Social Media Policy
National Kitten College (NKC) encourages volunteers and fosters to share their passion for animals and animal welfare through social media with the understanding that all volunteers/fosters are ambassadors of the organization. As such, please follow the guidelines below and abide by all other NKC policies when using social media.
*Social media refers to all social sharing platforms, including but not restricted to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, blogs, etc.)
Be transparent:
Identify yourself honestly and accurately when commenting on social media posts that relate to NKC or the work we do. If you comment on something NKC posts or something related to NKC, please make sure to state that you are a volunteer/foster (i.e. “I’m a volunteer here at NKC, and I agree, Pogo IS such a cute cat!”)
Only the Founder & Executive Director may communicate with the media on behalf of NKC without permission. Please direct all media inquiries to Marnie Russ at info@kittencollege.org
Refrain from establishing any NKC pages/groups/etc. without express permission. The Executive Director has administrative control over any extra NKC-affiliated pages.
Own up to your mistakes
If you make an error or post something that is inaccurate or untrue, be upfront about your mistake and correct it quickly.
Protect sensitive information
Do not disclose confidential information about NKC or its employees, volunteers, supporters, adopters, surrenders, service users, events or announcements. Follow relevant protocols and guidelines for sharing information about animals in our care (see below).
Assume nothing is private
Remember anything you share online may be seen by the public, even if your accounts are set to private. Your posts on social media might be shared or screenshotted. Do not post content that you wouldn’t want the public to see. We repeat: assume that nothing is private!
The Executive Director may, at any time, request that the volunteer/foster edit or remove online content that is in violation of this policy. If you have a concern or a grievance about an NKC policy or issue, bring your concerns to the attention of the Executive Director before sharing them in a public setting. Violation of these guidelines may lead to termination of your volunteer status.
Sharing information/photos/videos about animals on social media
We encourage volunteers/fosters to share photos and stories about the animals in our care with their social media friends and followers. Your posts help us connect with supporters and show your friends and family the impact you make on the lives of animals every day. We encourage you to take photos and videos of the animals you work with or foster and share them with our Executive Director at info@kittencollege.org so that they may be used on our social media pages.
Always follow these guidelines when posting about animals in our care:
Feel free to post about:
- Animals that are available for adoption
- Animals that you are fostering in your home
- Animals and stories already featured on NKC social media pages
- Animals in our care pending the outcome of an animal control investigation
- Animals that are suffering, distressed, visably injured, sedated or in surgery
- Animals that are pending euthanasia or are deceased
- Owned (by the public, i.e. stray) animals, unless you have explicit, written permission
