'Tis the season to ask for supplies

Q. How can a practice politely request donated supplies—and actually get clients to follow through?

Caitlin Rivers

Consider putting a request for blankets or other donations in a client newsletter. This approach yielded such an overwhelming response for Caitlin Rivers, Firstline Editorial Advisory Board member and client coordinator at Metzger Animal Hospital in State College, Pa., that she had to put some of the many donations into storage. (Click the link below to download Rivers' donation request letter.) Rivers also runs a pet food bank. She e-mailed a few work associates asking for food donations, and they forwarded the message onto others. The result? More than 500 pounds of pet food in one week, Rivers says. She also attached a flier to the e-mail so people could print it and then post or distribute it.