Introducing the New Sitting for a Cause!

It is with immense excitement that I share with you that the new and improved Sitting for a Cause is finally live! Many of you have been with us since we started Sitting for a Cause three years ago, but back then most people didn’t know creating this site was the ultimate goal. Most of you have been along for the ride for the past year, knowing the site is in development but never knowing when it would launch. As you know, a lot of blood, sweat, and tears have gone into this site, so I am thrilled to finally be able to share it with the world!

The new Sitting for a Cause

Sitting for a Cause launched in 2013 with my pup Diamond and myself as the only two sitters on our roster. Our mission was all about pet sitting that gives back. We figured what better way to help animals in need of homes than by capitalizing on the market created by pets that already had homes! We always knew expansion was the goal so after two years and over $4500 in donations, we decided to work towards a relaunch that would open up our network to even more pet care professionals. After all, the more people we work with, the more we can give back and save the lives of animals in need!
The way our site works is simple: pet care professionals and pet parents can sign up for our site and create profiles. Pet parents can then use our site to search for pet care professionals in their area to assist them with their pet care needs, from overnight care to daycare to dog walking and more! They can message the pet care professional through our site, set up meet and greets, agree on service fees, then book and pay for services through our site. Upon job completion, pet parents may leave a review and release payment to the pet care professional. We charge a 10% commission fee on the pet care professionals earnings, 5%-10% less than our competitors and we commit to giving 50% of our profits each quarter to help animals in need! For more information on how it works, visit our How it Works page!

Earn badges to set yourself apart as an exceptional sitter

We give pet care professionals the opportunity to showcase their skills and legitimacy on their profiles and require they complete at least one verification task in order to get their profile approved on our site. They can earn profile badges by taking tests, purchasing background checks, or purchasing insurance from our insurance policy to cover jobs booked through our site.  The first 100 pet care professionals who complete a background check will get their check for free! After that, we will refund the $6.75 background check fee to pet care professionals by waiving the first $6.75 in commissions.

We have many terms and conditions in place to protect both pet parents and pet care professionals, from limits on how many jobs professionals can book each day to fee policies for cancellations and more! For more information about our Terms of Service, you can go here. Worried about privacy? You can view information about our Privacy Policy here!

Use #sittingforacause for a chance to be featured on our Instagram and Twitter accounts!

Along with our site updates we have some news about our social media accounts: going forward we will be opening up our social networks to our users! Don’t worry, I know many of you love Diamond as much as I do and you’ll still get to see her face from time to time. That being said, we want to start featuring our community on our Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Instagram accounts so everyone can see who is helping make a difference and save lives. If you are a pet care professional working a job you booked through our site or are a pet parent whose pet is being cared for through our network, we encourage you to share pictures on our Facebook page or use the hashtag #sittingforacause on Instagram or Twitter for a chance to be featured!

I want to thank everyone who has expressed interest, support for, and a desire to use our new site. Without the constant words of support and encouragement from everyone, I’m not sure I would have made it to the end of this crazy long tunnel. There are also two other people who I want to recognize. First, I want to give a huge shout out to our programmer, Jill. You always hope you’ll find someone who will be excited to help you achieve your dreams but to have someone be as passionate as Jill has been about this project means more than I can express. She has been the biggest blessing throughout this whole process. I couldn’t have asked for a more extraordinary person to be part of this journey with me! Also, I want to give a big thanks to our CFO (my wonderful father) for being on board with us giving away 50% of our profits and for believing in my vision. I have to believe there aren’t very many CFO’s out there who would say “Sure! Let’s give away 50% of our profits” and to have that stamp of approval has meant a lot to me.

We are beyond excited for our launch and hope that you will use and enjoy our site knowing that every booking you complete will help save lives. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s about for us: pet care that gives back! Check back with us tomorrow as we will be launching a huge giveaway in honor of our new site! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or encounter any issues with the site, please get in touch!