Font Demands on the Riverside County Humane Society (RCHS) have increased dramatically over the past several years, while the funding the society receives has remained relatively unchanged. In an effort to provide better care for the animals in RCHS care, the Membership Committee of the Board of Directors began making plans for a member/contributor drive. The drive was to be the first of its kind for the local chapter and committee members wanted it to be as effective as possible. As plans began to evolve, the committee realized that RCHS had only sparse knowledge of how the services of the Humane Society were used, the profile of its users, members and contributors, why people joined and contributed, and the effect of different appeals on intentions to use, join and contribute. Committee members believed this information was important and commissioned marketing research to secure it. One of the first things committee members did was to contact other Humane Society chapters to I determine what kinds of research they had done. Researchers interviewed key Riverside County Humane Society staff members and several board members regarding membership and conducted a focus group among members of the committee. These research activities produced the following insights: 1. Users of RCHS facilities and services are not necessarily the same people who become members or contribute. Members love their own pets, take good care of them and want all animals to be treated humanely. The greatest benefit associated with membership is the warm feeling that people get from belonging to the RCHS. O 2. Most contributors do not care about becoming a "member" because membership does not confer rights or privileges other than a newsletter. Members are different from contributors, and both of these groups are different from the general public. 3. Female household members 45 years of age and older are most responsible for making decisions regarding membership and contributions. The likelihood that people will become members and contribute increases with age and the average contribution is about $50. 5. The general public has a generally positive impression of RCHS. Most people have heard about the RCHS through education programs conducted by the society. 6. Emotional appeals are likely to have the best chance for success in increasing membership and contributions.V- EYEEX 1 2 : | 1 1 1 1 1 7 1 1 1 . 1 1 2 : 1 1 3 . 1 1 4 1 1 1 5 . 1 1 6 1 1 1 7 1 1 1 8 . 1 1 9 1 1 1 10 1 1 11 . 1 12 1 . 13 1 14 1 15 . 1 36 . 1 17 1 18 State Independent Variable Dependent Variable Being Gender Income Age Mind -Love and care of pets -how many times they Emotional Connection to avoided it or pet a pet the Charity in the past month -the positive and/or negative associations Behavior - Services of the charity Customers' satisfaction The likability and preference awareness of the charity ads -How much the customers are spending on services how many times they remember seeing or hearing advertising from the charity Intention The charity's reputation Future purchases for services