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Canine Companions Strategic Plan

Our Vision - Innovating For The Future

We believe in the power of the human-canine bond to unleash unlimited human potential. Our aspirational vision is to match everyone in need of an expertly trained Canine Companions® service dog at no charge, while maintaining the highest quality in standards.

2028

Since beginning the work of our Strategic Plan in 2020, we have come a long way toward reaching this goal. There remains work to be done. Updates to our strategic plan are included in these summaries.

There are six pillars to our success:

infographic showing Canine Companion's 6 Pillars to success

There are also three underlying foundational areas of focus:

  • Technology to streamline and strengthen operations and data quality and usage
  • People Resources Strategy to actively hire, retain and grow the highest level of talent in the service dog industry
  • Modeling and Metrics to help us grow wisely, using donor dollars as efficiently as possible and putting resources in the areas of greatest impact. Metrics will also help us monitor business in real time, providing timely information for adjustments to the plan.

Recognized Leader

Canine Companions will be the recognized leader in the service dog industry worldwide.

Accomplished to Date

• Rebrand to include wider range of disability communities
• Shifting to greater focus on community and leadership
• Simplify our Story
• Expand awareness and reach through our 50th celebrations
• Launched an animated short, started in Inside the Mind of a Dog and cameo on SNL!

Key Steps to Take

• Expand reach to more communities across entire US 
• Expand advocacy to effect meaningful change in legislation and regulations that support service dogs and their partners. 
• Expand our digital and social marketing to raise awareness and raise funds. 

Efficient and Effective Methods

Canine Companions will have the most efficient and effective methods for breeding, raising, selecting, training and placing high-quality service dogs.

Key Steps Taken

• Built and operationalized new Canine Health and Wellness Center, providing more future service dogs and growing the number each year. 
• Reviewed all processes, applications and operational systems fand scrubbed for inefficiency or redundancy.  Implemented new processes, as well as technology to centralize all data, making communication and ongoing support more streamlined and accurate. 
• Created research programs to use data to predict what hereditable traits are ore genetic.  Are working to evolving our breeding program accordingly. 
• Created and implemented a nationwide Therapy Dog Program, using our change of career dogs to further support our communities. 
• Created Canine Companions Aviation Partners, a network of private pilots who help move our dogs around the country, free of charge!  
• Expanded Prison and College Puppy Raising program, ensuring more puppy raising volunteers and adding to our annual success rate. 
• Announced CanineAlert, a patented wearable technology to strengthen communication between the service dog and recipient.

Key Steps to Take

• Expand field office program, extending the reach of our mission in more communities across the United States. 
• Extend our breeding capabilities with presence in additional geographical areas. 
• Harness big data to focus on improved health, ideal temperament and key areas of program support. 
• Create a veterinary network throughout the United States to better support our clients and volunteers. 

Engaged Volunteers

Canine Companions will have a volunteer strategy and action plan to ensure volunteers are happy, engaged and utilized strategically to fulfill the needs of the organization.

Key Steps Taken

• Technology provided to streamline volunteer onboarding, task assignment and communication processes. 
• Created onboarding process and materials. 
• Implemented ongoing volunteer surveys and metrics focused on continuous improvement. 
• Created volunteer appreciation and recognition programs. 
• Created Junior Ambassador volunteer program to engage new generations. 

Key Steps to Take

• Innovate to better support puppy volunteers and breeder caretakers throughout the country. 
• Define and implement an ongoing education program. 
• Expand roles and responsibilities for volunteers in all aspects of the operation. 

Inclusive and Diverse Team

Developed an inclusion and diversity action plan to ensure we are welcoming to all communities. We are actively working to ensure we have removed unintentional bias from our processes and decision making, including applications, marketing, hiring and outreach. Both national and regional committees are reaching out to experts and community leaders to build a more inclusive and diverse organization at all levels.

Key Steps Taken

• Developed project matrix for 14 areas of the organization undergoing review for unintentional bias and ways to focus on inclusivity for all, regardless of background. Projects began rolling out in 2021.
• Regions have established volunteer inclusion and diversity committees, made up of community members who are interested in taking inclusion and diversity at Canine Companions to the next level.
• Providing ongoing education and opportunities for staff through training, paid community service hours and paid time for a religious holiday outside of existing holiday schedule.
• Ongoing identification of best practices from leading corporate diversity programs for inspiration and implementation.

Key Steps to Take

• Expand college puppy raising programs to continue outreach to diverse groups of young volunteers. 
• Expand outreach efforts in each region, forming relationships with organizations and communities for mutual benefit. 

Strong Partners

Canine Companions will secure national strategic partnerships to elevate our mission and brand awareness and increase our ability to fund innovation, growth and strategies for the future.

Key Steps Taken

• Key areas of impact for strategic partnerships identified and defined. 
• Corporate Partnership operational capabilities expanded. 
• Tiers of partnership defined and applied to existing and new partnershps. 
• 5 new strategic partnerships implemented. 

Key Steps to Take

• Expand Corporate Partnerships, supporting field offices, veterinary care, transportation, growth and awareness. 
• Continue to grow existing partnerships, driving mutual benefit for both parties. 

Growing Revenue

Canine Companions will align its strong revenue stream to support operations, capital projects and strategic initiatives.

Key Steps Taken

• Goals and plan for increased income to support operations created and implemented. 
• New positions created to help drive this plan. 
• EIS Society created to steward and recognize donors 
• Strategic Growth Fund created for long term transformational and sustaining income. 

Key Steps to Take

• Fund Strategic Growth Fund. 
• Continue to grow donor base geographically and demographically. 

Interested in Supporting Our Future?

To learn more, visit canine.org.

To donate, please visit canine.org/donate.

Canine Companions, National Headquarters, 2965 Dutton Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95407

Canine Companions for Independence is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Federal Identification Number: 94-2494324.