Animal Welfare Professionals

We hope to see you on the next Maddie's Community Conversation on Monday, May 11, 2026 at 11am PT / 2pm ET  for "Want More Impact? Think Networks, Not Organizations" a conversation with Jane Wei-Skillern, Senior Fellow, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, Center for Social Sector Leadership. 

In this webinar, Jane shares key principles of network leadership-an approach that prioritizes mission over individual organizations and focuses on building strong, trust-based relationships across a broader ecosystem. Rather than working in isolation, leaders can expand their impact by sharing leadership, aligning around a common goal, and mobilizing partners across sectors.

For animal rescue leaders, this session highlights how deeper collaboration among shelters, rescue groups, veterinarians, volunteers, and funders can help save more animals and strengthen outcomes for entire communities.

This session is for all leaders who can apply network leadership approaches to their collaborative work. i.e., return home/intake staff, could connect adopters with additional resources from peer nonprofits, grant writers can make a stronger case for the impact of donor dollars because of leverage achieved through partnership, fostering relationships and community among volunteers can help create stronger commitment and peer support - but all are welcome. 

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Build trust and foster relationships with other before you focus on formal structure and accountability
• Make strategic decisions that serves your mission best, not necessarily serves your organizational/individual self interest
• Strive to weave constellations of trusted partners rather than be a lone 'star' organization that outshines others 
  
  

Don't forget! Maddie's Fund will be giving away up to $10,000 in grants each month! You can enter for a chance to win each time you attend a call or watch it on demand during the month by completing the monthly giveaway drawing entry form. 

Register for Community Conversations hosted via Zoom. 

🧠 Got Topic or Speaker Suggestions?
We want to hear your ideas! If there's a topic you're curious about or a speaker you'd love to hear from, please share your suggestions with us on our Community Conversations Suggestions thread. 

Looking forward to being in community with you! 

Thanks to our speaker, @Jane Wei-Skillern - and everyone who joined us today! 

We would love to hear from you in response to today's reflection: Who could you invite into deeper partnership to help create stronger outcomes for pets and people?

We hope to see you on the next Maddie's Community Conversation on Monday, May 11, 2026 at 11am PT / 2pm ET  for "Want More Impact? Think Networks, Not Organizations" a conversation with Jane Wei-Skillern, Senior Fellow, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, Center for Social Sector Leadership. 

In this webinar, Jane shares key principles of network leadership-an approach that prioritizes mission over individual organizations and focuses on building strong, trust-based relationships across a broader ecosystem. Rather than working in isolation, leaders can expand their impact by sharing leadership, aligning around a common goal, and mobilizing partners across sectors.

For animal rescue leaders, this session highlights how deeper collaboration among shelters, rescue groups, veterinarians, volunteers, and funders can help save more animals and strengthen outcomes for entire communities.

This session is for all leaders who can apply network leadership approaches to their collaborative work. i.e., return home/intake staff, could connect adopters with additional resources from peer nonprofits, grant writers can make a stronger case for the impact of donor dollars because of leverage achieved through partnership, fostering relationships and community among volunteers can help create stronger commitment and peer support - but all are welcome. 

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Build trust and foster relationships with other before you focus on formal structure and accountability
• Make strategic decisions that serves your mission best, not necessarily serves your organizational/individual self interest
• Strive to weave constellations of trusted partners rather than be a lone 'star' organization that outshines others 
  
  

Don't forget! Maddie's Fund will be giving away up to $10,000 in grants each month! You can enter for a chance to win each time you attend a call or watch it on demand during the month by completing the monthly giveaway drawing entry form. 

Register for Community Conversations hosted via Zoom. 

🧠 Got Topic or Speaker Suggestions?
We want to hear your ideas! If there's a topic you're curious about or a speaker you'd love to hear from, please share your suggestions with us on our Community Conversations Suggestions thread. 

Looking forward to being in community with you! 

In a rural community like Lyman, meaningful change only happens when we work together. Our shelter is more than just a place for homeless animals - it is a resource for our entire community. Every day, we work to improve animal welfare, support families and pet owners, educate the public, and create safer, healthier outcomes for both pets and people.

As a one-person team wearing many hats, I care deeply about building something sustainable and impactful for our community. But lasting progress cannot happen alone. I believe there is incredible opportunity for partnership between our shelter, local government entities, and our business community.

I would love to invite deeper collaboration with our town council, mayor, town attorney, local businesses, and community leaders so they can better understand the bigger picture of what we are trying to accomplish. Our vision goes beyond sheltering animals - we are working to create a stronger, more compassionate community through education, responsible animal care, prevention, and support services.

With the support, awareness, and partnership of our local leadership and businesses, I truly believe we could make an enormous impact in Lyman and surrounding rural areas. Together, we could expand resources, improve public understanding, strengthen animal welfare efforts, and create programs that benefit both residents and their pets.

I hope to open conversations about how we can work together, share ideas, and build partnerships that help move our community forward. When government, businesses, and local organizations unite around a common goal, we become unstoppable.

 I am proud to serve my community. 

Thanks to our speaker, @Jane Wei-Skillern - and everyone who joined us today! 

We would love to hear from you in response to today's reflection: Who could you invite into deeper partnership to help create stronger outcomes for pets and people?

We hope to see you on the next Maddie's Community Conversation on Monday, May 11, 2026 at 11am PT / 2pm ET  for "Want More Impact? Think Networks, Not Organizations" a conversation with Jane Wei-Skillern, Senior Fellow, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, Center for Social Sector Leadership. 

In this webinar, Jane shares key principles of network leadership-an approach that prioritizes mission over individual organizations and focuses on building strong, trust-based relationships across a broader ecosystem. Rather than working in isolation, leaders can expand their impact by sharing leadership, aligning around a common goal, and mobilizing partners across sectors.

For animal rescue leaders, this session highlights how deeper collaboration among shelters, rescue groups, veterinarians, volunteers, and funders can help save more animals and strengthen outcomes for entire communities.

This session is for all leaders who can apply network leadership approaches to their collaborative work. i.e., return home/intake staff, could connect adopters with additional resources from peer nonprofits, grant writers can make a stronger case for the impact of donor dollars because of leverage achieved through partnership, fostering relationships and community among volunteers can help create stronger commitment and peer support - but all are welcome. 

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Build trust and foster relationships with other before you focus on formal structure and accountability
• Make strategic decisions that serves your mission best, not necessarily serves your organizational/individual self interest
• Strive to weave constellations of trusted partners rather than be a lone 'star' organization that outshines others 
  
  

Don't forget! Maddie's Fund will be giving away up to $10,000 in grants each month! You can enter for a chance to win each time you attend a call or watch it on demand during the month by completing the monthly giveaway drawing entry form. 

Register for Community Conversations hosted via Zoom. 

🧠 Got Topic or Speaker Suggestions?
We want to hear your ideas! If there's a topic you're curious about or a speaker you'd love to hear from, please share your suggestions with us on our Community Conversations Suggestions thread. 

Looking forward to being in community with you! 

Thanks to our speaker, @Jane Wei-Skillern - and everyone who joined us today! 

We would love to hear from you in response to today's reflection: Who could you invite into deeper partnership to help create stronger outcomes for pets and people?

We hope to see you on the next Maddie's Community Conversation on Monday, May 11, 2026 at 11am PT / 2pm ET  for "Want More Impact? Think Networks, Not Organizations" a conversation with Jane Wei-Skillern, Senior Fellow, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, Center for Social Sector Leadership. 

In this webinar, Jane shares key principles of network leadership-an approach that prioritizes mission over individual organizations and focuses on building strong, trust-based relationships across a broader ecosystem. Rather than working in isolation, leaders can expand their impact by sharing leadership, aligning around a common goal, and mobilizing partners across sectors.

For animal rescue leaders, this session highlights how deeper collaboration among shelters, rescue groups, veterinarians, volunteers, and funders can help save more animals and strengthen outcomes for entire communities.

This session is for all leaders who can apply network leadership approaches to their collaborative work. i.e., return home/intake staff, could connect adopters with additional resources from peer nonprofits, grant writers can make a stronger case for the impact of donor dollars because of leverage achieved through partnership, fostering relationships and community among volunteers can help create stronger commitment and peer support - but all are welcome. 

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Build trust and foster relationships with other before you focus on formal structure and accountability
• Make strategic decisions that serves your mission best, not necessarily serves your organizational/individual self interest
• Strive to weave constellations of trusted partners rather than be a lone 'star' organization that outshines others 
  
  

Don't forget! Maddie's Fund will be giving away up to $10,000 in grants each month! You can enter for a chance to win each time you attend a call or watch it on demand during the month by completing the monthly giveaway drawing entry form. 

Register for Community Conversations hosted via Zoom. 

🧠 Got Topic or Speaker Suggestions?
We want to hear your ideas! If there's a topic you're curious about or a speaker you'd love to hear from, please share your suggestions with us on our Community Conversations Suggestions thread. 

Looking forward to being in community with you! 

I really liked the point about putting the mission first rather than focusing on organization. In animal rescue, it can be easy for groups to become siloed because resources are limited, but this webinar was a good reminder that collaboration often creates stronger outcomes than trying to do everything independently. I also appreciated the idea that sometimes the best way to increase impact is recognizing what another organization or partner may do better and working together instead of competing.

Our rescue has started building more community partnerships through local events, including puppy yoga collaborations, and it has been a great example of how shared resources and community engagement can expand impact. These partnerships help us reach new audiences, increase visibility for rescue dogs, and create more opportunities for fosters, adopters, and volunteers to get involved.

The discussion also made me think about how growth is not always about doing more internally, but sometimes about scaling strategically, leveraging outside resources, and focusing on where your organization can make the greatest impact while allowing trusted partners to help fill other gaps in the community.

Thanks to our speaker, @Jane Wei-Skillern - and everyone who joined us today! 

We would love to hear from you in response to today's reflection: Who could you invite into deeper partnership to help create stronger outcomes for pets and people?

We hope to see you on the next Maddie's Community Conversation on Monday, May 11, 2026 at 11am PT / 2pm ET  for "Want More Impact? Think Networks, Not Organizations" a conversation with Jane Wei-Skillern, Senior Fellow, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, Center for Social Sector Leadership. 

In this webinar, Jane shares key principles of network leadership-an approach that prioritizes mission over individual organizations and focuses on building strong, trust-based relationships across a broader ecosystem. Rather than working in isolation, leaders can expand their impact by sharing leadership, aligning around a common goal, and mobilizing partners across sectors.

For animal rescue leaders, this session highlights how deeper collaboration among shelters, rescue groups, veterinarians, volunteers, and funders can help save more animals and strengthen outcomes for entire communities.

This session is for all leaders who can apply network leadership approaches to their collaborative work. i.e., return home/intake staff, could connect adopters with additional resources from peer nonprofits, grant writers can make a stronger case for the impact of donor dollars because of leverage achieved through partnership, fostering relationships and community among volunteers can help create stronger commitment and peer support - but all are welcome. 

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Build trust and foster relationships with other before you focus on formal structure and accountability
• Make strategic decisions that serves your mission best, not necessarily serves your organizational/individual self interest
• Strive to weave constellations of trusted partners rather than be a lone 'star' organization that outshines others 
  
  

Don't forget! Maddie's Fund will be giving away up to $10,000 in grants each month! You can enter for a chance to win each time you attend a call or watch it on demand during the month by completing the monthly giveaway drawing entry form. 

Register for Community Conversations hosted via Zoom. 

🧠 Got Topic or Speaker Suggestions?
We want to hear your ideas! If there's a topic you're curious about or a speaker you'd love to hear from, please share your suggestions with us on our Community Conversations Suggestions thread. 

Looking forward to being in community with you! 

Thanks to our speaker, @Jane Wei-Skillern - and everyone who joined us today! 

We would love to hear from you in response to today's reflection: Who could you invite into deeper partnership to help create stronger outcomes for pets and people?

We hope to see you on the next Maddie's Community Conversation on Monday, May 11, 2026 at 11am PT / 2pm ET  for "Want More Impact? Think Networks, Not Organizations" a conversation with Jane Wei-Skillern, Senior Fellow, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, Center for Social Sector Leadership. 

In this webinar, Jane shares key principles of network leadership-an approach that prioritizes mission over individual organizations and focuses on building strong, trust-based relationships across a broader ecosystem. Rather than working in isolation, leaders can expand their impact by sharing leadership, aligning around a common goal, and mobilizing partners across sectors.

For animal rescue leaders, this session highlights how deeper collaboration among shelters, rescue groups, veterinarians, volunteers, and funders can help save more animals and strengthen outcomes for entire communities.

This session is for all leaders who can apply network leadership approaches to their collaborative work. i.e., return home/intake staff, could connect adopters with additional resources from peer nonprofits, grant writers can make a stronger case for the impact of donor dollars because of leverage achieved through partnership, fostering relationships and community among volunteers can help create stronger commitment and peer support - but all are welcome. 

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Build trust and foster relationships with other before you focus on formal structure and accountability
• Make strategic decisions that serves your mission best, not necessarily serves your organizational/individual self interest
• Strive to weave constellations of trusted partners rather than be a lone 'star' organization that outshines others 
  
  

Don't forget! Maddie's Fund will be giving away up to $10,000 in grants each month! You can enter for a chance to win each time you attend a call or watch it on demand during the month by completing the monthly giveaway drawing entry form. 

Register for Community Conversations hosted via Zoom. 

🧠 Got Topic or Speaker Suggestions?
We want to hear your ideas! If there's a topic you're curious about or a speaker you'd love to hear from, please share your suggestions with us on our Community Conversations Suggestions thread. 

Looking forward to being in community with you! 

To create stronger outcomes for pets and people, impactful partnerships can be built across three primary pillars: education, community development, and animal welfare. This is based off where I am in the State of Michigan and I discuss one pillar in particular, and is important to me currently. 

 Vocational & State Labor Programs

To establish sustainable career paths and elevate industry standards, strategic alignment with workforce development agencies is incredibly powerful.

State Departments of Labor: Collaborating with agencies like the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) allows for the creation of formalized, state-recognized Registered Apprenticeship Programs. This provides structured training pipelines for aspiring professionals.

Local Vocational Schools & Community Colleges: Partnering with these institutions can help integrate specialized pet care and technical grooming tracks into existing adult education or career technical education (CTE) programs.

Thanks to our speaker, @Jane Wei-Skillern - and everyone who joined us today! 

We would love to hear from you in response to today's reflection: Who could you invite into deeper partnership to help create stronger outcomes for pets and people?

We hope to see you on the next Maddie's Community Conversation on Monday, May 11, 2026 at 11am PT / 2pm ET  for "Want More Impact? Think Networks, Not Organizations" a conversation with Jane Wei-Skillern, Senior Fellow, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, Center for Social Sector Leadership. 

In this webinar, Jane shares key principles of network leadership-an approach that prioritizes mission over individual organizations and focuses on building strong, trust-based relationships across a broader ecosystem. Rather than working in isolation, leaders can expand their impact by sharing leadership, aligning around a common goal, and mobilizing partners across sectors.

For animal rescue leaders, this session highlights how deeper collaboration among shelters, rescue groups, veterinarians, volunteers, and funders can help save more animals and strengthen outcomes for entire communities.

This session is for all leaders who can apply network leadership approaches to their collaborative work. i.e., return home/intake staff, could connect adopters with additional resources from peer nonprofits, grant writers can make a stronger case for the impact of donor dollars because of leverage achieved through partnership, fostering relationships and community among volunteers can help create stronger commitment and peer support - but all are welcome. 

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Build trust and foster relationships with other before you focus on formal structure and accountability
• Make strategic decisions that serves your mission best, not necessarily serves your organizational/individual self interest
• Strive to weave constellations of trusted partners rather than be a lone 'star' organization that outshines others 
  
  

Don't forget! Maddie's Fund will be giving away up to $10,000 in grants each month! You can enter for a chance to win each time you attend a call or watch it on demand during the month by completing the monthly giveaway drawing entry form. 

Register for Community Conversations hosted via Zoom. 

🧠 Got Topic or Speaker Suggestions?
We want to hear your ideas! If there's a topic you're curious about or a speaker you'd love to hear from, please share your suggestions with us on our Community Conversations Suggestions thread. 

Looking forward to being in community with you! 

Updated 5/11/26 at 2:12 pm - Recording now available to watch on-demand!

Enter here for a chance to win the May Community Conversations giveaway after watching live or on-demand.

Please note: All views expressed on these calls are not necessarily endorsed by Maddie's Fund. 

We hope to see you on the next Maddie's Community Conversation on Monday, May 11, 2026 at 11am PT / 2pm ET  for "Want More Impact? Think Networks, Not Organizations" a conversation with Jane Wei-Skillern, Senior Fellow, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, Center for Social Sector Leadership. 

In this webinar, Jane shares key principles of network leadership-an approach that prioritizes mission over individual organizations and focuses on building strong, trust-based relationships across a broader ecosystem. Rather than working in isolation, leaders can expand their impact by sharing leadership, aligning around a common goal, and mobilizing partners across sectors.

For animal rescue leaders, this session highlights how deeper collaboration among shelters, rescue groups, veterinarians, volunteers, and funders can help save more animals and strengthen outcomes for entire communities.

This session is for all leaders who can apply network leadership approaches to their collaborative work. i.e., return home/intake staff, could connect adopters with additional resources from peer nonprofits, grant writers can make a stronger case for the impact of donor dollars because of leverage achieved through partnership, fostering relationships and community among volunteers can help create stronger commitment and peer support - but all are welcome. 

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Build trust and foster relationships with other before you focus on formal structure and accountability
• Make strategic decisions that serves your mission best, not necessarily serves your organizational/individual self interest
• Strive to weave constellations of trusted partners rather than be a lone 'star' organization that outshines others 
  
  

Don't forget! Maddie's Fund will be giving away up to $10,000 in grants each month! You can enter for a chance to win each time you attend a call or watch it on demand during the month by completing the monthly giveaway drawing entry form. 

Register for Community Conversations hosted via Zoom. 

🧠 Got Topic or Speaker Suggestions?
We want to hear your ideas! If there's a topic you're curious about or a speaker you'd love to hear from, please share your suggestions with us on our Community Conversations Suggestions thread. 

Looking forward to being in community with you! 

#CommunityPartnerships*
#EducationandTraining
#OrganizationalManagement
#PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)

------------------------------
Sheila Kouhkan
Senior Education Specialist
Maddie's Fund
CA
------------------------------

Thanks to the 130+ people and paws who joined us on today's Community Conversations call! The recording is now available to watch on-demand. Below you'll find a recap of today's call and the resources shared. 

Call Recap

Welcome from hosts

• @Shafonda Allen (She/Her), Founder and Principal Consultant, Back to Basics Animal Welfare Leadership Consulting
• @Lisa Ward, Director of Education, Maddie's Fund

Question of the Day:  What is your favorite thing on your desk and why? 

Grant Giveaway Winners

• April Maddie's Community Conversations Giveaway Winners of $2,500 each
  • @Debra DeVries, K9 Battle Buddies, Hinesville, GA
    • "THANK YOU MADDIE'S FUND!!!!!!!!!  K9 Battle Buddies is a Non-Profit rescuing dogs, cats and the occasional ferret, rabbit and chinchilla!  Although principally serving Liberty County, GA, K9 BB works with other Rescues to help as many animals as possible.  We have an especially good work relationship with Liberty County Animal Services.  The Grant money will go into our "Survival Fund" which makes sure our rescues get the medical services they need.   Again...THANK YOU MADDIE'S FUND!!!" - Debra DeVries
  • @Carol Fleming, Upper Valley Humane Society, Enfield, NH
  • @Katheryn White, Paws Shelter of Central Texas, Kyle, TX
    • "PAWS is beyond excited to receive grant funds. Thank you Maddie's Fund! PAWS has been around for 30 years and sits in one of the fastest growing counties in Texas. But the infrastructure for pets in our county is almost non-existent. Our county shelter, and other shelters surrounding us, are constantly overcrowded and having to make hard decisions. PAWS is committed to helping other shelters in need by transferring pets into our program. We want to help create opportunities, space, and hope for them. Last year, PAWS took in around 1,700 pets and we are on track this year to surpass that. We are also launching our "Cell Dog" program with our local correctional facility this year and plan on increasing the number of TNR surgeries we offer. We plan to use our funds to go towards one of these. Despite our tiny facility and constant struggle with fundraising and recruiting donors, we are determined to make a difference. We like to consider ourselves "A tiny shelter doing BIG things!" - Katheryn White
  • @Catherine Williams, Saving Grace Animals for Adoption, Wake Forest, NC
    •  "Thank you so much to Maddie's Fund for the $2500 gift. At Saving Grace NC, we use every donation towards providing lifesaving medical services for our dogs, including heartworm treatments, spay/neuter surgery, and surgical interventions to make our dogs lives better and enhance their  adoptability." - Catherine Williams 
• April Maddie's Pet Forum Giveaway Winners of $3,000 
  • @Alycia Saldana, Lyman Animal Control, Lyman, WY
    
    

National Updates

• Maddie's Insights webcast this Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 12 pm Pacific: Implications of weeklong fostering and co-housing on shelter dog welfare with Dr Lisa Gunter. Earn a certificate of attendance for 1 hour credit of CAWA, NACA and RACE continuing education. Sign up here. 
• From Human Animal Support Services: Survey Request - How are your Community Microchip Scanners Working? We'd love your input! If your organization has community microchip scanners, please take a few minutes to complete our short survey. We're gathering insights on how scanners are performing when it comes to reuniting pets. We love talking about community reunification efforts but realize this is a tough one to measure impact. Click here for the survey. 
• From Community Cat Central:  Every lost cat has a family wondering where they are. Join us for Strategies to Reunite Lost Cats with Families - you'll learn the tools and techniques that can help make those reunions happen. Every cat that finds their way home is a family made whole again - find out how you can help make that happen! May 13, 2026 at 2:00–3:30 PM ET. Register here. Scholarships are also available so you can attend for free! Learn more here. 
  
• Maddie's Community Conversations Giveaway: Now you can enter for a chance to win up to  $10,000!  Enter here for a chance to win.  Open to all who are watching live or on-demand! Be sure to enter each week you attend! You must be registered in Maddie's Pet Forum to enter. 
• Maddie's Pet Forum Monthly Giveaway: Maddie's Fund® is giving away a $3,000 grant each month to one lucky Maddie's® Pet Forum member. You'll automatically be entered to win each month when you start a new discussion, reply to a new post. Learn more here. 
• We would love to hear from you! Have an idea for Maddie's Community Conversations? Interested in hosting? Have a topic or speaker you would like to hear from? Let us know on Maddie's Pet Forum via the Community Conversations Suggestions discussion thread. Or, you can contact us directly by emailing CommunityConversations@maddiesfund.org.

Presentation: Want More Impact? Think Networks, Not Organizations

• Speakers:
  • @Jane Wei-Skillern, Senior Fellow, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, Center for Social Sector Leadership
• Resources: 
  • "Four Network Principles for Collaboration Success" from The Foundation Review.  
    • This article features the Energy Foundation and lays out the four basic, counterintuitive principles of network leadership, and is the journal's most popular article in 15 years and was republished recently in a special issue of its top articles.  The original article has been downloaded more than 31K times which I share not to brag, but to show that there is appetite by others to learn not only how to shift their mindsets, but also how to transform their leadership and practice from ego/institution centered to mission centered.
  • Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) article, "The Networked Nonprofit"
    • One of Jane's earliest pieces that makes the business case for why network leadership is one of the most powerful, yet underutilized tools at our disposal in the social sector.
  • Podcast from SSIR's 2016 Nonprofit Management Institute 
    • Focuses on Network Leadership as its theme based on a successful nine blog series that Jane curated and led that year (for some reason SSIR lists the articles in reverse order at the bottom of the page, so please scroll to the bottom and read from the bottom up).   Jane presented a keynote presentation at the conference which you can find podcast here.
  •  Cracking the Network Code: A white paper that Jane wrote for Grantmakers for Effective Organizations on how funders can be more effective at supporting networks.
  • A curated reading list by SSIR on transformational leadership.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that two of my articles on network leadership were selected for this list of 14 (nos. 10 and 14).  Jane shares this reading list just as an indication that the field is open to learning more about how to apply this approach to current challenges.
  • Jane's website: newnetworkleader.org has more articles, cases, resources.
  • Jane's email: jwei.skillern@gmail.com
    

Highlights from the Chat

• In response to Jane's question - "What is your biggest challenge right now?" 
  • "Funding" - Diana Cruz
  • "Funding" - Michelle Pease Kalaskey
  • "Funding" - Kristin Moro
  • "Staffing" - Kelly Beaty
  • "Funding" - Katheryn White
  • "Staffing" - Leighanne Alford
  • "Funding" - Starla Raiborn
  • "Funding for spay/neuter and vet visit bills" - Daniella Leon
  • "Staffing" - Jay Dibella
  • "Fund Raising!" - Mary Flores
  • "Limited space" - Penny Paich-Caraway
  • "Finances" - Christy Schilling
  • "Volunteers & Funding" - Susan Morris
  • "Active volunteers" - Bonnie Clark
  • "Funding/volunteer help" - Sierra Potter
  • "Funding and staffing" - Jessica Iturres
  • "Communication. Money. Organization." - Janette Martin
  • "Fundraising" - Shari Onda
  • "Staffing" - Steph Kendrick
  • "Funding. We are just over a year old and my husband and I fund it 90-95% right now" - Brandi Washburn
  • "As an all-volunteer organization, fundraising." - Mike Szimanski
  • "Having enough fosters" - Karen Vandersall 
  • "Our biggest challenge right now and continuing to expand our support efforts for community pet owners during a time of a lot of economic hardships for people in our area." - Erika Skouby-Pratte 
  • "Budget and funding" - Amara Cordero
  • "Find funding for care of the rescue dogs. There is no paid staff, just volunteers." - Laurie Myers
  • "Funding and volunteer resources" - Cathy Williams
  • "Home breeders of large and PBTD. Hard to get s/n money to help." - Lisa Pearce
  • "Public engagement" - Steve Marrero
  • "Foster generation" - Eva Perrigo
  • "Visibility of our new Animal Welfare Resource Network which is a collaborative system." - BJ Adkins
  • "Having more adopters" - Marion Barbato
  • "Organizing to support greater animal welfare policy" - Christina Veloz
• "This names what we built. AWRN is the operational layer across seven counties and the US, so shelters, vets, landlords, and food pantries work the same family together instead of separately. Mission over organization, day one. Thank you for the language." - BJ Adkins
• "I just visited a Habitat for Humanity Restore this weekend. They had taken over an Ethan Allen furniture store." - Irene Chansawang
• "Such good points! Humility goes a long way with private donors and foundations in the grant world. Relationships and partners matter. It's fine to seek charity ratings to demonstrate financial transparency, focusing on the mission match, but being humble in your stories goes a long way." - Lisa Pearce
• "To Dr. Wei-Skillern's point, if one doesn't exist, how about an Assessment Platform available to everyone that collects information from disparate, potential partners unknown to each other? Initially, keep it simple and focused on perhaps four fields: 1] What you have to offer. 2] What you need. 3] Business or organization types that can help you. 4] Businesses or organization types you can help. Also, perhaps, a wildcard option that could highlight those with whom users may not see a connection. I'm pretty sure I could build this using AI." - Mike Szimanski 
• "So happy to be here today on my journey as a new fundraising and development volunteer to learn more about the why's and how's of networking for Path of Hope Rescue. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to saving high-risk, abandoned dogs-particularly pregnant dogs and puppies-from overcrowded and under-resourced shelters in Texas and transporting them to the Pacific Northwest for adoption. Due to severe overpopulation in the Southern United States, shelters-especially in the Houston area-are forced to euthanize healthy, adoptable dogs simply because they lack space and resources. Path of Hope partners with Texas shelters to focus on rescuing puppies and pregnant mothers, who are often among the first euthanized due to the additional care they require. Working with a network of volunteers, we pull dogs from urgent situations and place them into foster homes where they receive comprehensive veterinary care. Path of Hope is a fully foster-based rescue, and every dog is spayed or neutered prior to adoption. We provide ongoing veterinary and information support through and after adoption. Thank you, Maddie's Fund for this valuable information!"
• "It is interesting that as we have gained a bit of legitimacy in our rural area we have been invited to participate in partnerships with a larger community that help us deliver services and them continue to show donors' overall progress..." - Karen Vandersall
• "Show up as human first 👏🏽" - Cait Yoshioka
• "If you have volunteers or a board to work with, stay positive in your messaging and use social media to engage your public shining a light on the beautiful animals in your care. Include links to volunteer and for supply donations. No need to throw shade on the county or municipality, those who come in to volunteer, foster, or help out with transports, and such, will connect the dots and take ownership. It can be an effective way to farm advocates." - Lisa Pearce
• "Thank you!! We're working on building the relationships and trust as a primary component" - BJ Adkins
• "Your graphic for Community Involvement Map for Habitat Humanity is the AWRN for animal welfare.  We rejected hub-and-spoke from day one. AAF runs the operational layer underneath, the mission sits at the center, partners connect directly to each other across seven Alabama counties. Same diagram, animal welfare version." - BJ Adkins
• "One of the best Maddies' Forums ever! Thank you. I hope to share the recording and slides with my team." - Lisa Pearce
• "This is my first visit to Maddie's Weekely Zoom. I am so excited to see and learn more from this forum. Thank you for having this program." - Shari Onda

Updated 5/11/26 at 2:12 pm - Recording now available to watch on-demand!

Enter here for a chance to win the May Community Conversations giveaway after watching live or on-demand.

Please note: All views expressed on these calls are not necessarily endorsed by Maddie's Fund. 

We hope to see you on the next Maddie's Community Conversation on Monday, May 11, 2026 at 11am PT / 2pm ET  for "Want More Impact? Think Networks, Not Organizations" a conversation with Jane Wei-Skillern, Senior Fellow, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, Center for Social Sector Leadership. 

In this webinar, Jane shares key principles of network leadership-an approach that prioritizes mission over individual organizations and focuses on building strong, trust-based relationships across a broader ecosystem. Rather than working in isolation, leaders can expand their impact by sharing leadership, aligning around a common goal, and mobilizing partners across sectors.

For animal rescue leaders, this session highlights how deeper collaboration among shelters, rescue groups, veterinarians, volunteers, and funders can help save more animals and strengthen outcomes for entire communities.

This session is for all leaders who can apply network leadership approaches to their collaborative work. i.e., return home/intake staff, could connect adopters with additional resources from peer nonprofits, grant writers can make a stronger case for the impact of donor dollars because of leverage achieved through partnership, fostering relationships and community among volunteers can help create stronger commitment and peer support - but all are welcome. 

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Build trust and foster relationships with other before you focus on formal structure and accountability
• Make strategic decisions that serves your mission best, not necessarily serves your organizational/individual self interest
• Strive to weave constellations of trusted partners rather than be a lone 'star' organization that outshines others 
  
  

Don't forget! Maddie's Fund will be giving away up to $10,000 in grants each month! You can enter for a chance to win each time you attend a call or watch it on demand during the month by completing the monthly giveaway drawing entry form. 

Register for Community Conversations hosted via Zoom. 

🧠 Got Topic or Speaker Suggestions?
We want to hear your ideas! If there's a topic you're curious about or a speaker you'd love to hear from, please share your suggestions with us on our Community Conversations Suggestions thread. 

Looking forward to being in community with you! 

#CommunityPartnerships*
#EducationandTraining
#OrganizationalManagement
#PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)

------------------------------
Sheila Kouhkan
Senior Education Specialist
Maddie's Fund
CA
------------------------------

Updated 5/11/26 at 2:12 pm - Recording now available to watch on-demand!

Enter here for a chance to win the May Community Conversations giveaway after watching live or on-demand.

Please note: All views expressed on these calls are not necessarily endorsed by Maddie's Fund. 

We hope to see you on the next Maddie's Community Conversation on Monday, May 11, 2026 at 11am PT / 2pm ET  for "Want More Impact? Think Networks, Not Organizations" a conversation with Jane Wei-Skillern, Senior Fellow, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, Center for Social Sector Leadership. 

In this webinar, Jane shares key principles of network leadership-an approach that prioritizes mission over individual organizations and focuses on building strong, trust-based relationships across a broader ecosystem. Rather than working in isolation, leaders can expand their impact by sharing leadership, aligning around a common goal, and mobilizing partners across sectors.

For animal rescue leaders, this session highlights how deeper collaboration among shelters, rescue groups, veterinarians, volunteers, and funders can help save more animals and strengthen outcomes for entire communities.

This session is for all leaders who can apply network leadership approaches to their collaborative work. i.e., return home/intake staff, could connect adopters with additional resources from peer nonprofits, grant writers can make a stronger case for the impact of donor dollars because of leverage achieved through partnership, fostering relationships and community among volunteers can help create stronger commitment and peer support - but all are welcome. 

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Build trust and foster relationships with other before you focus on formal structure and accountability
• Make strategic decisions that serves your mission best, not necessarily serves your organizational/individual self interest
• Strive to weave constellations of trusted partners rather than be a lone 'star' organization that outshines others 
  
  

Don't forget! Maddie's Fund will be giving away up to $10,000 in grants each month! You can enter for a chance to win each time you attend a call or watch it on demand during the month by completing the monthly giveaway drawing entry form. 

Register for Community Conversations hosted via Zoom. 

🧠 Got Topic or Speaker Suggestions?
We want to hear your ideas! If there's a topic you're curious about or a speaker you'd love to hear from, please share your suggestions with us on our Community Conversations Suggestions thread. 

Looking forward to being in community with you! 

#CommunityPartnerships*
#EducationandTraining
#OrganizationalManagement
#PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)

------------------------------
Sheila Kouhkan
Senior Education Specialist
Maddie's Fund
CA
------------------------------