Research & Strategy
Oxford County Animal Rescue
Volunteer Engagement Research and Communications Strategy
Read the case study
Oxford County Animal Rescue is a volunteer-run charitable organization whose work depends on people being willing and able to contribute their time. The organization was experiencing low volunteer engagement and needed clearer insight into what encouraged participation, what created hesitation and how future opportunities could be structured more effectively.
I helped conduct a research and analysis project centred on OCAR’s volunteer community. We developed a nine-question SurveyMonkey survey and distributed it through the organization’s volunteer Facebook group. Thirty responses were collected from a group of 65 members, providing qualitative and quantitative information about volunteer motivations, availability and preferred forms of involvement.
The findings showed that volunteers cared deeply about animal welfare, but practical barriers often limited participation. Respondents were more likely to engage when opportunities were flexible, less labour-intensive and available through a central location. Scheduling, work, family responsibilities and existing pets were recurring considerations.
Based on the research, we developed recommendations that OCAR could translate into volunteer communications and planning. These included promoting a central location, establishing a predictable schedule for routine opportunities, highlighting lower-commitment ways to help, maintaining a strong social media presence, targeting promising volunteer demographics and exploring school affiliations.
The project turned a broad engagement problem into a set of specific, evidence-informed actions. It demonstrates my approach to communications strategy: listen to the audience, identify patterns, acknowledge research limitations and build practical recommendations around the real circumstances affecting participation.