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The Wisconsin Humane Society has a simple but substantial goal: Eliminate any barriers that exist to adopting from the shelter.
Wisconsin Humane was founded in 1879 and is the largest sheltering organization in the state. It services Milwaukee and Ozaukee counties and provides care for nearly 20,000 animals a year. This number includes wild animals treated at its Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
Why we love this
Wisconsin Humane has transformed its adoption process into an open, inviting experience. The shelter's simple, accessible and commonsense approach to customer service has helped build trust in the community.
The road to change
 Wisconsin Humane's new relationship with the community began by asking a fundamental question: What will it take for the community to fully participate in re-homing all of our at-risk animals? For WHS, the answers included:
- A clean environment for the animals
- Reliable information about the temperament and health of animals
- Friendly and well-trained staff
- Systems for feedback from clients to drive future improvements
- Better access to services, including client-friendly hours
- Enhanced marketing and communication, with local media visibility
How to get there
Step 1: Hold focus groups
WHS sought out people who'd adopted from their shelters or who'd tried but failed to adopt. The group gave feedback on:
- What they liked adopt their adoption experience
- What prevented them from adopting
- What undermined their confidence in the shelter
Step 2: Define and implement a new vision
What WHS heard from clients is that it needed to improve the way staff interacted with the public and improve the feel of the shelters. WHS came up with some simple yet effective changes, including:
- Placing volunteer greeters in the lobby to welcome visitors and direct them as needed
- WHS's group is called the Public Arrival Welcome Service, or PAWS
- Offering evening and Saturday hours
- Handing out beepers at busy times so visitors can explore the shelter until an adoption counselor can meet with them
- Circulating staff among visitors rather than have them waiting behind a desk
"First impressions are critical," says WHS Executive Director Anne Reed. "A friendly reception for guests is key to WHS's success because the relationship begins as soon as a person enters our building."
Focus groups also suggested animals be showcased so they had the best chance of being adopted. As a result, WHS arranged the kennels into distinct areas:
- Dogtown
- The Royal Cat Hotel
- Small Animal Boutique
- Adoption Avenue
Step 3: Educate, engage, demystify
WHS wants potential adopters to have easy access to information, so it provides:
- Interactive exhibits and bulletin boards in the lobby and hallways
- ASPCA Meet Your Match personality profiles for every dog and Feline-ality assessments for adult cats
- A clear, up-to-date and accessible website. The website has:
- Virtual online shelter tours, including a companion animal tour that takes one dog from its arrival at the shelter through its adoption by an excited new guardian
- Current adoption listings
- How-to information on adopting, volunteering, fostering and donating
- A virtual rehoming site that gives people resources to rehome their animals without surrendering them to the shelter
Step 4: Use social media
- WHS's website includes a link to the shelter's Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Facebook pages. The Facebook page includes an album where people are encouraged to post photos of their animals. "It's a great way to stay connected to the public," says Community Relations Director Angela Speed.
The results
WHS has been inspired by the positive feedback it's received since making changes to its shelters. Among the many successful outcomes:
- Volunteer numbers have soared from 350 to more than 1200
- Adopters who say they are "extremely satisfied" with their adoption experience and would recommend WHS to anyone interested in adopting
- Praise for a pleasant, no-pressure environment and good customer service
- Stated confidence that WHS will provide whatever support adopters need to be effective guardians for their new companion animal
- Stronger bonds with the community and increasing financial support
Key ingredients
- Listening to and learning from what the public has to say about the organization
- Becoming a visible and active part of the community
- Constant reevaluation to stay on top of the needs of the animals and the people who will adopt them
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