2015 Pin Up Pets starts May 1st!

Tangerine House of Design is getting ready for the 2015 Pin-Up Pets Calendar sessions in May and wanted to blog some thoughts and explain the process for prospective clients. The concept of a partnership between photographer and local animal rescues began about 10 years ago at my former studio in Connecticut. I partnered with an agency that was building a no kill animal sanctuary so every dollar raised was very much needed. It proved to be a great way to boost donations for the rescue, and I decided to continue it at Tangerine House of Design. In Minnesota, I've partnered with a small number of rescue organizations in the Twin Cities area. Animal rescue is very important to me and I am proud to report that in the past two years, Tangerine House of Design has been able to raise $3,400 from session fees alone. That's $3,400 that local rescues may not have been able to collect without Pin-Up Pets. This total doesn't account for any additional donations rescues received in return for the actual calendars.  We've supplied the organizations with 2,000 calendars (1,000 each year), which they've sold for a minimum donation of $10, totaling another potential $20,000+!

A lot of rescue agencies have their own calendar as a fundraising effort. As we all know fundraising is a constant challenge for small non-profits so its good to have a number of donation events during the year. There are benefits to joining with other agencies to create a calendar that all can use for fundraising. The cost sharing of a joint effort is a great help for smaller agencies without funds to create their own calendars. Having businesses sponsor the calendar generates thousands of dollars to cover the printing costs, allowing the rescues to retain all donations the calendars generate. There is a synergy of working with other non-profits that are doing similar good work for pets. In my mind rescues are partners and not competitors. Being listed in the calendar and having the Pin-Up Pets cover pet gives their rescue agency expanded reach in marketing to the public.

I believe in the value of Pin-Up Pets as a fundraising platform. As an act of that belief each year I make a significant investment of time and money several months before sessions begin. I begin work on designing the marketing materials and having them printed at my expense. I make certain all session donations are distributed to the agencies in a timely fashion. After online voting has chosen the final images, I spend a great deal of time designing the calendar so the finished product reflects the quality that Tangerine House of Design is known for in the community.

The event is really a Win:Win:Win situation for all involved. The most important aspect is that local rescue agencies receive donations to continue their work helping animals in need. They also have marketing potential with their dogs are in the calendar. Secondly, the customers get a professional portrait session and great images of their pet. The customers also have the opportunity to see an image of their pet in the Pin-Up Pets Calendar. Thirdly, as a business I am able to meet new clients that I may not have been able to otherwise reach. It's a really great thing when private business and non-profit agencies can join together to help animals in need.

The participating rescue agencies this year are:

Wags and Whiskers,  http://www.wagsmn.org/

Homeward Bound, http://homewardboundrescue.com/

Secondhand Hounds, http://secondhandhounds.org/

Windmill Animal Rescue, http://www.windmillanimalrescue.com/

Greyhound Pets of America - Minnesota, http://www.gpa-mn.org/

Taking part in the Pin-Up Pets Fundraiser and Calendar Contest is easy:

1. Book a session date and time via phone (952-303-3619) or through the Tangerine House of Design website (www.TangerineHouseOfDesign.com)

2. Attend a session at Tangerine House of Design studio in Edina MN. At the time of the session, the sitting fee is waived and a donation of any amount is made to one (or more) of the participating rescue agencies. The first thirty customers receive Goodie Bag.

3. The customer returns to Tangerine House of Design to view the images and place an order.

4. One image from each session is entered into Online Voting to choose the animals in the calendar. Votes are just $1 each.  All money raised through voting will help offset the cost of printing the calendar. The pet with the most votes will be the 2015 Pin-Up Pets Cover pet!

5. Local sponsors submit ads which will pay for the remaining costs of printing of the calendars.  

6. Calendars are printed and distributed to the participating rescues. Rescue agencies can offer calendars for a suggested donation fee $10. Rescues keep all the donations for the calendars.

On Saturday May 3rd, Tangerine House of Design will have booths at The No Kill Walk for the Animals in St Paul and at Humane Society The Walk for Animals in Minneapolis. We'll be available to answer questions on the Pin-Up Pets promotion or general questions on pet or human photography sessions. There will also be a limited number of Tangerine House of Design pet bandanas as a free giveaway. We look forward to a fun day of talking about pets and photography with the local pet community.

To make an appointment for your "Pin-Up Pets" portrait session in the month if May, please call 952-303-3619 or schedule your session online (be sure to select "Pin-Up Pets" from the pull-down menu). Sessions will be limited, so be sure to reserve your appointment time now. Special packages will be available for ordering.

The first 30 participants will receive a goodie bag filled with awesome schwag from area pet businesses. In addition, all pets photographed will be included in a pet portrait contest for our 2015 "Pin-Up Pets" Calendar!

Lisa Asp, M.Photog., CPP, is the owner & photographic artist at Tangerine House of Design, Edina MN. Tangerine House of Design specializes in portraiture of pets, kids, and families.