We sponsored research at the Eller College at the University of Arizona to shed light on the critical problems that lead to the euthanasia tragedy.
What we learned was vivid and compelling. The problem isn't lack of interest in adoption. It's lack of resources for outreach. Shelters don't have the money, time, or people to effectively market their precious inventory.
There are high - surprisingly high - levels of interest adoption. 70% of those surveyed were interested in a future adoption.
There is great interest in true rescue. 65% respondents said they would likely intervene if they were aware of a dog whose life was at imminent risk.​
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But shelters have no resources to market or even to communicate. Shelters survive on budgets that often do not even cover the welfare needs of the animals or the communities they serve. Typically there is no budget at all for marketing. Only 10% of shelters have a formal communications officer.
You can't attract customers if you don't have a way to reach them. Social media has been a godsend to shelters, but even that takes money and expertise. And, as any retailer knows, it is only part of a marketing plan, and does not substitute for the ability to spend resources to get the message out.
If a typical regional shelter were a retailer, it would be spending millions every year on marketing. Retailers spend 15%-25% of their budgets on customer acquisition. That implies that a medium-size urban shelter, with a $10M budget, should be spending millions annually on marketing.
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There is overwhelming support for businesses that visibly support rescue. 90% of respondents said that they would be more likely to support businesses and brands that were actively supporting rescue, adoption, and shelters.
These results document a clear need. The core issue is visibility. To use marketing terms, it's getting more potential customers into the wide end of the funnel. There are many wonderful initiatives in the rescue arena, but surprisingly few - if any - with a systematic branding and marketing focus.
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The results point to a clear opportunity. Given the level of public support for businesses that promote rescue - the most powerful idea is partnership with respected brands. Not just any or every brand - rather, brands whose mission, values, and customer base align. For those brands, the goodwill we found in our research can translate into new opportunities, even as their engagement saves lives.
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Shelters need grassroots community visibility. Social media has been a great asset, but there's no substitute for direct community engagement. The simplest new tools and communication templates can build critical awareness.
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There's a different volunteering opportunity. Most shelter volunteer programs focus on direct work at the facilities. In fact - volunteer hours spent in the field, systematically generating awareness, have a very high lifesaving ROI. There need to be materials and training available that turn this into a systematic and disciplined activity.
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So: those are our goals. We are focused on creating new, disruptive levels of visibility for shelters - and thus, saving thousands of lives.
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