Our PAT Strategy
Spreading joy, strengthening impact
PAT’s five-year strategy for growth and impact
In December 2024, the PAT Board of Trustees agreed our new five-year strategy. We developed a clear map showing how our activities lead to the outcomes and impact we want to achieve. This was informed by volunteer and establishment surveys, observing PAT Teams in action and many conversations with volunteers and the places we visit.
To meet our increasing demand, the strategy has ambitious targets for growth – volunteers, visits and income. We are confident that, with the support of new and existing volunteers and the establishments we visit, as well as the thousands of pet lovers across the country, we can meet our targets and provide many more people with moments of magic with a PAT Dog or PAT CAT.
Ensure volunteering with PAT is easy, fun and rewarding
Develop a volunteer engagement strategy to ensure a long and mutually beneficial relationship with PAT that goes beyond active visiting.
Build a strong regional support network, combining staff and VACs, to maximise engagement and ensure all volunteers are supported locally.
Improve training, development and other support for volunteers.
Ensure all volunteers have a voice through feedback and surveys to enable us to understand and respond to their needs.
Support more PAT visits – target of 300,000 per year
Increase our total number of volunteers to 10,000 in five years (5,700 YE 2024).
Launch a new MyPAT portal and introduce an improved recruitment pathway.
Improve our systems and processes to ensure accurate data collection of volunteers/visits.
Develop a volunteer recruitment strategy, including a focus on increasing diversity – test and develop different models.
Our strategy is all about reaching more people who could really use the comfort and companionship our pets bring. By growing our volunteer community and strengthening our support, we can share even more everyday moments of magic– spreading joy further and wider than ever before.
Demonstrate our impact and develop visits with more structured outcomes
Agree a PAT Theory of Change.
Develop and test a PAT impact framework to measure the benefit of our visits.
Build networks of establishments to share experiences and best practice.
Produce sets of materials, policies and guides for establishments to support PAT visits.
Identify establishments with higher need, deprivation or other disadvantages for focused visits.
Develop and implement impactful models of visiting for each setting.
Increase our profile and be recognised as a leading Animal-Assisted Activities charity
Refresh the PAT brand to reflect our ambition and is instantly recognisable and accessible to all.
Redevelop our website with a focus on recruiting new volunteers, establishments and supporters.
Develop a social media and wider marketing strategy to clearly communicate and promote the benefits of PAT and our role as a leading provider of Animal-Assisted Activities (AAA) in the UK.
Work in partnership with others to promote and develop AAA/AAI in the UK, keeping our pets' welfare at the forefront and ensuring high-quality standards.
Build a solid, secure financial future
Increase our annual income to £1.7 million by 2030.
Acquire new pet-loving supporters (target 900 regular givers / 3,000 one-off donors by Year 5).
Build engagement with existing supporters and volunteers to increase income and diversify their involvement with PAT.
Secure long-term sustainable income growth, nurturing new and existing partnerships.
Help us spread a little joy
Help spread a little joy by supporting Pets As Therapy. Your donation helps us share the magic of therapy pet visits, while volunteering, fundraising or partnering with us are other wonderful ways to brighten lives and bring comfort to those who need it most.
