Social Media Account Instructions

We strongly suggest that every puppy raising club maintain a social media presence if possible. Social media provides a place for your club to share important information, milestones, and celebrations. Building a social media presence also assists with building awareness of our mission, volunteer recruitment efforts, and online search engine optimization for our brand.

Topics included on this page:

Facebook

Our goal is to present consistent and cohesive branding of all puppy clubs online, and Facebook is a simple way to accomplish that. You don't have to be prolific on Facebook for it to be an effective marketing and recruitment tool for puppy raising volunteers. As long as you are responding to inquiries promptly, the frequency of your posts is not as critical. Please don't be intimidated or overwhelmed by the platform; use it how it will work best for you, while helping GDB with our goals as well.

This section includes details about naming conventions and page information for Puppy Raising Clubs that are active on Facebook. Since we’re aiming for consistency across all clubs, your attention to detail regarding the following information is much appreciated.

Here are some tips to ensure a strong Facebook presence for your Puppy Raising Club:

Have adequate contact information listed so that people can get in touch with you. Remember that people visiting your Facebook page do not have to have a Facebook account to see and access the information on the page, so having contact information readily available is crucial. Contact information can be reviewed and updated by selecting Settings >> Page Details.
Ensure your account is secure by adding a second and/or third admin to the Page. For page security and continuity, all GDB Puppy Raising Club pages should have @gdb.staff.5 added as an Admin. (See below for instructions on adding a page Admin.)
Consistently monitor and respond to requests for information that come to you via Facebook. Ideally, your club's Facebook page administrator(s) should monitor the page daily. You will likely get inquiries posted directly on your page or via Facebook Messenger. Please be prepared to respond promptly.

Please note: A Facebook page must be tied to a real person's account. You must be logged in to Facebook as yourself; you then personally become the administrator of the puppy raising club page. You can add/delete other administrators for the page as necessary once it has been created.

Choose "Create > Page" from Facebook's top navigation menu.
Give your page a name. Customize your Page Name precisely as follows (do not alter the capitalization or punctuation in order to be consistent with all puppy clubs):

Guide Dogs for the Blind – [Insert your club City, 2-Letter State] Puppy Raisers.
Enter "Nonprofit Organization" as the category, then hit "Continue."
Under Bio, add the following: “Guide Dogs for the Blind – [Insert your club City, 2-letter State] Puppy Raisers are proud to raise puppies for the largest guide dog school in North America.”
Upload a profile picture. Please use the Facebook icon provided by GDB (green square with the generic puppy raising logo in white).
Upload a cover photo. This can be anything you'd like - preferably an appropriate photo from your club. Please make sure that the photo reflects current GDB branding, including the most recent puppy coat.
Go to the "About" section of the new Page
Create a username. Please change to @GDBCitypuppyraisers (please customize “city” in the name to reflect your club’s location). Please use the exact capitalization and punctuation shown in the example.
Complete the remaining sections in the "About" portion of the page as per the following (refer to the screenshots contained in this document for reference):

“Contact and basic info” tab:

Under Service Area, please add the cities that your Club is active in.
Please include your club/club leader’s email address
The website address should be http://www.guidedogs.com/.
If you also have an Instagram account, you can link to it here (see below for notes and tips on managing an Instagram account for your Puppy Raising Club).

Under the “Details about you” tab:

About you: (Please copy and paste the following text)

At Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB), we believe that everyone deserves to move through the world safely and confidently—to live the life they want to live. Our passionate community employs innovative practices to create life-changing partnerships. We advocate for policy reforms that change how the world views blindness and disability. When everyone is empowered to participate, our communities are stronger.

[Use this space to add club-specific information, such as where and when you meet, your club size, etc. Anything you think would be pertinent to someone who might be interested in joining your club.]

Learn more about becoming a puppy raising volunteer at guidedogs.com

This page is moderated in accordance with the Facebook Community Standards (facebook.com/communitystandards), and we will remove posts and/or ban accounts that violate these standards, or are:

- Abusive or threatening towards any individual;

- Violating any law or individual's rights;

- Fraudulent or deceptive;

- Repetitive postings or spam;

- Off-topic or not relevant;

- Solicitations or advertisements.

Instagram

Instagram is another great recruitment tool and a fun way to connect within the GDB community. Instagram accounts are not required, but highly recommended if your club has the time to manage it. Similar to Facebook, you don't have to be prolific on Instagram for it to be effective. As long as you are responding to comments and inquiries promptly, the frequency of your posts is not as critical. Please don't be intimidated or overwhelmed by the platform; use it how it will work best for you, while helping GDB with our goals as well.