Rescue Strong is the end result of starting small. It all started by by wanting to find a way to give back. What started with one design (I Was Checking Your Dog Out) and one fundraiser for a single rescue has turned into a small business with a focus on making an impact in the community with as many rescues as possible.
In the beginning the focus was on funds. As a small business, one of the easiest ways to make an impact is to provide donations to non-profits in need and let them use that money for whatever area of their organization needs the most help. As Rescue Strong has grown we've given back in a variety of ways, but one thing I've always wanted to do was find more ways to encourage and reward those who get involved.
Supporting organizations with funds and donations is great, but rescue is really about all the individuals doing the little things to make a big impact.
TEAM RS was an idea that started a couple years ago where we would sell a membership to the shop that would grant the member 20% off all their purchases for an entire year, a small gift from us, and a section of the shop that had different items not available to everyone else. The membership "buy in" was a direct donation to a rescue in need.
While I loved this concept and it raised a few thousand dollars each year, I know that the donation amount was not always possible for everyone. This led me to try and rethink our TEAM RS membership, and how to use it to encourage others to get involved all year.
Team RS Members that join through the annual membership will always have access to the area, and the 20% discount. But others can join TEAM RS and gain access to special items by participating in random acts of rescue.
1. We will post a theme, for example "Rescue Firsts."
2. You can interpret the theme as you wish, but the act you perform must directly impact a rescue or shelter. For example, if you've never visited a shelter volunteer orientation you could do that as a "rescue first" for you. Or if you've never run a fundraiser, or gone to a rescue event those could be your "rescue firsts" as well.
3. You will need to make an instagram post about it with a minimum 200 words in the post describing the act, and the impact. This is as much about promoting your act and encouraging others as it is performing the act itself. I'm also trying to avoid "low effort" posts like people making a post with a single word or sentence.
4. You will then email teamrs@rescuestrong.com with a link to the post and we will add you to TEAM RS for the month or quarter (haven't decided that yet) and you will have access to the area for that time period until the next random act of rescue challenge is posted.
