Volunteer Social Media Policy
At KC Pet Project, our volunteers are a part of a team that is passionate about the work that we do and saving lives in our community. We are often exposed to highly emotional and stressful situations daily and it can be easy to go online and share information about our days with the organization. We at KC Pet Project believe in open communication and you are encouraged to tell the world about your work and share your passion. Whether you do so on social media pages, blogs or other online publishing or discussion forums is up to you.
Facebook Groups
Our Facebook groups are for volunteers and staff to share information, organizational successes (such as adoptions, or volunteer projects) and talk about the animals in our care that may need extra attention. It’s also a place for community and friendship! We encourage everyone to share laughs and stories, and connect with others in the KCPP family.
Requesting to join a group:
Search for the group title and click the green “Join Group” button. Your membership will be approved if you have completed the training requirements for that particular group. Please reach out to a manager if you’re unable to find a group you are looking for.
List of available Volunteer KC Pet Project online chat groups:
- KC Pet Project Volunteers
- KC Pet Project Zona Rosa Volunteers
- KC Pet Project Petco Volunteers
- KC Pet Project Foster
- KCPP Petco Cat Care Team
- KC Pet Project Dog Walking Volunteers
- KCPP Cat Volunteers
- KCPP Cat Behavior Team
- SPARC Members
- KC Pet Project Event Team
- KCPP Laundry Legends
- The Dog Squad
- KCPP Blankies & Braids
Ways to use the Facebook groups:
We encourage everyone to post information, photos, and videos that can help promote KC Pet Projects animals! We use these items to help promote and advocate for those animals on our main organizational Facebook page, as well as other social media outlets. Pictures and information can make all the difference in how quickly an animal can be adopted!
- Any non-urgent behavioral questions, or procedures/protocol questions can be asked on the Facebook groups!
- Happy stories, and informative articles are also encouraged!
- “Thank you”’s and shout outs to volunteers/staff is ALWAYS encouraged!
Ways NOT to use the Facebook groups:
- Posting concerns or complaints, or discouraging remarks about an individual, including staff members, volunteers/fosters, adopters or members of the public.
- Sharing complaints/disagreements/concerns about KC Pet Projects policies, procedures, or euthanasia decisions. These items should be discussed with an appropriate staff person. If you are unclear on who to reach out to, please contact the Volunteer Manager.
In general, KC Pet Project respects the rights of volunteers to use online forums on their personal time as a medium of self-expression, and it is not our intent to police the online activity of our volunteers. However, KC Pet Project reserves the right to monitor and regulate volunteer postings/activities on any online forums when it relates to our organizations interests.
Other Online Forums
If you choose to publish content related to KC Pet Project on any online forum, we require that volunteers observe the following rules:
- Volunteers are not authorized to speak on behalf of KCPP or represent that they speak on KCPP’s behalf. Volunteers may not post content that states or implies that the volunteer’s opinions reflect the opinions of KCPP or are endorsed by KCPP.
- Volunteers must abide by all existing KCPP policies when using online forums.
- Volunteers are prohibited from posting any information or commentary about KCPP that may undermine KCPP’s management, operations, or mission, or that may be reasonably viewed as disparaging of KCPP or unsupportive of its policies, procedures or practices.
- Volunteers are not allowed to contact any representatives from the media in regard to KC Pet Project, its pets, or matters involving the organization. This includes posting information to the media’s social media pages. If you have any questions or ideas for media, volunteers can reach out to the KCPP Marketing and Communications Department.
All group members are expected to conduct themselves with respect and compassion towards everyone else in the group. Inflammatory or aggressive comments can lead to misunderstandings, misinformation and hurt feelings and should be avoided. KC Pet Project reserves the right to moderate comments and posts, and they may be removed from the page at any time by administrators. Administrators may remove individuals from the page temporarily, or permanently, if they repeatedly post inappropriate content.
If you’re ever in doubt about whether or not a post is appropriate, first ask yourself, “Is this post constructive to the conversation? Does it move the conversation forward? ”. If not, don’t post it! Also, ask yourself, “Is this something that needs to be addressed to a specific person or to the staff in general? ”. If the answer is “yes” then don’t post it! Instead, reach out to the Volunteer Manager, or appropriate staff member, to discuss your concerns.
Our Facebook groups are meant to be a positive, uplifting, informative platform for KC Pet Project, and our goal is to always keep communication channels open. These guidelines are in place to offer direction, not to discourage discussion. As always, the Volunteer Department can be contacted with questions about any policy, procedure or concern!