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Understanding Volunteerism in an Animal Shelter Environment: Improving Volunteer Retention Rebecca Davis Marquette University

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Understanding Volunteerism in an Animal Shelter Environment: Improving Volunteer Retention Rebecca Davis Marquette University Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette College of Professional Studies Professional Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Professional Projects Fall 2013 Understanding Volunteerism in an Animal Shelter Environment: Improving Volunteer Retention Rebecca Davis Marquette University Follow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/cps_professional Recommended Citation Davis, Rebecca, "Understanding Volunteerism in an Animal Shelter Environment: Improving Volunteer Retention" (2013). College of Professional Studies Professional Projects. Paper 54. UNDERSTANDING VOLUNTEERISM IN AN ANIMAL SHELTER ENVIRONMENT: IMPROVING VOLUNTEER RETENTION By Rebecca Davis, B. S. A Professional Project submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University, In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master in Leadership Studies Milwaukee, Wisconsin November 2013 ABSTRACT UNDERSTANDING VOLUNTEERISM IN AN ANIMAL SHELTER ENVIRONMENT: IMPROVING VOLUNTEER RETENTION Volunteers are an essential part of any nonprofit organization. In many cases, volunteers play a vital role in the success of the organization in which they serve. Specifically, this paper focuses on the volunteers serving animal shelters: a place that does not always have a positive outcome for the animals. This research serves as a vehicle to determine what encourages people to begin volunteering in such an emotional setting and what motivates them to continue to share their time in the facility. The study serves to aid in the development of a volunteer program at the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC). Based on individual interviews of current animal shelter volunteers, the study finds that MADACC is typically the first animal-centered volunteer experience for many people. Most volunteers focus on the welfare of the animals during their stay at the shelter and are dedicated to the animals they serve. Volunteers may experience joy and satisfaction from knowing that the animals make it out of the shelter alive. The consensus is that MADACC could spend more time and effort on marketing to help increase animal adoptions and transfers. To increase retention of volunteers, communication between supervisors and volunteers should improve. The results of this study may assist the volunteer manager at MADACC to increase volunteer recruitment and improve volunteer retention rates, thus helping the neediest animals in the county. Keywords: volunteer retention, animal shelters, volunteerism IMPROVING VOLUNTEER RETENTION i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Rebecca Davis, B. S. This project would not have been possible without the support of a multitude of people. Many thanks go to the staff and fellow students of the College of Professional Studies at Marquette University. Specifically, Professor Leslee Ruscitti, my project advisor, thanks for your continued support during the development of this project. I would also like to acknowledge Jessica Huber, volunteer coordinator at the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission, for her help and support of this project. Her willingness to offer suggestions and ideas is appreciated. Many thanks go to my wonderful husband, Demetrius, who was the backbone for my entire graduate degree at Marquette. Without his love and his continued support, this project would not have been possible. IMPROVING VOLUNTEER RETENTION ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................. i LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... iv CHAPTER I. UNDERSTANDING VOLUNTEERISM IN AN ANIMAL SHELTER ENVIRONMENT: IMPROVING VOLUNTEER RETENTION Purpose ........................................................................................................................3 Research Questions and Hypotheses .........................................................................4 II. LITERATURE REVIEW Overview .....................................................................................................................5 Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission ..........................................6 Volunteer Statistics .....................................................................................................9 Animal Shelter Volunteers ........................................................................................10 Animal Control versus Humane Society...................................................................13 Volunteer Managers ..................................................................................................15 Volunteer Recruitment ..............................................................................................16 Volunteer Retention ..................................................................................................19 Volunteer Burnout ....................................................................................................23 Communication ........................................................................................................26 III. METHODOLOGY Project Overview ......................................................................................................27 Research Design ........................................................................................................28 Sample ......................................................................................................................28 IMPROVING VOLUNTEER RETENTION iii Informed Consent .....................................................................................................29 Confidentiality .........................................................................................................29 Interview Questions ..................................................................................................29 IV. FINDINGS Participants’ Responses ............................................................................................30 Results .......................................................................................................................44 Discussion .................................................................................................................49 Recommendations ...................................................................................................51 V. CONCLUSION Research Limitations ...............................................................................................54 Future Studies ...........................................................................................................54 Concluding Remarks ................................................................................................54 VI. REFERENCES ........................................................................................................56 VII. APPENDICES Appendix A: 2011-2012 MADACC Animal Admissions & Dispositions ............61 Appendix B: 2012-2013 MADACC Animal Admissions & Dispositions ............63 Appendix C: Email to Potential Participants ............................................................65 Appendix D: Consent Form ......................................................................................66 IMPROVING VOLUNTEER RETENTION iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Research Questions and Participants’ Responses ........................................................30 Table A1: 2011 – 2012 MADACC Monthly Animal Admissions & Dispositions ......................61 Table A2: 2011 – 2012 MADACC Year-to-Date Animal Admissions & Dispositions ...............62 Table B1: 2012 – 2013 MADACC Monthly Animal Admissions & Dispositions ...................... 6e Table B2: 2012 – 2013 MADACC Year-to-Date Animal Admissions & Dispositions ..............64 IMPROVING VOLUNTEER RETENTION 1 Understanding Volunteerism in an Animal Shelter Environment: Improving Volunteer Retention Millions of homeless domesticated animals have become a growing concern within our local communities and our nation. The animal welfare industry has grown tremendously in the past decade. In the past century, and especially over the past 50 years, a growing emphasis has been placed on animal welfare around the world. In the United States, a very significant reason for this growing interest is a dramatic change in how individuals perceive animals. (Medina, 2008, p. 105) With this unrelenting growth, animal welfare volunteers struggle with placing animals in permanent homes. Milwaukee’s local animal shelter deals with these issues on a daily basis. An estimated 110 million dogs and cats are predicted to reside within the United States, although the number of households available to accommodate all of these nonhuman animals is inadequate. Approximately 3,500 to 5,000 animal welfare shelters across the United States have been grappling with this homeless issue for decades. Six to eight million companion animals are relinquished to shelters each year in the United States. (McDowell, Burns, & Lepczyk, 2011, p. 322) The Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC), like other shelters across the country, handles high numbers of animals including those from hoarding situations, neglect, abandonment, relinquishment, and strays. Approximately 15 million dogs are either turned out as strays or released to animal- welfare agencies by their owners in the United States every year. These agencies,
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