Project Snapshot

Client: Stray Animal Adoption Program

Project Type: Non-profit digital transformation

Scope: Site audit, Website refresh and migration (WordPress → Squarespace), donation platform setup, digital fundraising campaigns, branded email + social content

Expertise: Web design, platform integration, content strategy, donor funnel optimization, ongoing digital support

SAAP is one of the largest foster-based rescues in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area. Their old WordPress site and donation system were hard to use, scattered, and not built for growth. I stepped in to give them a full digital refresh: moving their website to Squarespace, setting up Givebutter for donations, and building out email and social campaigns.

Today, the new website and donation system make it simple for people to adopt, foster, volunteer, and give. The team can easily run creative campaigns year-round, and I continue to manage and evolve the digital presence so SAAP can focus on what matters most—saving animals.

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Challenges

SAAP’s old WordPress site had grown messy over the years. Information was scattered, pages were out of date, and the adoption process was confusing. Donations were limited to PayPal, which made it harder for people to give—and nearly impossible to track campaigns or recurring gifts. On top of that, branding felt inconsistent across the website, emails, and social media, making it tough to build momentum with supporters.

Goals

The mission was clear: create a modern, easy-to-manage digital home for SAAP that made adopting, fostering, and donating simple. At the same time, we wanted to expand how SAAP connected with supporters—through streamlined donation options, creative fundraising campaigns, and consistent branded communications. Everything needed to feel approachable, mobile-friendly, and built to grow with the rescue.

Solutions

We rebuilt the website from the ground up, migrating from WordPress to Squarespace to give SAAP a clean, mobile-ready site that’s easy for both the team and adopters to use. Donations moved to Givebutter, unlocking recurring giving, multiple payment options (credit card, Venmo, PayPal, Apple Pay), and real-time campaign tracking.

Website

Transformation

Website homepage for an animal rescue organization featuring sections to adopt, donate, and volunteer or foster pets. The page includes menu options and colorful background with paw prints and bones.
Homepage of a pet adoption website with images of dogs and cats, featuring sections for adopting, fostering, volunteering, events, and donations.
A webpage from the SAAP organization provides information about adopting cats and dogs, including application steps, fees, and Saturday adoption locations.
Screenshot of a website titled "Our Adoption Process" with images of people holding pets at the top, and sections detailing adoption fee information, what's included in the fee, and FAQs about the adoption process.
Screenshot of a website page titled 'Adoption Event Rosters' with information on pet adoption events at various locations and times, including a spreadsheet with dog names and their adoption event locations for the weekend.
Screenshot of an animal adoption website with sections on weekly adoption events, adoption event rosters for dogs and cats, and a map showing event locations.
Screenshot of an animal rescue organization website with a blue and teal paw print background. The page is titled "Volunteer or Foster" and provides information about volunteering, foster care, transportation, fundraising, and adoptive services for animals. Features include application links, event details, and guidelines for fostering and volunteering.
A donation webpage for SAAP, featuring a call for help, a photo of a kitten, a photo of a young woman reading, donation options, and logos for Amazon Wishlist and Chewy.
A webpage titled 'Curious about ways you can support SAAP,' featuring three sections: a volunteer sign-up with a child near a cage, a donation section with colorful toys and supplies, and social media support icons. Additional sections include promotions for Kroger Community Rewards and a reminder to check for missed information.
Screenshot of a webpage for a dog and cat adoption organization with an animal paw and bone pattern background, displaying sections about the organization, mission, volunteer opportunities, and contact information.
A webpage displaying the mission and statistics of an animal rescue organization. It highlights their pillars of rescue, adoptions, and care, with figures showing over 43,700 animals rescued and 250+ in foster care. It also mentions 350+ adoption events planned for 2024 and a goal of 2,123 adoptions, with images of three dogs and a cat.

With the website in place, I then created branded email templates and social graphics that helped unify their look across platforms. Together, these updates made it possible to run year-round digital campaigns—like Giving Tuesday, March Matchness, Poorly Drawn Pets, and Super Bowl Squares—that bring in more donations and keep supporters engaged.

  • Event invitation flyer for Toby and Moby's Doggie Scramble at Tri County Golf Ranch, featuring a dog with a golf club, with date, time, cost, and information about proceeds benefitting the Stray Animal Adoption Program.
  • Flyer for Florence Pet Smart Saturday adoption event, featuring dogs and cats, on August 12th from 11 AM to 2 PM at 1060 Hansel Ave, Florence, KY 41042, with a Stray Animal Adoption Program logo and silhouette of a dog and cat.
  • A digital graphic for an animal rescue organization showing a black puppy with floppy ears, a speech bubble saying 'We need your help!', a red urgency alert icon, and text calling for urgent donations of cat and dog food with a link to donate at adopstray.com/donate on a background with paw prints.
  • A digital poster announcing a March Matchness charity event, highlighting one week remaining, with a picture of a dog and text about donation matching, and a countdown of 7 days.
  • A digital illustration showing a webpage with an adoption campaign for rescue dogs by Steve. The webpage features animated images of various dogs in front of a man with glasses and a white beard. The campaign highlights 19 sponsors, 19 new fosters, and 19 dog adoptions, with a goal to reach by August 28. Logos of SAAP and Fox 19 Now are displayed at the bottom.
  • A digital adoption poster featuring four animals: a pitbull terrier mix named Phil, a terrier pit bull Australian cattle dog named Shaina Twain, a domestic medium hair cat named Prescott, and a domestic short hair cat named Sweet Potato. The poster invites adoption with a $50 fee plus a toy and food to take home.
  • Digital poster announcing March Matchness from March 1 to 31, with a basketball and logos for Your Brands Saving Breeds and Stray Animal Adoption Program.
  • Digital poster for a 25th birthday bash of the Stray Animal Adoption Program (SAAP) on September 9, 2023, featuring photos of various dogs and cats wearing party hats and balloons in the background.
  • Infographic about Heartworm Awareness Month, depicting a veterinarian with a dog and information on heartworm disease prevention and treatment.
  • Flyer for Pints for Pets event on August 14th from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm at Wooden Cask Brewing Company in Newport, KY, with a goal of raising funds for SAAP, featuring icons of beer mugs and logos of Wooden Cask Brewing Company and SAAP.
  • Digital flyer for a Pint Night event at 13 Below Brewing on Monday, September 1, from 4 to 9 PM, with a promotion donating 10% of beer and restaurant sales to a rescue.
  • Social media post for the SAAP Stray Animal Adoption Program fundraising event titled 'Poorly Drawn Pets Fundraiser' scheduled from November 17 to December 7. The image features a real dog on the left labeled 'what's possible' and a child's drawing of a dog on the right labeled 'what's probable,' with colorful stars and hearts in the background, and icons at the bottom left of a heart and speech bubble.
  • A digital pet adoption profile featuring a friendly dog with tan and gray fur, wearing a red bandana. The background has paw print patterns, and there is a speech bubble saying, "Thanks for your support!" A blue button below reads, "Click here to check out Kodiak's bio!" There is also an orange sign that says, "Adopt me." at the bottom right of the profile.
  • Logo celebrating 25 years of a stray animal adoption program, featuring a dog and a cat wearing party hats.

Email Campaign

Highlights

Doubling Donor Impact Through Email

Quick Stats

Email Open Rate
31.3%

Open rate exceeded nonprofit industry average (21%) by 10%

Email Campaign Raised
$1,916

Email alone contributed 20% of the campaign’s total fundraising

Total Campaign Raised
$9,512

March Matchness doubled donor impact and brought in over $9,500.
I proposed the matching campaign concept and led its full execution — from designing the creative, developing the Givebutter campaign, and writing the email, to posting across social media and coordinating outreach.

Engaging Donors with a Cincinnati Zoo Raffle

Quick Stats

Email Open Rate
24.7%

Solid engagement, close to industry benchmark (21%).

Email Campaign Raised
$1,320

Email generated more than half of the total funds raised.

Total Campaign Raised
$2,320

The Cincinnati Zoo raffle brought in over $2,300 in support of rescue animals, with more than half raised directly from the email campaign.

I designed the campaign creative for email and social media, and built the Givebutter campaign page to capture entries and donations.

Strengthening Community Engagement Through Storytelling

Quick Stats

Email Open Rate
36.8%

Exceeded nonprofit average (21%) by 15%+

This summer recap email achieved a 36.8% open rate, one of SAAP’s highest engagement scores of the year.

I designed the creative, structured the storytelling format, and developed content that highlighted rescue wins, upcoming events, and adoption opportunities — keeping the community connected and informed.

“For web design, I know of no one better than Tori Hemsath. Our previous website was outdated, clunky and tired. Tori took the time to learn all aspects of our animal rescue and provided us with a first class, affordable and user-friendly website. I highly recommend Tori.”

— Bob Howard | Stray Animal Adoption Program

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