Yakima Valley Pet Rescue and Adoption Center

Organization Name
Yakima Valley Pet Rescue and Adoption Center
Mission Statement

Our mission as a no-kill rescue organization is to provide protection, love and hope for animals who are homeless and abandoned. To work with all legitimate resources to place these animals in life-long homes and to involve the local community in these efforts by way of volunteers, donations and public education in matters of animal safety, training and population control.

City & State
Yakima, 
Washington
Question 1
The Before: What was the challenge, issue or problem your organization was facing? Or, what was the opportunity you were not able to take advantage of before you put a technology solution in place?

Answer: Yakima Valley Pet Rescue began 8 years ago. It was the efforts of just a few people that started what is now the largest non-profit pet rescue in the Yakima Valley that is not publicly funded. In the beginning, those few volunteers who were trying to save the lives of too many pets on the verge of being euthanized because of not enough space at the local county shelter, had only pencil and paper to keep track of the pets they were saving. They had to assess these pets, keep vaccination and alteration records and adoption records straight without the help of a computer system. It was such a grassroots effort in the beginning but the word of the work this group was doing spread and the need for more volunteers and an easier paper work organization plan became apparent very quickly.

Question 2
What Microsoft software have you used/are you using in your organization to more effectively engage your beneficiaries, donors and/or volunteers and/or to make a difference in your community?

Answer: Microsoft Office 2007 or 2010 (Includes any of the following: Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, OneNote, Outlook, and Word)
Other: Windows 7

Question 3
The After: How have these Microsoft products allowed you to engage your stakeholders more efficiently or effectively to make a difference in your community?

Answer: Donations began to come, and a computer was one of the offerings. Volunteers were able to begin to create all the much needed paper work that goes along with keeping proper records. We then began to use Windows Live to stay in contact with the volunteers and could quickly send messages and pictures to help get our work done more effectively. We have also published a newsletter using Word and Publisher. We’ve created brochures; flyers and much needed educational materials with the use of these programs. A crowning glory is a PowerPoint presentation created for school aged children that we present once a month to different local classrooms. The last achievement is a new website that was greatly created by Microsoft products and is being updated with the help of the Office Suite as well.

Question 4
What about these products (the features or the way you used them) made them particularly helpful in enabling your organization to expand and improve upon its community impact?

Answer: With the many volunteers working for YVPR, Microsoft Products has helped us be able to share documents so much more readily. The Microsoft brand is installed on all of our computers. When working together on projects it makes it so easy to send the work between computers where corrections; additions; improvements can be made and can be sent back out until we are all satisfied that we have the final draft that will help us either inside the organization or with the pets and people we help or with a project to help promote our mission as a pet rescue. We often have to share information with other rescues. The quicker we can communicate our needs the more pets can be brought off the streets or death row and saved. Using word and publisher to create a quick bio for a pet can save its life!

Question 5
Please provide any examples, stories or data that illustrate the difference the use of Microsoft software has enabled you to make (i.e., # of new clients reached, new program added, increased dollars raised, increased volunteers, etc.

Answer: Microsoft software has greatly impacted the way YVPR conducts our process of saving pets. From setting appointments for assessments to finding the right home for an adoption and all the steps in between Microsoft software has helped make all those steps so much easier. With all of the publications we’ve put out over the years created with Microsoft products our impact on the community is greatly increased because we are able to spread the word of what our organization does. Recently the PowerPoint presentation created and our new website have culminated our dream of reaching as many people as possible to educate them on the responsibility that goes with pet ownership and the wonders of adopting a rescue pet. All these steps have led to more volunteers and donations and more pets saved!

Upload photos or other supporting works/files

Supporting Work Web URL
www.yvpr.org
Special directions needed to access your work

easy access via all our pages to all our documents created by Microsoft software

Upload org logo or other identifying graphic

Yakima Valley Pet Rescue and Adoption Center