Delaware Humane Association

The Delaware Humane Association's mission is to rescue and enhance the welfare of companion animals. To achieve their goal, DHA looks to the community for assistance through volunteers and pet adopters. With limited space and funds available, DHA needs to increase the amount of pet adopters and volunteers that the organization receives each year. To do so, The Marketing Company has created a marketing plan which is targeted toward senior citizens living in Delaware. Currently, DHA does not put forth a great effort to promote senior citizen involvement within the organization. The only DHA marketing that is geared toward senior citizens is the senior discounts on pet adoption, which is only advertised on the organization’s website. With an increasing senior population in Delaware and the benefits of having seniors involved with DHA for the organization and the seniors themselves, DHA needs to adopt a marketing plan to target elderly citizens.

Currently, DHA only has one hundred senior pet adopters, but with the large and growing senior population in Delaware, the number of seniors involved in DHA can be greatly increased. According to the United States Census Bureau in 2006, people sixty five years and older made up over thirteen percent of Delaware’s population. That is more than 100,000 senior citizens who are all potential targets for DHA to market their adoption and volunteer opportunities to. Also, the United States’ population of senior citizens is expected to double by 2030 and the US Census Bureau expects Delaware’s senior population to increase at an even greater rate. Considering the large and growing pool of potential senior citizen adopters and volunteers, creating senior citizen marketing tools is a great opportunity for DHA to gain more support from the community.

Since many seniors are retired at home most of the day, they can make great pet adopters and volunteers. Senior citizens can often provide an animal with a quiet environment that is free of small children, and they have plenty of love to share with an animal. Since DHA has limited space, the organization cannot take in every cat and dog that needs help. The older the animal is, the harder it is for DHA to find the pet a home. This means that the older pets will stay at DHA longer, not allowing DHA to take in more animals. Having senior adopters that may potentially be more willing to adopt an older pet would be a valuable asset to DHA. Also, DHA is always looking for people to volunteer and the senior market may have more free time than other age groups to help the organization.

Although DHA will profit from having more senior adopters and volunteers, the senior citizens can also benefit. Pet ownership and interacting with animals can provide significant physical and psychological health benefits for older people. Statistics show that pet owners are healthier and happier than people who live without pets (Anderson and Dembicki, 1996). Studies show that pets can aid relaxation, lower one’s blood pressure, promote healing and prolong life (Siegel, 1993). Also, pets motive seniors by promoting physical activity and act as great exercise partners. Enders-Slegers (2000) found that most elderly pet owners reported that pets made them adhere to a strict schedule each day and enhanced their mobility, which improved the physical well being.

Interacting with pets and pet ownership has not only shown to enhance the physical well-being of senior citizens, but has also proven to benefit senior’s psychological health. Depression affects about fifteen percent of elderly people in community-living situations and about twenty five percent of seniors living in nursing homes (SITE). Pets may provide a constant source of affection for an elderly person and can reduce the chance of suffering from depression. Banks (1998) found that pets supported owners in times of sorrow and reduced loneliness in elderly citizens. Also, pets can enhance the self-esteem of senior citizens and may assist people in socializing with one another (Boltz, Hart and Rogers, 1993).

With the large senior population growing in Delaware and the immense benefits for senior pet adoption and volunteering for DHA and senior citizens, DHA needs to implement a marketing strategy to target the elderly population. In order for senior citizens to become pet adopters or volunteers, they need to be aware of DHA and the benefits of owning and interacting with animals. When senior citizens were interviewed, most reported that they were interested in getting involved with volunteer work. However, the seniors interviewed did not know if they would volunteer at DHA because they were not informed about the organizations objectives. Creating a marketing project geared toward senior citizens is an excellent way for the DHA to achieve their goal of enhancing the lives of animals by acquiring