The wolf program has proven to be very effective in stimulating people to care about environmental issues. We have also found that when people are given an opportunity to meet a live wolf that folks will drive hundreds of miles to participate. This exposure may result in increased awareness for the sponsoring group’s interests and needs as well. Without a few details being accomplished to announce and organize your event we may all waste a lot of energy. We have witnessed many programs sell out with only 24 hour notices. We have arrived at large facilities to do highly promoted events with only a handful of people present. It is not how long you spend preparing for the wolf's arrival but how you do it. The following is a set of priorities and a list of items helpful to assure our mutual efforts are rewarded.

Start by finding two key components
A facility adequate to seat people
A sponsor willing to host the program financially and help advertise it.

These two generally come together in the same package. There are many groups and clubs whose primary mission is to host public educational events. The wolf program can be used as a fundraiser by charging admission to public events if necessary. Our purpose is to provide education and we do not want to turn away interested people due to a lack of money. We suggest that hosts offer public events for free if possible. If the program is used as a fundraising event we do not want the issue of fundraising to overpower the Wolf Program and issues. If a group chooses to fundraise, the proceeds will be split evenly between the host and Mission:Wolf.

Many people find success by simply reserving an auditorium or gymnasium at the Local College, School, Museum, Library or other public meeting area. Student groups can generally do this for free and are often willing to help advertise events. Private individuals and clubs in the community are often requested to pay for the rooms and advertising. Once the location and date is secured it becomes much easier to find additional partners willing to pay for and advertise the program.

Announce the wolf's arrival
Use the Ambassador Wolf Poster and M:W Flyers in the downloads section of this website (or create your own) to announce the date, location, time, and cost of the event (be sure to use broad point markers). Run off a few hundred full sized copies, find a group of people and ask each one to hang up and display 20+ posters in their local neighborhood - i.e. community bulletin boards, businesses, food stores, schools, churches.... Fluorescent highlighter markers are great to highlight the eyes, feathers and other features on the posters. With permission from sidewalk owners -have student artists do sidewalk chalk paintings announcing the event. This along with word of mouth can fill most facilities alone.

Call the local newspapers, radio and television studios to find out who should receive the enclosed press release. Fill it out, send or fax it to them- (along with a poster) and follow it up with a phone call to be certain someone at least looked at it. The wolves may be available to do TV talk show or news features at the TV studios. Newspapers like wolf photos and phone interviews. Be sure to ask each one to list the program in the community bulletin or event columns. Follow-up is critical or they may forget.

Once the location and host are secured the rest of the details fall into place easily. Each town we visit is due to a single individual that achieved the items above. Some did it all alone (whew!), while others simply delegated it out to others but did the follow-up the keep it all together. Again these are simply some tasks that we have seen produce a wonderful and memorable experience for everyone involved. Good Luck!