Animal Protection Denmark grows its reach to save more animals with Microsoft Fabric and Dynamics 365

At an animal shelter surrounded by lush farmland, kittens bat at feathered toys and dogs roughhouse in the yard. These furry pets, along with guinea pigs and birds, are recuperating in this “boarding house” run by Animal Protection Denmark.

For more than 150 years, the Danish animal welfare nonprofit Animal Protection Denmark has helped animals in need and advocated for more humane treatment of all creatures worldwide. It runs a series of animal shelters, educates people on the respectful treatment of animals, operates an animal emergency response service, and promotes local, regional, and international policies to advance animal welfare.

Animal Protection Denmark has steadily expanded throughout its history. Over the last decade, the organization’s funding has increased 150%, and its membership has increased by 15%. That growth propels its pursuit of harmony between people, animals, and nature, but it has also presented its own challenges. As more people supported the nonprofit and its work scaled up, staff struggled to wrangle and make use of all its data.

By creating a unified data foundation in Microsoft Fabric and leveraging the Microsoft ecosystem, Animal Protection Denmark is positioned for continued progress.

“We want to share our vision, so growth is a natural goal for us. With more members and supporters, our political voice is greater. With more business, we employ more people to help animals,” says Nicolai Fischer-Bogason, Deputy Director at Animal Protection Denmark. “I couldn’t imagine where we would be if we didn’t have Microsoft systems at the foundation of our organization.”

Unifying data for a single source of truth

Animal Protection Denmark staff used to spend hours each month double-checking and reconciling data. Inconsistent numbers led to frustration during board meetings and added stress when the marketing team self-serviced data points to share with the media.

The nonprofit implemented Microsoft Fabric, the all-in-one data engineering, management, and intelligence platform. “It’s crucial to get the same answer every time, which Fabric helps us do,” says Kasper Wahl Egede, Digital Engagement Manager at Animal Protection Denmark. The transition to Fabric necessitated behind-the-scenes efforts to clean up and define data, such as defining the age range of kittens. This foundational effort leads to reliable outputs from every Microsoft system that connects to Fabric.

Now any team can pull data points from Power BI or directly from Fabric with confidence. For example, the marketing team can share statistics on the number of kittens needing foster placements for a news story, and shelter staff can get the same figures when budgeting for kitten care. Meanwhile, volunteer outreach teams can use Fabric's data science capabilities to project and plan for future kittens based on the current number of pregnant cats.

As further testament to the organization’s dedication to unified data through an integrated platform, Animal Protection Denmark leverages Dynamics 365 Business Central for its accounting. All the numbers are housed and processed in one place, making it easy to draw on this data for Power BI dashboards or other needs. In addition, they use Power Apps to create custom workflows, removing manual steps and making mission-critical processes easier.

“The data is clear, faster than ever before,” says Karina Fisker, Shelter Manager at Animal Protection Denmark.

Better serving animals (and their humans)

Better data systems help individual animals, too. Shelter and wildlife sanctuary animals all have their own record in Dynamics 365 Sales. Staff input detailed information on each animal, from behavior notes to feeding instructions. Dynamics 365 also serves as a medical record system, storing details on vaccinations and medical procedures.

The centralized data repository empowers staff and volunteers to stay up to date on all animals and provide the needed care. Digital records prevent communication lapses when a worker is out of office or leaves the organization, providing continuity of care for animals—many of whom have traumatic backgrounds and require consistency as part of their treatment plan.

The interconnectedness of Microsoft platforms enables Animal Protection Denmark to use data to help their human stakeholders, too. Shelter staff create Dynamics 365 records for supporters, including adopting families. “This gives us a 360-degree view of each person in regards to the animals,” Wahl Egede says.

When someone inquires about animals at the shelter, staff can see their full history with the organization. A single Dynamics record displays if they have made donations in the past, signed petitions, called the rescue line, or adopted another pet. This visibility improves service on the spot (for example, by recommending a puppy that gets along with other animals, if the person adopted another dog in the past). “This leads to more personal conversations and also helping the animals,” Fisker says.

Translating insights into action

Staff and volunteers provide play, medical care, and behavioral rehabilitation (plus lots of snuggles) to the animals at Animal Protection Denmark shelters. As much as they adore the critters, though, staff aim to rehome them with loving and responsible families. Data helps them do that as soon as possible.

Timely adoption is in the best interest of animals as well as a logistical necessity, especially when shelters are crowded. Power BI dashboards now provide real-time visibility into capacity across all Animal Protection Denmark properties. “This insight helps us move animals around as needed, which helps us use our money wisely,” Fisker explains.

With a wealth of years of data, dashboards used to freeze or take minutes to change views. Now that Power BI runs on Microsoft Fabric, staff can interact with dashboards, make comparisons, and translate data into action-ready understanding without lags.

The united data foundation also enables more personalized communication via Dynamics 365 Customer Insights. Details within supporters’ Dynamics record allow Animal Protection Denmark membership, marketing, and fundraising teams to easily segment outreach. For example, supporters who signed a petition banning the use of wild animals in circuses might receive a donation request for a new elephant retirement sanctuary.

Animal Protection Denmark is now running a campaign for what they nickname a “dog driver’s license.” This unofficial document does not certify Fido to drive a Fiat but rather educates people on how to keep their furry friends safe, healthy, and happy. They invite supporters whose Dynamics 365 record indicates they are interested in dogs to complete the online lessons. The CRM then documents who has completed the “license,” creating later opportunities for other tailored outreach.

The organization’s comprehensive data environment also empowers them to protect wildlife. While Animal Protection Denmark has run campaigns on the dangers of wildlife collisions for years, the switch to Microsoft Fabric paved the way for safer roads in real time. Data science capabilities within Fabric mined years’ worth of information on collisions to identify locations and even times of day that animals are especially in danger of being hit by cars.

The nonprofit is working with a popular technology company to alert drivers when they are approaching high-risk areas. The geography- and time-specific alerts will enable people to exercise more caution, keeping themselves—and wildlife—safer.

“With technology, we are not only able to see areas with a high risk of collisions around Denmark,” Fischer-Bogason says. “We’re making use of data and getting the message out.”

Laying the foundation for AI-fueled efficiency

The success of Animal Protection Denmark actually presents a challenge of its own. As the nonprofit grows and more people learn about its vital work, more callers turn to its emergency response line and other programs. “We’re growing, and to handle that, we simply need technology. Without it, we can’t afford to help all the animals who need help,” Fischer-Bogason says.

The nonprofit is in the midst of new projects that will further empower human staff dedicated to a more humane world.

“Getting the data right in Fabric builds the foundation that will make it possible for us to make the next big jump,” Fischer-Bogason says. Animal Protection Denmark is now testing a project made possible by Microsoft Copilot Studio. It is trialing chatbots and Dynamics 365 Contact Center for its membership generation efforts, where AI chatbots will facilitate deeper and more informative conversations with callers. They intend to expand the solution to the animal rescue line to get injured or at-risk animals help faster.

The transition to AI-supported interactions will boost productivity and efficiency among call center and emergency response staff. Staff anticipate that these time savings will result in greater financial resources from supporters and faster deployment to reach hurt animals.

“With the Dynamics CRM platform, and with the future use of Copilot and workflows, there is real opportunity to support our staff in a better way,” Fischer-Bogason explains.

The seamless integration of Microsoft solutions, all drawing from Microsoft Fabric, positions Animal Protection Denmark to save animals now and for years to come. “Things are moving very fast today. Microsoft solutions are future-proofing our organization,” Fischer-Bogason says. “Being able to connect the dots and the data through our connected system will take us to the next level in rescuing more animals.”

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