ANIMAL WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE TOO AND HERE IS HOW YOU CAN EVALUATE THEIR EFFECTIVENESS.
Many animal welfare and other NPO/NPCs suffer from catfish syndrome……they will live in survival mode in the mud for years. Many think their cause is just so great that everyone should fall to their knees and donate. Are they willing to be held accountable by the public and constantly improve their organization? It is important to choose to support reputable organizations and help hold them accountable.
The Paw Company is a registered NPC and part of what we do is to train animal welfare organizations (free) on the business side of things and to hold those who work with animals accountable. It is from this perspective that I write today’s post.
Animal welfare is like the Mafia, if you are in, you never get out! If you can’t get into the trenches (hats off to them), many people donate money to the cause or help in other ways, which is necessary too. Sadly, most of the public does not even know or understand half of what is going on in animal welfare and this post serves to help you make more informed decisions and for organizations to re-evaluate their effectiveness.
You won’t believe how bad the politics are in a tough and already over-emotional industry and that is a recipe for bad decision-making. Believe it or not, there are narcissists, backstabbers, jealous and insecure people in animal welfare and then there are those who hoard animals, those who are fronts for breeders and pet shops, even among registered animal welfare organizations.
New animal welfare organizations frequently pop up and there are a few main reasons why:
1. There is a need – so no other organizations in the area fulfill this role.
2. The individual was concerned about the workings and ethics of the organization they volunteered at, so they left and started their own organization.
3. Sadly EGO and spitefulness are others.
Remember, it can look great on social media, but what questions should you be asking as a supporter? What goes on behind the scenes? Just because the organization is registered does not mean their intentions are pure. Due to mismanagement and fraud by some organizations, the rest have to work extra hard to prove they can be trusted.
SO, WHAT DO I MAINLY LOOK FOR IN AN ORGANIZATION?
- In my opinion, the biggest reason animal welfare organizations fail, is due to leadership, well the lack thereof. How strong is their leadership?
- What do they stand for and do?
- How often do they need to get new committees, volunteers, or members? This is one of the best indications of how an organization is run and how ethical they are. Do they take care of their employees/volunteers? Animal welfare is a physical and emotionally draining job, so do they have a support system in place? You have to know your team, train your team and support your team!
- Are they growing? Are they doing more than the previous year? Are they growing their support base and building better relationships? Are they improving their team?
- How well do they plan ahead? How critical do they evaluate their progress, adapt and improve, or do they just say ‘’let’s see if it works’’ without planning? An organization shouldn’t start planning for 2023 only in 2023!
- How many animals enter into their care, how many are adopted, how fast, and how many healthy animals are put to sleep? We understand that we can’t adopt our way out of this massive overpopulation crisis, but what have they done to improve the adoption success rate? Are they hoarding animals?
- Do they vaccinate, deworm, and sterilized animals in their care? What is their health protocol when an animal is surrendered to them? Sterilization is also key in addressing the problem, so are they doing regular sterilization drives?
- If they have kennels, what are they doing to prevent kennel stress? In what condition are the kennels? In which conditions are they keeping the animals? They need to always abide by the 5 freedoms of animal welfare. If they use foster homes, what are the policies and procedures in this regard?
- What does their man (women) power look like? Is this used as an excuse and for how long have they used this excuse? If it is a problem, then what are they doing to change that?
- How much time and effort or money do they spend on education? Prevention is better than cure and our success in prevention lies in education and sterilization. What are they doing to change the root cause of the problem? Are they proactive or only extinguishing fires as they arise?
- What is their attitude in general? What are their typical excuses for not helping? Is it an ego trip or is it really about the animals? How is their relationship with other welfare organizations and the public? This for me is also a very good indicator of their attitude. Do they say thank you to their supporters? Are they open to input from skilled individuals?
- Do they come across as professional? Branding is important for any organization, so do they take pride in their brand? Do they have a constitution or Memorandum of incorporation, proper paperwork, policies, and procedures in place? Do they keep records and statistics and are they willing to offer them to the public? If they use public funds, being transparent should not be debatable!
- Are they a kill shelter or a pro-life organization? If they are a kill shelter (we do have a massive overpopulation crisis), what are they doing to change that? Deciding whether to euthanize or not, is tough, but can they be objective when making these decisions?
- Are they willing to steal, break rules and lie when it suits them, or do they have integrity, and are they always honest? We have to always keep our side clean!
I want to elaborate on two other important aspects.
ADOPTION POLICIES – If they do adoptions, it is crucial to evaluate how responsible they are. Do they have proper adoption applications, home checks, sterilization contracts, and adoption contracts, and do they follow up on surrenders and adoptions? If they don’t do the above, especially home checks, then they are just a pet shop! Are they willing to say no to an adoption application? Do they give animals to people whose other pets are not sterilized? What the average person considers a good home, is not always one!
Some organizations do bids on animals for adoption and then some are fronts for breeders and pet shops, those who encourage breeding, and those who breed themselves. Never trust them! This is the biggest hypocrisy in animal welfare.
FINANCE – Is the time or money you donate making an impact or going down an abyss because the organization you support is not managed well? Are they just covering holes or is there a proper plan in place as well as a budget? Are they financially transparent about how they spend the money you donate? Some only fill their own pockets.
Are they transparent about their financials? What do they spend money on and how do they prioritize spending? Is fundraising a priority for them? It sounds stupid, but if they don’t invest (time or money) in learning how to properly fundraise, then it is not a priority. Again, this is provided to them for free.
These registered NPO/NPCs have regulations to abide by, including having an annual general meeting where they also have to give feedback on operations, including financials. You as the public need to hold them accountable, so please attend these events so you can be sure your donation brings true change. Join as members where you can to have voting rights too. Before you just blame them for not helping, do your homework! Organizations need to be held accountable and we encourage you to support only reputable organizations locally, nationally, and internationally.
If you don’t know which organization to contact for what, contact me through The Paw Company. If you think an animal welfare organization or vet is not doing their job or is negligent, let me know too so we can investigate further.
Also read about ethical clothes choices.
A hot, sad, and controversial topic doing the rounds currently is about the call to ban Pit bulls. Next week we will share our take on the situation, but please report any animal abuse/cruelty to your nearest SPCA. If you are scared of your dog, then surrender them to the SPCA or shelter immediately. Please don’t harm them.
WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER, DO BETTER!
