Introduction to Fostering with Laurel Cats

Case Study

Context:  Laurel Cats, Inc. is an all-volunteer-run cat charity in Laurel, MD. They provide many services for cats in their community, including trap-neuter-release, feral cat colony support, and foster to adoption programs. Laurel Cats educates community members on community cat issues and advocates for appropriate legislation and policies. 

Challenges: Laurel Cats does not have a physical shelter space for cats waiting to be adopted - all cats are fostered in volunteers' homes. New volunteers are always needed, and the onboarding process involves a phone interview, onboarding with the standard operating procedures, and a virtual home visit before approval. The volunteer coordinator shared with me that most potential foster families drop out during the onboarding phase, likely because they are asked to read a 24-page document, which reduces the number of foster cat families. 

Solutions:  This Storyline course is an upgrade to the current onboarding process that is more engaging and focused. It is clear and can be completed in much less time than the previous onboarding task. 

Results: The intended outcome is to reduce the number of potential volunteer foster families who do not complete the process. This will be measured by comparing the percentage of volunteers who dropped out while using this course to the previous percentage using the document.