the Intake

With rents increasing as much as 25% across the nation, Dianne Prado, eviction attorney in Los Angeles, helps us understand what we need to know if we rent with a pet. We learned a lot from Dianne and know you will, too.

She's an #animalwelfareshero to many of us working in animal shelters -- Joann Fuller, the person responsible for Hill's Food, Shelter, Love program and champion of #ClearTheShelters 2022, has rolled up her sleeves to make August the best adoption promotion in its 7-year history. Thanks to the support of #NBC and #HillsPetNutrition, thousands of animals will find new homes throughout the month of August. She also shared the history of the Food, Shelter, Love program and why Hills began supporting nearly 800 animal shelters across the United States 20 years ago. 

Dr. Anne Kimmerlein, Veterinary Epidemiologist for VCA Animal Hospitals, tells her story of becoming a shelter veterinarian and why she thinks relationships are changing between shelters and private practice veterinarians. 

Petfinder.com's Jessica Arnold pulls the curtain back and reveals an area where animal welfare groups are potentially most vulnerable - cyber security. Just like any other online retailer, nonprofit organization, or business, animal welfare organizations are susceptible to hacking and online fraud. Arnold shares her personal story of entering animal welfare work and provides a sneak peek of Petfinder's plan to keep members safer in this digital world. On December 7th, Arnold will facilitate a roundtable discussion at The Association's conference Cybersecurity in Animal Welfare.

A workplace built on constant response and hustle makes for a draining culture. José Ocaño from Best Friends Animal Society shares his observations about Hustle Culture and how animal welfare professionals can take control and escape this toxic environment. 

The new vice president for client strategy and success at One & All, DeSean Brown, shared his one bit of advice for fundraisers in animal welfare. It's not what you think but it makes so much sense.

Big brands get to have the biggest voices and attention, while organizations doing the most good are often overlooked. Nonprofit social impact orgs such as animal shelters can’t compete with the $$$$ budgets big brands dedicated to media buying, production, talent, product, creative, etc. So how can animal welfare fundraisers and marketers raise hell together, to shake it up and find new and innovative ways to increase donor support and drive sustainable revenue?

Hear from animal welfare leaders whose organizations have significantly increased engagement with their donors. Panelists will share their personal stories, lessons learned, and how partnership drove sustainable success, including how a shelter recently embarked on a 5-year plan to significantly increase its level of donor support.

Both marketers and fundraisers will gain insights and inspiration to create effective strategies. Questions from the audience will follow the roundtable discussion.

The Association’s Roundtable series features leaders discussing emerging and critical issues in animal welfare.

Moderated by Jim Tedford, President and CEO, The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement

The Roundtable Guests:

The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and Pethealth Inc. are pleased to announce the 2020 recipient of the Diane & Bob Hoover Annual Innovation Award is Adan Parra and the team at El Paso Animal Services! Though they have multiple worthy initiatives, their focus on using technology to reunite more pets with their loving families was inspiring. Fueled by the creation of Lost and Found pet reports, El Paso’s Pet Finder Map is an interactive and comprehensive tool. It’s become a central location for the community to post a photo of their lost pet or view pets found. Congratulations, El Paso Animal Services! 

A new study from Banfield Pet Hospital® reveals an estimated 75 million pets in the U.S. may not have access to the veterinary care they need by 2030, with an important factor being a critical shortage of veterinarians. Further, with nearly 90% of veterinary professionals identifying as white according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need to not only increase the number of veterinary professionals in the U.S. but also diversify the talent pipeline is critical.  Dr. Chumkee Aziz guest hosts this episode of 'the Intake' and interviews Dr. Michael Blackwell of Align Care, a national effort to increase access to care for pets in the United States. 

Jim Tedford, CEO for The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement, interviews author and blogger Vu Le who founded the much loved Nonprofit AF blog that serves as a source of comfort and sanity for nonprofit professionals. Vu Le's irreverent humor continues to delight professionals who try to make sense of the strange ecosystem that is the nonprofit.

Are you helping amplify BIPOC voices? Not sure how? Guest host Jorge Ortega joins Katherine Shenar in exploring ways the animal welfare profession can elevate BIPOC voices with CARE President James Evans and Best Friends' José Ocaño, Senior Director of People and Culture.

Chief Operating Officer Stephanie Shain, Vice President of Field Services Chris Schindler, and Vice President of Operations Claudia Roll, open up with Katherine Shenar about personal experiences in animal welfare around adoption denials. These leaders from the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington, D.C., educate through their vulnerability and offer their recommendations for helping naysayers and laggards embrace open adoptions

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Michigan Humane Society was founded in 1877 but 2020 brought an opportunity to reinvigorate the mission and service levels to a more human-centric approach to animal welfare. Not just focusing on the animals in the shelter but looking at the health and wellbeing of pets and their people throughout the community has been Michigan Humane's focus these past three years. Now they have a brand to match their work with and renewed energy. CEO Matt Pepper and Communications VP Tom Varitek tells us how they did it.

Laura Oliver, founder of Lionel's Legacy Senior Dog Rescue in San Diego, California, guest hosts this episode of The Intake and interviews Kristen Auerbach and Dr. Ellen Jefferson about the role fostering is playing in animal welfare in a COVID-19 world. 

Guest Host Jorge Ortega interviews Kristen Auerbach and Dr. Ellen Jefferson about the Human Animal Support Services movement and how its impacting shelters across the nation. He even asks them about their superpowers. 

The first several months of COVID-19 in America led to incredible collaboration and exploration of programmatic and protocol changes. Dr. Josh Fisher sits down with fellow southern shelter leader Cole Wakefield to further explore how rural shelters are managing COVID-19 and the new social services model for animal welfare.

Brian August, Chief Operating Officer, and Rhonda Palos, Vice President for Humane Resources, at Oregon Humane Society share how their organization is navigating the sudden changes and employee issues that COVID-19 has brought. You can incorporate their lessons learned for your own team.

Dr. Josh Fisher, Animal Services Director for Charlotte-Mecklenburgh, North Carolina, joined our EVP Katherine Shenar for a conversation with Jamey Cantrell, Animal Services Director for Plano, Texas. Jamey shares how his award-winning team is navigating COVID-19 and even recalls his experiences with the infamous Tiger King.

Hilary Hager and Lindsay Hamrick of The Humane Society of the United States offer some recommendations for leaders to help support their teams through the uncertainty of COVID-19.

Chris Schindler, Vice President for Field Services for the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington, D.C., shares how his team is social distancing and working with new protocols in the field. With more than 100 calls per day, animal control officers and humane law enforcement are essential service providers in Washington, D.C. Bonus: you also get to meet Beetlejuice in this interview.

Directing one of the highest intake shelters in the nation, Kristen Auerbach is leading her team at Pima County Animal Center in Tucson, Arizona, through COVID-19 with innovation, determination, and an eye on the future of animal sheltering. Hear her predictions and decide if they make sense for you and your shelter or rescue.

Elise Traub, Senior Director for Legislation and Advocacy for Best Friends Animal Society, talks about community outreach efforts and helping states like California establish animal care and control personnel as essential workers.

Stay at home orders and social distancing due to COVID-19 has required parents to morph into teachers in addition to working full time from home. For many parents, there is no respite from role leaving many exhausted, anxious, and defeated. Jyothi Robertson, DVM, DABVP, shares her experience and offers practical solutions and support. She also extends an exclusive invitation to parents who could use a boost of confidence and a network of empathetic friends.

Phoenix Innovate is a marketing company that works with animal welfare organizations to develop unique fundraising solutions that create increased net revenue and sustainable return on investment by using methods they call Authentic Marketing. Authentic Marketing harnesses a powerful combination of research, data, vision and creativity to build tailored strategies that result in emotionally-engaged lasting relationships between you and your donors.

Hear from Jorge Ortega, Animal Services Director for Guildford County, North Carolina, and how he and his team have been making transformative changes in this beautiful North Carolina city even before COVID-19 arrived.

We sat down with Andi Bernat of The Humane Society of the United States to learn about how their State Directors worked to classify animal shelter personnel as essential during COVID-19 and how advocacy efforts are continuing for animals in spite of the pandemic.

This conversation is with Ginny Sims, executive director for Southern Pines Animal Shelter located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. More than 5,000 animals a year are transported through EMBARK, the organization's lifesaving transport program. What's Ginny and her team doing to manage COVID-19? Find out!

Leah Craig Fieser, executive director for Brother Wolf Animal Rescue in North Carolina, shares insights into how their rescue group is navigating COVID-19.

Hosts: Katherine Shenar, The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and Kim Alboum, The Humane Society of the United States