Animal Shelter Uses Data to Recruit and Retain Volunteers

Lauren Schnieders is the Volunteer & Foster Coordinator at the Humane Society of Delaware County in Ohio. They run an adoption facility, animal cruelty department, and operate a low-cost Vaccination & Wellness Clinic as well as a low-cost Spay & Neuter Clinic. The shelter depends heavily on volunteers for working the front desk, socializing animals in the cat and dog rooms, helping out with clinics and special events, and providing foster care.

The Humane Society of Delaware County started tracking volunteer hours with Track it Forward about a year ago. At the same time, they implemented a Volunteer Behavior Wellness Program, which includes tiered training for volunteers. Volunteers attain different levels in accordance to their level of experience and total amount of service hours. They implemented this new volunteer program to help recruit and retain more volunteers.

When the volunteer logs their hours, they categorize them by activity. “Being able to see where the hours are going is important,” says Lauren. She uses reports often to look at which activities the hours are going towards month-to-month. She then uses this data so that they can recruit and train volunteers to move into areas that aren’t getting enough hours.

Having a more regimented system to keep track of volunteers has significantly improved the efficiency and effectiveness of the shelter. They are able to recognize and reward volunteers for their service, thus increasing the level of engagement. Lauren loves her job working with volunteers, and seeing their impact is very rewarding. Lauren also has adopted 3 cats and 1 dog of her own!