All Cats, All The Time: Part 3

The third in an ongoing series featuring clever — and effective — cat adoptions promotions. Has your agency run a successful campaign? Write outreach@aspca.org and tell us all about it.

Central Oklahoma Humane Society
Cinco de Gato

The deal: On May 5 — Cinco de Mayo — the adoption fee for OK Humane cats 6 months and older was just $5. That price included all vaccinations, microchip, spay/neuter surgery and one month of free health insurance.

Successful practices: OK Humane heavily promoted this campaign via their social media channels and website — and kept Facebook fans updated on adoption numbers throughout the day, continuing the buzz and excitement.

End results: "This was our first year for the Cinco de Gato special," reported Samantha Burnett, OK Humane Director of Operations. Final tally? 20 gatos, including four at 7+ years old. "The other very cool part is all these cats have been with us long-term, and it's great to see them adopted."

Town Lake Animal Center
KittyPalooza

The deal: Waived adoption fees for cats over five years of age during peak kitten months of June, July and August; for cats under 5, the fee was reduced from $75 to $35.

Successful practices: Although TLAC had been promoting reduced adoption fees in June for a number of years prior, they found their media got quickly bored with the same message — a supercreative campaign like KittyPalooza combined with fee-waived adoptions was just the ticket. The music-themed adoption event featured solo cat acts (and all-cat bands!) with names like Tom Petme and the Heartbreakers, Britney Spays, Hissy Elliot, 9 Inch Tails and the Yowling Stones "performing" on one of two stages.

End results: The adoption rate for cats over 5 years increased by 27%, from 25 adult cats adopted June through August in 2007 to 42 adopted in the same period in 2008, with no evidence that the fee-waived and reduced-fee animals adopted were valued any less than other pets adopted from the shelter.

Nevada Humane Society
The Great Orange Cat Rescue

The deal: "When we got 54 mostly-orange cats from a hoarding situation," explains NHS executive director Bonney Brown, "we dubbed it The Great Orange Cat Rescue, created posters, sent news releases and asked the public to adopt the cats and send donations for the care."

End results: Total number of orange cats adopted? 54.

Best practices: Adoptions promotions? "We view them as a retail operation," says Brown, who brings her strong background in marketing to the table. In fact, NHS is so creative — and consistent — in cranking out clever adoptions promotions that they take their inspiration from highly unlikely places…

Arbor Day Promotion

The deal: After receiving a postcard from a community member commenting on the depth and breadth of the number of NHS' cat promotions ("What's next, Arbor Day?" he wrote), the shelter took it to heart. NHS offered $10 off regular adoption fees and a certificate for a free tree — when folks adopted a dog or cat on Arbor Day.

Best practices: NHS teamed up with a local nursery on this one — always a smart move to build relationships with local businesses and a great way to extend your reach in the community. Win-win for all parties involved.

Click here for more holiday-themed promotions from NHS.

Image courtesy Central Oklahoma Humane Society