Collect Adoption Interest with Online Applications

Often potential adopters expect to view and apply for animals online, so having a way to capture their interest is key.

There are many different tools for gathering online adoption inquiries. The ASPCA Los Angeles PeeWee Program fosters and adopts out kittens in partnership with the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control and relies on a cat and kitten adoption survey to make it easy for adopters to share their interest. Tina Reddington Fried, Director of LA Volunteer and Kitten Programs, recommends leading with the most important questions, like the potential adopter's name and contact information, and limiting the number of questions so that people don't abandon the form before submitting their interest. Consider making optional non-essential or "nice-to-know" questions to get people to complete the form.

The ASPCA Adoption Center in New York City uses Adōpet to acquire information from potential adopters. This service allows potential adopters to track application status, taking some of the communication work from busy shelter staff.   Another helpful option, especially for kittens who may be adopted fast, is to create a generic landing page of all adoptable kittens that doesn't require frequent updating. 

Whatever tools you use to track your online adoption interest, it's a good idea to make sure your adopters still feel connected to your organization with timely communication either by email or phone. Streamlining the process should still provide good customer service.