Front of UVHS Building

Upper Valley Humane Society to Develop a Strategic Plan

The Upper Valley Humane Society has been named a recipient of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Community Express Grant in the amount of $5,000. The grant will be used to conduct the shelter’s strategic planning to adapt to the changing environment of serving pets and their families throughout the Upper Valley.

UVHS is more than an animal shelter. Each year, the non-profit provides more than 30,000 pounds of pet food to families in need and spays/neuters over 500 animals. Its emergency boarding program provides temporary housing for pets of people experiencing homelessness, hospitalization, domestic violence, addiction recovery, and more. It provides pre-surrender counseling to help families identify strategies to keep their pets rather than surrendering them to UVHS (and to support them if they decide surrender to the shelter is the best choice). The shelter also finds homes for more than 400 dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, and other small animals each year.

“We are incredibly thankful to the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s commitment to caring for pets in the Upper Valley,” said Nikki Grimes, UVHS Executive Director. “This will allow us the opportunity to work with a strategic planning facilitator to help us plan the long-term future of the shelter.”

UVHS is staffed with 13 full-time and two part-time employees but benefits from the generosity of over one hundred volunteers who donate their time at the shelter located alongside the interstate in Enfield. As part of the application process for the grant, a year-long plan was provided to identify how stakeholders of UVHS would be involved, including training for staff and board members and the development of the strategic plan for stability and future improvement to community service programs.

“To continue being an innovative shelter and animal resource center, we must constantly adapt to what our community needs,” said Grimes. “The development of a strategic plan will help us identify how we can best serve the Upper Valley and carry out our mission.”

UVHS will now seek out strategic planning professionals to support this process.

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