creative cat adoptions that save lives -...
TRANSCRIPT
Creative Cat Adoptions
That Save Lives
M. Christie Smith, CAWAPotter League for Animals
HSUS Animal Care Expo 2013 May 10, 2013
Special Thanks Special Thanks ……
Sharon Harvey, the third person usually in our presentation,
couldn’t join us today. So I am sharing some of her ideas and
tips. When you see the headings on a slide turn to a blue blue
colorcolor – think Sharon and the Cleveland Animal Protective
League!!
Shelters Are Notthe Center of the Universe
Though cats may disagree …
They also are not the center of the universe
Remember ….
• 14% - 20% of animals in homes come from shelters
• 74% - 78% of cat owners are being acquired by their cat and the "owners" don’t proactively go out to get a cat
Surveys by APPA, AVMA, HSUS nationally and locally by MSPCA, DDFL and Hawaiian Humane
Challenges and Concerns
� Competition: free to good homes, Craig’s List, other shelters and rescue groups, community cats (feral or loosely owned cats)
� Myths & Societal Attitudes
� Veterinary Care
� The Adoption Police
Community Challenges & Opportunities
� Geographic differences
� Animals outside the shelter / rescue systems
� Veterinary – Shelter relationships
� Impoverished communities
Change our thinking
Throw out the old wives tales
Analyze, analyze, and analyze good, clean, naked data
Know your community
Lead with flexibility and a willingness to change
Focus on Solutions
New England is talking about cat transports !!
Feline Behavior Modification & Training
• Train staff, volunteers
• Behavior HelpLine
• Goal: prevent surrenders
Become the community’s go-to resource for all things feline
Cat Education Programs
Feline Forum – for adopters
Girl Scout Badges
Pet University
Pet Loss Support
Volunteer Commitment
WOW Factor
Guerilla Marketing
Man’s
Best
Friend
• the friendly helpful place
• the knowledgeable experts
• the best place to get a cat
• the benefits of adopting from
your organization
• outsmart your competition
Brand Your Organization
You can’t adopt unless you can
get the adopters in the door !!
“Outbehave” Your Competition
Less is More Less is More ……
� Craft message that will drive intended result
(adoption vs fundraising?)
� Make it safe, clear, engaging, compelling
(tap into current events, pop culture, special stories)
� Fun and silly or tug on the heartstrings?
� Avoid jargon (i.e. kitten season, pet overpopulation)
Brainstorm the Message!Brainstorm the Message!
Shout It Out!Shout It Out!
CREATE TOP OF MIND AWARENESS!!!
Cultivate relationships with media (x10!!!)
Press Releases
Website, blogs, social media
Speaking engagements
Tabling events
we wanted to save more liveswe wanted to save more lives
We needed to be more aggressive and “retail-minded” about adoption
marketing, but we faced staff / volunteer (and our own) concerns –
wrong people, bait, research, can’t afford, impulse, will “re-sell,” etc.
FIRST … we did our homework by “Researching the Bond”
Conducted @ ARL of Westbrook ME
Data collected during regular adoptions & fee waived promos
Standardized tool used to measure attachment (LAPS)
The research showed…
No significant difference in the bond
Adoptions increased
Length of stay decreased
Revenue did not decrease
Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, Vol. 4, 2009
The income bracket of a pet owner is not a significant predictor of commitment to pets, however
willingness to expend financial resources is a prominent factor. Therefore owners in either high and
low income brackets may or may not choose to spend monetary resources on their pet(s). Staats et al
Remove Barriers to AdoptionRemove Barriers to Adoption
62% have adopted once from the APL, 23% twice
45% first heard about the APL from a family member or friend
20% had considered getting their pet from a pet store before adopting
67% had conducted research before adopting
99% would adopt again as a result of their positive experience
99% either already have or will recommend adopting from the APL
#1 Reason for adopting on the day they visited the APL
50% wanted to rescue and animal and make a difference
29% saw animal on website
23% adoption promotion
21% adopted from APL in past
Reasons adopters chose to adopt from the APL in order of priority
Opportunity to rescue a homeless animal
Animals are already spayed/neutered
Low cost to adopt
Opportunity to support a charity group
Large selection of animals
Reputation
Simple adoption process
We also We also ……
Held meetings to discuss, gave heads up to colleagues in
our area
Provided education - % of “free” cats in homes now
Sensitive to messaging – “sale” vs. “promotion”
Reminded – adoption standards unchanged
Promised a gradual entry into VERY reduced rates
Assured follow-up & return rate tracking
EMPHASIZED: NOT OK to over-crowd! NOT OK to LIVE in
cages!
Increased stress and disease, decreased quality of life
Decreased capacity to help animals needing to come in
Weeks/months in a “roll-away” cage in the hall … NOT
OK!!!
Year of the Cat 2013
YOC Activities
$20.13 Cat of the Week.....drum roll please....Shoo Shee!
Adoption promotions
Cat clicker training
Adopter Orientation session prior to adoption
Website: videos, helpful tips, veterinary care
Push for microchips, collars/tags
Partnership with other groups – including EwassoLions project for big cats in Kenya
Staff training; Staff team building
More feline enrichment
Fundraising and PR that focus on cats
Debunking the myths
Facebook Humor ~ Great Photos
Facebook Issues• Facebook determines what you see –
EdgeRank
• A post from a Page may never show up in a user’s News Feed if it has a low EdgeRank
• Facebook monitors Reach, Engaged Users, Talking About This, Virality of posts
• The more people that comment, like and share a post, the more viral and relevant it becomes. And the more relevant it is, the better EdgeRank score it will get and the more likely it is to appear in a user’s News Feed
Source: Dumb Friends League
Facebook Best Practices• Posts must be engaging, rich, relevant, and drive Fans to comment, like or
share
• Type of posts that have performed well:
Photos – always #1
Photo captions
Questions (what’s your pet’s favorite treat?)
Contests / giveaways
Call to action (“like this status if…”
Things that are hot topics in the news
Polls
• Other factors:
Compelling and easy for the user to comment, like, share
Minimal text
Appeals to majority interests
Assets (accompanied by a photo, video, link, etc)
Posted during high traffic time of day
Happy outcomes Source: Dumb Friends League
Free Newspaper “Filler Ads”
Festive - Fun - Family
Themes – Reasons to Celebrate
Have Fun … Use Great Photos
Cat Adoption PromotionsCat Adoption Promotions
Feline Navidad
Black Friday
Yes We Can! … give shelter animals a home!!!
Unleash the Love
My Furry Valentine
Luck of the Irish
St. PET-rick’s Day
Cinco de Meow
Kitty Kristmas in July
Homeless Animal Day
Five. Five Dollar. Five Dollar Felines
Go Green – Adopt a Hybrid!
Certified Pre-owned Cats
Adopt Love on Black Friday
Twelve Days of Cat-mas
Find Love (Valentine’s Day)
March Madness Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight
National Old Friends, New Friends Week
A Royal Wedding Adoption CATs-travaganza
Love is a 5 Letter Word – ADOPT!
Rockin’ Rescue
Summertime in the City
Saving a Life – PRICELESS!
Anti-Boredom Week Promo
Sweetest Day
One More Seat at the Table
(Thanksgiving)
Black Friday
Home for the Holidays
FOX8 Sent Me!
WKYC Sent Me!
Feline Fathers Know Best
The Revenge of Kitty Galore
Twins Day
Be an Angel
Free to a Good Home
Everything Goes with Black
Fast and the Furriest
Feline Independence Day
1 $25 cats and $50 all month
2 $680 adoption revenue
Five. Five Dollar. Five Dollar Felines!Five. Five Dollar. Five Dollar Felines!Five. Five Dollar. Five Dollar Felines!Five. Five Dollar. Five Dollar Felines!Five. Five Dollar. Five Dollar Felines!Five. Five Dollar. Five Dollar Felines!Five. Five Dollar. Five Dollar Felines!Five. Five Dollar. Five Dollar Felines!
GREAT media coverage!MESSAGE
A study conducted at the University of Minnesota and published earlier this year concluded that cat owners were
40% less likely to suffer a fatal heart attack than people who didn’t have a cat. Based on this information, every
adoption is win-win: a deserving cat gets a loving home and the adopter gets a friend for life who will improve
his or her health and well-being—all for only five dollars. They also come with 100% of your daily recommended
amount of love!”
PROMOTION
• Saturday, September 19th … and then again Saturday, September 26th!
• $5 adoption fee for first adult cat adopted (5 months and older)
• $20 adoption fee for kittens
• $0 for “super-sizing” and adopting an adult mentor cat with a kitten
They Thank You for All Your Hard Work
When all else fails ….. BEG
Christie Smith
Potter League for Animals
P.O. Box 412
Newport, RI 02840
401-846-0592