Charity.
I started volunteering for Lurcher SOS in 2021 by fostering our first puppy, Woody.
I soon realised that the rescue was in desperate need of social media management and a website refresh, so I volunteered my time.
A new website.
The old Lurcher SOS website was built on Drupal, and had become difficult to manage and update. The design was dated and needed a refresh.
After consulting with the head of the rescue, I designed and built a new website on Squarespace, with these things in mind:
Ease of use - it had to be easy to update
Accessible - for people of all ages, but particularly 45+ as this is the target demographic
Highlight our dogs - Finding suitable homes for dogs is the top priority.
-
created a new vector logo to strengthen brand recognition
developed a cohesive colour scheme and improved colour accessibility
chose clear, legible fonts and simplified navigation for a smoother user experience
added a prominent donation button in the header across all pages
-
built custom coded features, including a ‘Meet the Dogs’ scroller
developed a filterable list of available dogs using CSS and JavaScript
improved the adoption application process (moving from email-only to a streamlined form with centralised storage)
revived and reorganised the blog section to support news, updates, and fundraising stories
-
refreshed copy across the site to improve clarity and SEO performance
added tailored meta descriptions and ensured pages targeted relevant keywords
created and refined factsheets to strengthen SEO and support user understanding
What I did.
Old website
New website
Laurie Harkness, Owner and Founder of Lurcher SOS Sighthound Rescue
“Taylor has designed and now manages the rescue’s website, bringing outstanding knowledge and real attention to detail. She also runs our social media pages and keeps everything up to date with fresh, engaging content. What truly sets her apart is her ability to capture exactly what needs to be said without any prompting or oversight. She understands our voice, our mission and our dogs, and communicates it beautifully every time.”
Social media reset.
Lurcher SOS has a huge audience on socials (38k+ combined across Instagram, Facebook, and X), but the rescue suffered from a lack of resources to post regular, new content. The content posted wasn’t optimised for clicks and was the same content constantly reposted, which the algorithm punished.
This screenshot shows the analytics for the Facebook page for just the last year, showing consistent growth.
-
Introduced fresh, consistent content after a long period of inactivity
Shifted away from repetitive posts that the algorithm penalised
Brought in new post formats: stories, behind-the-scenes moments, polls, graphics, and seasonal campaigns
Used natural, approachable, emotive language that resonated with followers
Shared authentic fosterer stories (with permission) to showcase each dog’s personality
Created viral-performing posts through storytelling and timely content
-
Designed eye-catching graphics using Canva
Used video content to increase reach and visibility
Developed seasonal and themed posts (e.g., Valentine’s “blind date a rescue dog”)
Modernised the overall visual style to be more engaging and shareable
-
Applied engagement-boosting techniques such as calls for comments, photo sharing, and audience participation
Encouraged community involvement to strengthen emotional connection and drive action
Leveraged social language commonly used by rescue organisations to deepen engagement
-
Set up a LinkTree for Instagram to make key links accessible and drive website traffic
Trained existing team members on best practice for posting and maintaining engagement
Improved consistency and professionalism across both Facebook and Instagram
Fundraising campaign.
In early 2025, the rescue found itself with 5 dogs in its care that needed lifesaving medical care, and faced vet bills in the thousands. Being a small rescue, it didn’t have that money to hand, so I was asked to run a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds.
What none of us expected was our community’s generosity in a cost of living crisis - we smashed our initial goal of £4000 in just a matter of days, and went on to raise £7,300. This more than covered the veterinary costs of dogs in our care, and saved 5 lives.
-
Created and launched a GoFundMe campaign with Laurie listed as the beneficiary
Established a clear, emotive narrative to communicate the urgency and purpose of the fundraiser
-
Used emotionally resonant language to encourage donations
Posted regular updates at key fundraising milestones to maintain momentum
Showcased the real-world impact of donations to build trust and encourage further contributions
-
Reached out to influencers and rescue patrons, including Faye Tozer Smith and Alan Carr
Secured promotional support that directly contributed to increased visibility and donations
Fostering.
My partner and I began our fostering journey with a puppy named Woody in 2021 and have since fostered nine dogs - and we’re not stopping there! As fosterers for Lurcher SOS, we provide a safe and comfortable home for dogs who have had a difficult start in life, helping them decompress and prepare for their forever homes. All 9 of our fosters have found the most incredible forever homes, and we love staying in touch with them to see what all our hounds are up to.
We support dogs with separation anxiety, nervousness, reactivity and resource guarding, observing and understanding their personalities to ensure they are matched with the right family.
Fostering has taught me the importance of patience, empathy and careful assessment of each dog’s traits, from their activity levels and social preferences to their individual quirks, so that adopters have a clear understanding of the pet they are welcoming into their home.
