Humane Society of the Palouse
On a Mission to Find Forever Homes
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.
What I Did
Content Creation
Graphic Design
Photography
Social Media
How I Did It
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.
The Results
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.
Work Examples
