Seeing the Forest for the Trees »

As more sanctuaries are going through the process of accreditation, there are sure to be differences of opinions on specific standards… sometimes major differences of opinion. We will work through those together, in a professional and respectful manner.

But as we do so, let’s not lose sight of the forest. An accreditation program for sanctuaries says that the work of sanctuaries is important enough and matters enough for there to be guidelines. Standards say there are best practices in this field, and lessons that have been learned. Accreditation says that that the level of care, the level of financial stability, and the level of sustainability in a crisis should matter to donors and funders. Standards say that sanctuaries must be prepared to survive the loss of a founder. Simply put, standards say the future of the animals in our care matters. A lot.

Of all the endeavors undertaken in the humane field, sanctuaries are the one effort that MUST not fail. The animals in the care of sanctuaries have already been victimized. We owe a special dispensation to them to insure that they are never victimized again. Together, we can create a community of sanctuaries that have drawn the line in the sand…making it clear that failure is NOT an option, and that the animals are indeed, at last, home and safe, forever.

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 .