And the winner of ConnectVA’s Community Innovation Award is…..the Richmond SPCA!

Learn how they are innovatively implementing technology to deliver services, advance their mission, and impact our community.

We love seeing the overwhelming joy experienced through saving a life.

How are you implementing technology?

Social media has become an increasingly important information-sharing tool not only about pets available for adoption, but also in helping to gain support for important animal welfare issues that have regional or national impact, promote adoption specials and engage members of our community including our dedicated volunteers and donors.

We work hard to highlight the friendly, inviting nature of our humane center through social media, and use our website and blog to encourage those considering adding a pet to their family to visit.The Richmond SPCA’s website auto-populates with photos of pets as they become available for adoption, which allows potential adopters to view our pets available for adoption and read detailed descriptions about each animal before visiting.

Several years ago, we began writing our weekly “We Were Adopted” blog posts which are now anticipated by our dedicated volunteers each week –providing each volunteer the opportunity to celebrate the pets that they worked with being placed in a loving home.

What are impact do your efforts have?

With the help of technology and social media, the Richmond SPCA continues to grow and expand its lifesaving reach throughout the Richmond community and beyond. By highlighting the inviting nature of our adoption center, having information readily available on each pet awaiting adoption and using social media daily, we are able to reach those who are contemplating adoption and even those who might not have considered adoption for one reason or another.

In addition to helping us reach potential adopters, technology has provided us with an avenue to easily keep lines of communication open with those who have adopted from our humane center. Whether it is through a Facebook message, a submission on Tumblr or a tagged photo on Instagram, we love receiving regular updates about how pets are adjusting in their new homes, photos of pets with their new families and seeing firsthand the overwhelming joy experienced through saving a life.

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The Richmond SPCA, founded in 1891, is a no-kill humane organization dedicated to the guiding principle that every life is precious. As a national leader in humane care and education, the Richmond SPCA is building a more compassionate community through programs of adoption, rehabilitation, spay/neuter, pet-retention, trap-neuter-return and humane education. The Richmond SPCA has placed more than 35,000 pets in loving, wonderful homes since becoming no-kill in January 2002. As we continue to grow and save the lives of more animals in need in local government shelters, technology and social media have increasingly become important tools to the Richmond SPCA.