Sanctuary Startup Kit? »

At least once a month, GFAS receives an email that basically says “I love animals and want to start a sanctuary. Can you please let me know how to start?”

One thing I personally hope that GFAS does is provide people with a more realistic assessment of how much skill is really needed to run a successful sanctuary. Many of you did it the hard way, the only way at the time, building your sanctuary from the ground up with limited preparation or guidance. And succeeded. A few still do so today. I visited one successful director awhile ago.  In the early years of the organization, she/he was already out meeting with major donors, and today has a huge mailing list for fundraising, built with the help of a professional fundraising company. The organization just added more acres to their property and has the funds in hand to begin building, in this economy, in rural America. The organization is just over 10 years old now. It all began with one person and one animal, as it usually has in the past.

However, just as it is now more difficult to open a retail store with no background in business than it was in 1910, 1970, or even more recently, so too is it harder to start and run a successful sanctuary today.  And it was never EASY. In contrast to the visit to the 10+ year old facility, I visited one that has been in operation for several decades, still struggling on minimal leased acreage.  The director is extremely dedicated, but in actual practice has never made the leap from the role of animal care director to executive director, except for the minimum amount of time needed to stay afloat.

Today, a logical career path might be: Running a nonprofit dog/cat shelter, well-established, learning the ins and outs of working with a board, direct mail, online fundraising, major donor cultivation, volunteer/staff oversight, risk management, disaster preparedness, etc….then starting a sanctuary, with initial major donors lined up ahead of time; or interning at a sanctuary, or being employed by one, as you get your degree in nonprofit management, and then starting a branch of the successful sanctuary; or leading a successful nonprofit such as a hospital, then being hired by a large, established sanctuary as the new executive director.

For those of you with thriving sanctuaries, one of the greatest gifts you can give to the animals is  welcoming  those interested in starting a sanctuary, and allowing internships, developing a strong second-in-command, considering a branch facility under trained, new leadership, and networking with nonprofit leaders in other fields to let them know the sanctuary world needs them and provides rewards beyond their imagination.  I see many of you doing that right now, and the animals thank you!

A Salute to Mentors »

At the recent Taking Action for Animals Conference in Washington DC, GFAS presented a panel entitled “The Animal Sanctuary. Start One. Support One.”

One of the panelists was Matt Smith of Project Perry. He gave a super presentation on starting a sanctuary. The nuts and bolts were covered by an excellent handout provided by Kim Sturla of Animal Place, farmed animal sanctuary.

Matt stressed that starting a sanctuary is more than playing with and caring for the animals. It is running a business. He emphasized the need for both passion AND knowledge. Matt started his sanctuary, armed with a MBA and two years spent as a volunteer at Foster Parrots.

That brings me to the point of this blog. Kudos to Marc Johnson and Karen Windsor of Foster Parrots for their willingness to share their knowledge, expertise, donor and foundation contacts, lessons learned, and more with Matt. Karen, in turn, applauds Matt for being willing to listen and learn and to take the time needed to really discover what running a sanctuary is all about.

This is the kind of generous mentoring, and willingness to learn, that allows new sanctuaries to start with a leg up and avoid re-inventing the wheel or repeating mistakes. The animals win! If you have stories of successful mentoring and/or learning that you would be willing to share, please send them to .

How NOT to Start a Sanctuary »

I received a phone call today. I’m sure the caller meant well. But the conversation went something like this.

Caller:  I’m calling because I want to start an animal sanctuary.

Me:  What kind of species?

Caller: I’m not sure.

Me: Domestic or wildlife?

Caller:  I’m not sure.

Me:  Have you run a business or nonprofit before?

Caller:  No. I’m wondering how you start.

Me: Well, I would suggest you volunteer at a sanctuary as a first step.

Caller: But I was wondering where I go to get money to start. I mean, shouldn’t I buy some land first or something like that?

At that point I began to talk about the virtues of alternative careers.

Running a sanctuary is a very sophisticated business, involving a breathtaking variety of skills and knowledge. I’m in absolute awe of all of you who have accomplished this mission impossible and have done so not just well, but phenomenally well.  Please send us your story of how you became a sanctuary director. If you have any words of advice for anyone contemplating this career, add those too! Email your contributions to GFAS. Please include your name, title, and sanctuary name. Contributions will be published at http://www.sanctuaryfederation.org/gfas/for-sanctuaries/sanctuary-director-stories/. Many thanks to Kari Bagnall, Founder and Executive Director of Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary, GFAS Accredited,  for kicking off this feature with her story. Like many stories that I love, it begins with a special animal…