Q: Is SeeDS only for private animal shelters?
No! SeeDS can be used for any public or private animal welfare organization or animal control agency with at least 10 part-time or full-time employees.
Q: My agency only has five employees. Why can’t we participate?
SeeDS is designed for shelters with at least 10 employees. This minimum number has been established to help protect the anonymity of respondents.
Q: Does SeeDS evaluate all aspects of our organization?
No. SeeDS analyzes employee attitudes, perceptions, and opinions on key issues related to organizational health and well-being. Some of those issues include communication effectiveness, supervisory/management style, teamwork, peer support, euthanasia practices, morale, trust, and stress/burnout.
Q. Can SeeDS be used to replace or act as our managerial performance appraisal?
No. Although SeeDS does assess employee attitudes and perceptions of shelter management (as a unit), it is not designed to provide data regarding the actual performance of specific individuals.
Q. Are volunteers included in the assessment?
No. Employees at all levels of the organization—including the senior leadership—are encouraged to participate. The standard SeeDS is not designed for volunteers, but we do have a separate volunteer survey available if interested. See here for more information on this service, called the Volunteer Program Assessment.
Q: Will my organization’s data and results be shared with other organizations or other people?
Absolutely not. The privacy of our clients and their data are fully protected. At no time will your organization’s data or results be seen by anyone outside the University research SeeDS team. Of course, you are free to share the results with whomever you choose, but we report your results only to you.
Q: To what extent is SeeDS customizable to my individual agency?
SeeDS was not designed to be customized for specific organizations. However, because SeeDS has been developed after twenty years of research in animal welfare and animal control organizations, it is applicable to most organizations. Additionally, organizations may opt to include open-ended questions (one of our additional services) to optimally customize our services to fit unique organizational needs.
Q: What is the turnaround time?
Typically, the entire SeeDS process takes around 6-8 weeks depending on various factors such as how quickly survey set up is finalized.
Q: How are results delivered?
A trained professional from UNC Charlotte will deliver the results to you via a 1-hour conference call (or in-person if applicable), provide a brief presentation of the findings based on result analyses, and provide actionable suggestions on ways to implement changes in your organization.
Q: If I have questions about the results, who will answer them?
A trained professional from UNC Charlotte is available to answer any questions you may have about your results and their potential application. Trained professionals can be contacted via the SeeDS email: seeds@uncc.edu.
Q: Are all employees required to complete the survey?
No. Survey participation is entirely voluntary. However, we need at least five survey responses per index group to assure anonymity.
Q: Can we use SeeDS more than once?
Yes! In fact, it is recommended that organizations go through the SeeDS process every 9-12 months. Periodic reassessment allows your organization to monitor progress and identify potential areas for growth on an ongoing basis.
Q: Why does SeeDS cost so much less than market value?
SeeDS is offered as a public service by UNC Charlotte and the specific professors involved in the project. There are no strings attached and no hidden agendas. We are a non-profit initiative designed to help support your valuable missions in the animal welfare industry.
