Animal welfare is something I've been passionate about my entire life. For two years I had the privilege of serving on the Humane Society of the Palouse (HSOP) board of executives. My primary goal was to take charge of the digital marketing efforts to increase adoptions, especially for difficult or special-needs pets, as well as significantly increase donations.

Upon joining the board on the Humane Society of the Palouse, my sole concentration was to create social media campaigns. HSOP had been plagued with poor staffing and poor customer service before I joined, and the public perception of the non-profit was less than ideal. 

I began by showcasing the services the shelter offered the community, like a pet food pantry, discounts on vet services when adopting a pet, and spaying and neutering assistance. I wanted the community to realize we were there to help those that had come across hard times, and we weren't just a place where you got your next family member, we could be a refuge and resource for those truly struggling.

After that, I started highlighting the aspects of the shelter that had been improved upon shortly before I joined. We did 'get to know you' posts for the animals, focusing on the ones that had been at the shelter the longest so we could find them forever homes. It was important to me to show the community we were serious about animals finding their best fit, and not just letting them languish in the kennels at the shelter. 

Animals with good portraiture and video increase their chances of adoption by 80%. So, I worked with the staff to create portraits that reflected each animal's personality, and crafted copy to match. 

This dog 'Kismet' had been at the shelter for well over four months. She was listed as vicious in the state of Washington, and although the charge was unfair considering her circumstances, it worked against her when families came to the shelter looking for their next addition. 

Kismet was a good dog who had been set up for failure at her previous home, but who had a lot to add to someone's life. I created a video to highlight the aspects of her personality that were truly wonderful, and created copy to highlight that, even while mentioning her past. 

After the video was posted, Kismet left the shelter within the week to a lovely woman who worked from home with no children or other pets, which was exactly what Kismet needed. 

'Thor' was another troubled case at the shelter. He'd been there three months before I worked with him. He'd come from an abusive background and had lost his faith and trust in humanity. He also did very poorly in a shelter environment, which didn't highlight how well he could do with a stable person in a home. 

The animals that tend to stay in the shelters longest are ones that don't do well with other pets or children. Thor was one of those. So many families come into humane societies to find pets that will fit with their family unit, so those dogs that can't do that tend to get overlooked. 

We did a whole 'Magazine Cover' themed session around some of the pets with Thor as the star. We showcased Thor and all the tricks he knew and showed how comfortable he could be with two people who didn't overwhelm him. An older gentleman with years of experience with abused German Shepherds saw Thor's highlight reel and magazine cover on social. He adopted Thor three days later. 

Before leaving the shelter, Thor attacked his cage when people walked by and had to be on anti-anxiety medicine his whole stay there. Upon leaving, he settled down in his forever home completely, went off the meds, and always sits on the feet of his owner when they relax together in the living room. 

While the main goal, of course, was to get these awesome pets into their forever homes, these success stories went a long way in demonstrating why more people should donate to the shelter.  

When the Forever Home initiative had finished, the Humane Society had found homes for 17 difficult or special needs pets, and year-over-year donations had increased by 60%.

For me, the biggest takeaway from my time at the shelter was that sometimes a pet just needs one chance to show how well they can do outside of a shelter environment. Being able to use my digital marketing, graphic design, and photography skills to help with getting these awesome pets into amazing homes was more rewarding than I could have ever imagined.