2021

PLAN BOOK

Alex Slupski
 Table of Contents
Organization Background........................................................3-4
Primary Research..........................................................................5
Secondary Research.................................................................6-9
Media Audit and Analysis....................................................10-16
SWOT Analysis.......................................................................17-18
Objectives...............................................................................19-21
Tactics......................................................................................22-25
Metrics...........................................................................................26
Appendix.................................................................................27-30
Organization Background
Mission statement:
“Jacksonville’s Animal Care and Protective Services
provides animal control to the citizens in Jacksonville by
fair enforcement and community education. ACPS also
enhances the quality of life in our neighborhoods by
offering quality pets for adoption at a reasonable cost.”

“ACPS is dedicated to providing a high level of service to

the citizens of Jacksonville and to saving the lives of all
adoptable animals in our community.”

Organization:
ACPS is taxpayer-funded through the annual City Budget,
and also receives grants and donations. The 2020 Forest
Street facility opened in 2009.
Organization Background
Roles of ACPS
Direct intake of stray and owner-surrendered
animals
Spay/neuter programs
Low-cost vaccinations and microchips
Facilitate adoptions

Day-to-day operations:
Adoptions
Spay/neuter surgeries
Routine care for acute and chronic conditions
Administration
Rescue placement
Lost animals returned to their owners
Foster program
Behavior research and training
The home base of Animal Control Officers
Primary Research
Using Qualtrics software, a survey was constructed to
learn about public perception of the organization. The
survey started with the collection of demographic
information on participants to inform analysis of other
data collected. The survey then asked a number of
questions about pet ownership, including if the pet was
adopted, and if so, where. Questions about the
participant's knowledge of ACPS were asked, as well as
additional questions meant to inform future advertising
decision-making. Display logic was used to show
participants specific questions based on their responses
to previous questions. Data from this survey has many
use cases and should offer valuable insight to ACPS.
Please use the link below to view the full, interactive
survey or see the survey export included in the
supplementary materials.

Survey link:
http://unf.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eJsrH8kFaWL9
cmG
Secondary Research
ACPS Data

2007 2019
Animal intake: 24,243 Animal intake: 5933
Euthanasia: 19,663 Euthanasia: 555
Live release: 17.6% Live release: 90%
Adoptions: 2973 Adoptions: 4375
Staff: 62 Staff: 50 FT, 8 PT
Volunteer hours: 0 Volunteer hours: 4375

2020 2021 (YTD 8/29/21)

Animal intake: 5933 Animal intake: 3207
Euthanasia: 360 Euthanasia: 177
Live release: 91% Live release: 92.02%
Adoptions: 2973 Adoptions: 1279
Secondary Research
ACPS Data - Analysis
Data was sourced from ACPS, courtesy of Franny Buffa,
Manager of Volunteer Dervices. The data set includes the
years 2007, 2019, 2020, and 2021 through the end of
August. One of the most notable trends is the difference
in euthanasia totals, live release percentages, animal
intake, and adoptions between 2007 and 2019. In 2007,
12% of the total animal intake ended up being adopted.
That number had risen to 73% in 2019. Animal intake in
2019 was around a quarter of what it was in 2007, but
adoptions increased from 2973 to 4375, even with fewer
animals for potential adopters to choose from. Another
major difference between 2007 and 2019 was the
euthanasia totals. The number of euthanasias
performed in 2019 was 2.8% of what it had been in 2007,
which represents a major shift in the way ACPS operates.
This data shows that there's an opportunity for ACPS to
deal with the past perceptions of their organization, and
to showcase the results of the changes that have been
made since 2007.
Secondary Research
Comparable Organizations
The closest comparable organization to ACPS in Duval
County is the Jacksonville Humane Society. JHS is an
independent 501c3 non-profit that offers pet adoption,
support for pet owners, resources for lost and found
animals, low-cost veterinary care, public training classes,
and youth programs. In 2020, their animal intake was
7,284, which was 22% more than ACPS the same year,
and they completed 5,891 adoptions, which is almost
double what ACPS did. Another notable data point is the
number of volunteer hours logged when compared to
ACPS. JHS says they had 19,041 hours of volunteer work
in 2020, and ACPS, which only has this data for 2019, says
they logged 4,375 volunteer hours. This is a large
difference, and significant given that both organizations
offer similar opportunities to volunteers. This may mean
that JHS is top-of-mind among Jacksonville residents
who are looking for an animal-based volunteering
organization, cutting into ACPS's potential volunteer
base.
Secondary Research
Demographics
Using the Gale DemographicsNow platform, data was
pulled from Simmons research regarding pet ownership
in Jacksonville. According to the 2020 dataset,
Jacksonville residents are 2% more likely than the
national average to not own a cat, and 5% less likely to
own one or more cats than the national average.
Similarly, Jacksonville residents are 6% more likely to
not own a dog than the national average, and 8% less
likely to own one or more dogs.

Experian MOSAIC data was also sourced from Gale

DemographicNow. The dominant MOSAIC group in
Jacksonville is Group O, which is Singles and Starters,
making up 31% of households. Experian defines this
group as "Young singles starting out and some starter
families living a city lifestyle." They are typically single,
technology-savvy, college-educated young adults under
35 living in a rental property.
Media Audit - Data
Data was sourced from a Google search for the keywords
"ACPS Jacksonville"
The News tab on Google was used to hone in on
published pieces by local news outlets
Data was pulled from the first 10 pages of results
In total, 49 articles were found that were more than
a simple mention of ACPS

Media Audit - Analysis

Event coverage
Based on the 49 articles found, 15 of them, or 31%, were
focused on an adoption event that was being hosted by
ACPS. This is a big positive for the organization and
means that awareness of these adoption events, which
make up a large number of ACPS's total adoptions per
year, is being effectively spread to the community.

News4Jax was the primary source that this specific kind

of coverage originated from. Many of these adoption
events are centered around holidays, and it seems that
this is an effective strategy as news outlets use it as part
of their coverage for the arrival of that holiday. The fact
that ACPS is able to consistently garner this amount of
coverage for recurring adoption events is great news for
the organization.
Media Audit - Analysis
Event coverage (cont.)
Example coverage:

"Jacksonville animal shelters critically full; Free adoption

event this weekend"
https://www.news4jax.com/community/2021/11/12/jacks
onville-animal-shelters-critically-full-free-adoption-
event-this-weekend/

"Animal Care and Protective Services offering free pet

adoptions this 4th of July weekend"
https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/duval-
county/animal-care-protective-services-offering-free-
pet-adoptions-this-4th-july-
weekend/DM4GH36QVRAGJIDOTMCF7UAS2Y/

"Howl-O-Ween event: Jacksonville offers free adoptions

on cats, dogs with black or orange fur"
https://www.news4jax.com/community/2021/10/27/city-
of-jacksonvilles-animal-care-and-protective-services-
host-howl-o-ween-adoption-event/
Media Audit - Analysis
Negative press
In August of 2015, ACPS was the focus of a News4Jax
article featuring a letter sent by an anonymous
whistleblower alleging that the shelter had falsified data
to maintain its "no-kill" status. An animal shelter must
have a live release percentage of 90 or above to qualify,
and the letter claimed staff was falsifying data and using
fraudulent reports. One month later, News4Jax published
another article announcing that the current Chief of
ACPS, Nikki Harris, was stepping down. According to the
article, there was no official connection between the
allegations and Harris stepping down. No other negative
coverage was found.
Media Audit - Analysis
Negative press (cont.)
Example coverage:

"Letter: ACPS lies to maintain 'no-kill' status"

https://www.news4jax.com/news/2015/08/14/letter-
acps-lies-to-maintain-no-kill-status/

"Another letter alleges misconduct at ACPS"

https://www.news4jax.com/news/2015/08/14/another-
letter-alleges-misconduct-at-acps/

"ACPS chief under investigation resigns"

https://www.news4jax.com/news/2015/09/18/acps-
chief-under-investigation-resigns/
Media Audit - Analysis
Animal Control Operations
Another major component of ACPS's news coverage are
stories about animal control operations. These pieces
often have sensational headlines about animals being
found in abysmal conditions. ACPS is almost always
included in these pieces because their facility acts as
the home base for Jacksonville's animal control officers,
and the animals recovered during these rescues usually
end up at ACPS and are put up for adoption.

This coverage is a great look for ACPS as the shelter is

often depicted as the hero for saving these animals from
poor living conditions. ACPS is also shown as the
authority on the subject, and almost every piece ends
with a PSA from the organization offering its services to
pet owners who need it. While the basis of this coverage
is inherently negative it can be seen as a positive for
ACPS.
Media Audit - Analysis
Animal Control Operations (cont.)
Example coverage:

"74 cats rescued from dirty, feces-covered home in

Mandarin"
https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/life/animals/74
-cats-rescued-mandarin-home/77-bb4ded5e-b57b-4800-
8286-d1deab8436ff

"25 poodles seized from Southside Jacksonville home,

now with rescue groups getting medical care"
https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/25-poodles-
seized-taken-southside-home-now-with-rescue-groups-
getting-medical-care/Z6GSHXWTPFFEZAN5S2QJ6V7GFY/

"Man arrested after more than a dozen dogs seized from

Westside property"
https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2020/12/09/ma
n-arrested-after-over-a-dozen-dogs-seized-from-
westside-home/
SWOT Analysis
Strengths

A modern and attractive facility which was recently

constructed
Strong loyalty among current staff and volunteers
Funded primarily by the City of Jacksonville
Wide range of in-house services offered to both
animals and potential adopters

Weaknesses

Not top-of-mind among Jacksonville residents

looking to adopt a pet
High overhead and upkeep costs
Consistently dwindling kennel space/capacity
Lack of new volunteers
Accusations of wrongdoing in 2015
SWOT Analysis
Opportunities

Increase positive perceptions of a city animal control

shelter
Draw more high-quality volunteers to the
organization
Increase awareness among Jacksonville residents
that ACPS is a great alternative to the Jax Humane
Society when looking to adopt

Threats

Breeders and pet stores selling animals

Potential competition from other pet adoption
agencies
Aging volunteer workforce
Staffing issues
Increasing stray and abandoned animal numbers
Objectives
1. Increase positive perceptions of a city animal
control shelter
2. Draw more high-quality volunteers to the
organization
Objective #1
Increase positive perceptions of a city
animal control shelter
One of the obstacles faced by ACPS is that they're a city-
run animal shelter, and what comes to mind when
someone pictures that. Poor living conditions, animal
control officers dragging in deranged dogs, and animals
up for adoption that no one would want in their home
are all some of the images conjured up. Staff,
volunteers, and those who have already explored the
adoption process at ACPS know that none of these
images are accurate. The challenge is spreading the
word to potential volunteers and adopters who might
not know what ACPS has to offer.
Objective #2
Draw more high-quality volunteers to the
organization
Another obstacle faced by ACPS is their aging volunteer
workforce and struggle to find both qualified staff and
enthusiastic volunteers. A large portion of their
volunteer workforce consists of high school students
who need volunteer hours for scholarships. This is a
great source of volunteer workers but leads to high
turnover. The other major group of volunteers is adults,
often retired, who have free time that they want to
spend in a helpful way. These volunteers are extremely
dedicated but the work takes a toll physically, and they
often have busy lives to attend to outside of the shelter.
The demographic gap between the two main groups of
volunteers leads to a disconnect at the shelter. ACPS is
always in need of new volunteers, but in that search, a
focus should be placed on reaching a younger group of
volunteers, in the 21-35 year-old range to bridge that
gap and create a new group of dedicated and able-
bodied volunteers.
Tactics
A brand guideline book will be created to increase the
professionalism, transparency, and cohesiveness of
ACPS. The booklet will be given to ACPS's in-house
marketing team to use in all future inward and outward-
facing materials, including print, social, and web content.
This will allow the team at ACPS to maintain their
individuality in what they create and utilize their
expertise in knowing what works and what doesn't in a
very niche field, all while adding professionalism to
ACPS's image. Guidelines will include fonts, colors, and
typography choices, as well as photography style guides
to help inform decisions about images released by ACPS.
Tactics
A new series of social media posts titled "Faces of ACPS"
will be created featuring the employees and volunteers
at the shelter. This behind-the-scenes look at the faces
who make the operation happen will allow potential
adopters and volunteers an honest look at the shelter.
These posts will consist of a common template to
maintain continuity and will feature consistent styling
and branding to give a professional and cohesive feel.
Each post will have a quote from the highlighted
volunteer or employee and will give the potential
volunteer/staff recruit an idea of what working at the
shelter is like.

When looking at the SWOT analysis, this series of posts

will help the search for high-quality personnel as it will
give volunteers a quick and easy way to learn about
what their tasks might be and hear from others who
enjoy what they do. These profiles could be combined
and added to the ACPS website on both the careers page
and the volunteering info pages.
Tactics - Media Buy/Schedule
For the most effective implementation of the new "Faces
of ACPS" ads, as well as other formats and content, the
media buy must support the objectives of the campaign.
Reaching the 21-35 year-old demographic is often a
challenge. In order to reach these groups, this
campaign's ads will be run as Image Ads on Instagram,
as their wealth of user data allows for hyper-specific
demographic and interest-based targeting. The new call
to action buttons available through Ad Manager will
allow users an easy path to ACPS's website with a tag on
the photo and a banner above the text of the ad. These
tools, which are only available on sponsored posts, are
critical on Instagram because links in the caption of
standard Instagram posts are not clickable and can't be
copied and pasted.

Effective use of these tools would be to focus ad

placement towards users who show an interest in pets
or animals. This could include following accounts of pet
"celebrities" or liking animal-centered posts more often
than others. Knowing that the audience who is being
served these ads is already interested in animals is a
headstart for volunteer recruitment, and allows ad
dollars to be more efficiently spent.
Tactics - Media Buy/Schedule
Adoption event-oriented ads should be run on a pulsing
schedule. The shelter runs at close to full capacity all
year, so ACPS should have a consistent minimum
presence on Instagram, in the form of promoted posts.
ACPS also has a number of large adoption events
throughout the year, usually centered around holidays. A
pulsing strategy would allow ACPS to increase the
frequency of ads being served during the run-up to
these events. Another time to increase the campaign ad
frequency is during a time called "kitten season."
Typically from April to October, warmer weather and
better access to food drastically increases kitten births,
many of whom end up at ACPS. Ads that focus on kitten
adoption opportunities could be increased in frequency
during this period to help combat the influx of kittens by
focusing ad dollars on this period. Pricing on Instagram's
advertising platform varies drastically based on the
industry of the advertiser, time of year, and many other
factors. Using the demographic and psychographic
targeting options available through Ad Manager will
optimize the ad buy and allow ACPS to get the most
value out of their campaign.
Metrics
One method of measuring the success of the campaign
is by using the survey from the research stages of this
project. After the ads have run their schedule and the
branding guide has been given time to be effective, the
same survey will be given, ideally to the same
representative sample as before. To analyze if the
objective has been achieved, we can compare the survey
data from before and after the intervention, specifically
looking at the questions in the survey that pertain to
participants' perception of ACPS. We can look for
meaningful swings in the responses of participants in
regard to these issues, and analyze if the steps taken to
address them were effective.

Another metric to measure the success of the campaign

is data from ACPS's volunteer database, specifically the
number of volunteers aged 21-35. We can compare this
data from pre-intervention and post-intervention to
check for any statistically significant increases. If these
increases are found, it likely means that the campaign
played a role in increasing volunteer numbers in that
demographic bracket.
Appendix
Brand Guidelines Booklet

*Please see Supplementary Materials for full document

 Appendix
Brand Guidelines Booklet

*Please see Supplementary Materials for full size document

Appendix
Faces of ACPS Ad #1

*Please see Supplementary Materials for full size image

Appendix
Faces of ACPS Ad #2

*Please see Supplementary Materials for full size image