Research + Design + Consulting

Spring 2025
Individual

Scope Expansion: Strategies for Attracting HARP Volunteers

Volunteers are the back-bone of Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh (HARP). Unfortunately this amazing non-profit is struggling to recruit, attract, and retain them. My project consists of two main parts aimed at tackling this issue :

Developing the foundation of a Volunteer Ambassador Program.
Helping jump-start and promote the Barks and Rec pilot program.

Diving into the Problem

HARP is struggling to recruit new volunteers and to get current volunteers to continue to show up.

But why?

There are two main issues:

Time Commitment: Most volunteering opportunities require a 6-month commitment pushing away people with busier lifestyles.
Lack of Awareness: Many people don’t know about existing volunteering opportunities around them.

Where I started

Creating a Research Plan

Literary Search + Concept Mapping (Map out the current volunteering opportunities)
Interviews/Chats (Talk to multiple stakeholders to understand the initial research questions)
Field observations (Tour HARP and test programs)
Prototype Testing and Feedback (Show prototypes to HARP management)

Concept Mapping of Volunteering Opportunities

Talking with HARP

I had the opportunity to talk and collaborate closely with HARP, including talking to the director of marketing, vets, and foster and volunteer managers.

Key Takeaways:

There is a need to attract new volunteers and create deeper connections with volunteers they currently have.

They introduced me to Barks and Rec and the possibility to collaborate on this pilot program.

Larger dog breeds struggle more to get fostered and/or adopted.

The shelter is a stressful place that may cause behavioral issues on dogs, which is why they need plenty out-of-kennel time.

Interviews

For my initial interviews, I decided to reach out and talk to foster volunteers. The questions were focused on:

Understanding the current volunteer programs at HARP through the lens of different stakeholders like foster parents, managers, and vets.
Learning about the different challenges that HARP’s volunteer program is currently facing
Identifying design opportunities within the volunteer program.

Standout responses:

“ I try to encourage my neighbors to foster and to adopt instead of shop.”

“ I really want to, I just dont know where i fit in just yet.” (Talking about other volunteer opportunities)

“ There is a cost that comes with fostering, not knowing how much the food is going to last.”

“I thought about to be a volunteer to be a dog walker, but it’s a much harder longer process, and I have to commit to a specific time, which is hard for someone who works. It would be a little tough to take time out of my work week.”

“Facebook group is really helpful and everybody understands what theyre going through.”

Survey

I also surveyed and talked to people, mostly younger adults, that may or may not have experience volunteering to:

Identify important points to address in promotional video for Barks and Rec.
Recognize challenges that young adults face related to volunteering.
Identify opportunities within volunteering.

Standout responses:

“I’ve never really known about opportunities around me that were accessible”

“I work a 9-5 so it’s really hard to find time to spend time with animals :(”

Tackling the Problem

Volunteer Ambassador Program

Creating a Volunteer Ambassador Program so that current loyal volunteers can spread the word about current open positions, the importance of HARP, and useful resources on how to navigate the volunteer experience.

Why current loyal volunteers?

Already advocating for the shelter
Eagerness to help
Leading not only by voice but by example
Retired/work from home
Easy to relate to
Serve as additional points of contact

Deliverables:

Ambassador’s program branding
Volunteer Ambassador’s/Advocate’s brochure/pamphlet.
Leash pouch to carry pamphlets
Promotional video focusing on broader volunteering opportunities, showcasing current volunteer testimonies and experiences.

Barks and Rec!

Helping jumpstart Barks and Rec with branding and a promotional video.

Barks and Rec is a field trip program designed for HARP dogs to get some time “out on the town” and away from their kennels for a day trip.

Volunteering can be intimidating, especially when it comes to fostering big dogs. Barks and Rec acts like an entry point, low commitment opportunity to delve into the volunteering world and make it more accessible for people with a busier lifestyle, to ultimately help as many shelter dogs as possible.

Deliverables:

Barks and Rec branding
Promotional video focusing on a busier audience, that might not have a lot or any experience being a shelter/pet volunteer. I’ll be piloting Barks and Rec and documenting my experience

HARP Current Branding

Branding Progress

Volunteer Ambassador Program

Barks and Rec!

Testing at HARP

Feedback:

For Barks & Rec

For brand consistency, I’d love to see the HARP dog icon incorporated into the design.
In the text identifier, consider removing the period—perhaps replacing it with an exclamation point for more energy.
It might be fun to use alternating colors from HARP’s brand palette for the text.

Volunteer Ambassadors

I really like the concept of a small, easy to read piece. Perhaps instead of a flow chart, maybe a table or grid?

For the logo, I’m unsure about the megaphone. Perhaps we could use our existing dog, cat, owl, and heart icons in a style similar to the HARP 365 or Wildlife Rehabilitation Center logos?

Julieta, thank you again for sharing your time and talent with us! We are so grateful for your efforts to help us expand our volunteer support and raising awareness for HARP ‘s mission.

Looking forward to seeing your updates!