Top 10 Benefits of Sharing Your Data with SAC

Before Shelter Animals Count was founded in 2012, no one had any idea how many animals were in shelters, how many entered as strays, how many were adopted, etc. All anyone could do was guess and each year we had no clear idea on whether things were getting better or getting worse. 

SAC was created to get a holistic overview of the animal welfare landscape, while at the same time, give animal organizations the information they need to streamline and pivot operations according to the needs of their community. By collecting consistent shelter data and by collaborating with other shelters, our ability to save animals’ lives can be dramatically improved. While we essentially began as an animal sheltering “census” of sorts 10 years ago, we have become much more than that.

Our goal is 100% participation. By participating as a data contributor, you will have access to an objective, unbiased database of your own and others’ unfiltered shelter statistics, from the local to the national levels. From improving the quality of individual organizations’ grant applications, to helping communities best allocate their resources across multiple shelters or animal services providers, the benefits of being a data contributor, and therefore, a data recipient, are tangible and impactful. 

1. It’s FREE to participate!

2. Neutral, Trusted, & Independent – We believe animal sheltering data should be transparent, accurate, and safe, which is why SAC members can access a growing number of resources in your SAC portal to help ensure data consistency and integrity at your own organization.

3. Win $$$$ – Keep your data current and you could win one of $25,000+ in grants we give away throughout the year.

4. Meet Grant Requirements of nearly a dozen national grantors who require data submission to SAC to be eligible for grant awards!

5. FREE Data Tools like custom dashboards for your website, downloadable reports for stakeholders, comparison tools for your data and state, regional, national, and similar organizations.

6. Make Your Animals COUNT – the more data we have, the more we all can learn about what is happening in shelters across the country by using data-backed insights to determine where funding, program support, transports, and other resources are needed.

7. Data Trends & Future Forecasting can tell us where we have been and where we are headed – within your own shelter, county, state, region, and across the country (and Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and soon, Canada) so we can be proactive to change the direction vs. reactive.

8. An Easy Way to Promote Transparency by sharing your SAC data on your own website and your other communications AND when you sign-up for API to have your data sent automatically from your shelter software, you can just set it and forget it.

9. Ensure Media Headlines Are Factual by making sure your data is counted toward your county, state, and regional totals. SAC data submitters also have opportunities to interview with national media outlets when they’re looking for a shelter-level perspective.

10. Power in Numbers – Be a part of a group of nearly 7,000 animal shelters and rescues who have contributed data to help pets and the people who love them.

Because Shelter Animals Count consists of animal welfare professionals from diverse backgrounds and interests, united toward a common goal, you can be certain that your participation will be met with respect and support. We are committed to helping sheltering organizations save lives. When SAC was originally formed, we envisioned a world where grant-makers, researchers, and all those with the ability to improve animal welfare would rely on this database as their source for consistent, reliable shelter data. Today, SAC is exactly that…and so much more!