Strategy: paving the way to achieving your mission

01/21/21 • 38 min

Strategic planning is a phrase that can strike boredom in the hearts of, well, a lot of us!

But over the last year, from the ongoing pandemic to the political division and civil unrest, we’ve seen how critical it is for us to react and do what is necessary to continue saving lives. A strategic plan can help you do just that.

This week we look at how one organization has used strategic planning to set clear direction and align everyone in the organization behind the goals and what needs to happen to achieve them.

Strategic planning is a phrase that can strike boredom in the hearts of, well, a lot of us!

This week we look at how one organization has used strategic planning to set clear direction and align everyone in the organization behind the goals and what needs to happen to achieve them.

Previous Episode

Mary Ippoliti-Smith

It’s hard to imagine animal welfare and sheltering without Maddie’s Fund. From the support of individual shelters and rescue organizations to national campaigns and the vast amount of resources and programs, online courses, and conferences, Maddie's fundamentally changed what we do and how we do it. Mary Ippoliti-Smith has been there since there very beginning and has been directly responsible for much of that impact.

Today, as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, she is responsible for the family foundation’s strategic direction.

We talked to Mary about her storied career and what she sees ahead for the no-kill movement.

Next Episode

A New Day for Animal Sheltering in the United States

If we’re going to meet the 2025 goal of ending the killing of pets in animal shelters, we need to redefine the relationship the community has with animal shelters. What is the best way to keep people and pets together and keep animals out of shelters unless they truly need to be there? The community supported sheltering model invites community members to play a more prominent role in saving lives. That allows the shelter to focus on the animals who need the most help - those with urgent medical needs or behavioral challenges. For people who think they need to surrender their pet, this new model does away with the “no questions asked” surrender process. People can often keep their pets if we start a conversation and work with them to solve the problems that led to the shelter in the first place. American Pets Alive! is working with organizations across the country to pilot a community-supported sheltering model they call Human Animal Support Services. This week we spoke with Kristen Hassen, the Maddie’s® American Pets Alive! Director, who has been part of the team working hard to see this vision of a better future in animal sheltering become a reality.