential veterinary care for ill or injured pets of Alberta owners who are experiencing financial hardship. Our goal is to keep pets healthy and with their loving families. For further information, please see our website at
www.tailsofhelp.ca, or contact Mark Patrick, Tails of Help Executive Director by email to info@tailsofhelp.ca or phone at 587-575-8415. Our mailing address is:
Tails of Help, 1260 – 5328 Calgary Trail NW, Edmonton, T6H 4J8.
Tails of Help is incorporated under the Companies Act (Alberta) and is a registered charity under the Income Tax Act (Canada).