Only the Lonely

TECH SOUP AND MICROSOFTSHOW YOUR IMPACT Assisting Senior Citizens withthe Care of their Companion Animals

Through the auspices of Tech Soup we were granted several software programs, Excel, Word and Publisher. As yet, we are not a large organization and none of our volunteers are computer savvy. What we have accomplished using these programs, to my mind, is nothing short of miraculous. Each program has made it possible for us to create everything we need to run an efficient organization. Excel has proven invaluable in enabling us to easily maintain our data base of supporters. Aside from the day-to-day maintenance of our files, we have used Microsoft Word and Publisher to create professional-looking newsletters, business cards, flyers, and brochures. We have also produced an adorable masthead which we use on all our correspondence and brochures.

Since our nonprofit is in existence to assist the elderly, our fundraising activities are set up at community gatherings frequented by the elderly. Our outreach tables predominantly display our informational materials where they garner the most attention by the greatest amount of people in our neighborhood. Microsoft Publisher has allowed us to create a simple, easy to read tri-fold brochure which maximizes the amount of information provided while minimizing the amount of space taken up on our table. Aside from our informational brochures and business cards, we sell various pet-related items at these events. Again, Publisher has provided the means for us to create snappy signs designed to present our items in a favorable, easy to read, informative light. By using Microsoft Word’s ICreate Labels we have neat, precise price tags on each item. We have also been able to create a display board showcasing the cats we have rescued and how and why they came to stay with us. Photographs are a sure-fire way to attract attention and we have used Word to create this attention-getting tri-folded display board, further enhancing the work that we do.

The high point of the use of Microsoft programs is the production of what I think is a very novel creation. We have produced our very own raffle tickets using the Microsoft Word Program. We are planning a raffle this fall and instead of having to purchase rolls of ordinary standard red or blue raffle tickets, we can customize the tickets in an eye-catching and informative manner employing a numbering system from the Scheme Management feature of Word.

The use of the internet has enabled us to work with digital photos of our rescued cats, capturing them in a sympathetic light to be uploaded onto our website which can be accessed at (http://www.companionanimalsinretirement.com/Our_Latest__Retirees_.html). We have received numerous plaudits for our website design. Again, we are computer novices and have amazed ourselves in the creation of a very professional-looking website. This also gives us a means of reaching many people who otherwise would never have heard of us. We provide links to Donation Line, which handles the vehicle donation aspect of our charity. We are based in New England but have received donations from as far away as Nevada, evincing quite a widespread reach. Our “How You Can Help” links are located at the following web address: http://www.companionanimalsinretirement.com/How_to_Help.html

We are pleased to be a part of Tech Soup. The help provided by you, Microsoft and the many other software companies to nonprofits, big and small is immense, especially to mom and pop organizations like Companion Animals in Retirement, Inc. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart and I hope you are always there to provide the assistance which is such a great benefit to all. Because you do great work, it helps us to do the same.

Christine Weiner, President|Companion Animals in Retirement, Inc.