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Community Conversations - 10/16/23 - Research in Animal Advocacy: Making Ourselves More Effective and Inclusive

  • 1.  Community Conversations - 10/16/23 - Research in Animal Advocacy: Making Ourselves More Effective and Inclusive

    Posted 10-12-2023 10:58 AM

    Updated 10/16 at 3:30pm - Recording now available to watch on-demand!

    We hope to see you on Monday, 10/16 at 11am PT for our next Community Conversations call. We'll be joined by members of the Faunalytics team, Executive Director @Brooke Haggerty (she/her) and Research Liaison, @Bjorn Olafsson for a presentation on, "Research in Animal Advocacy: Making Ourselves More Effective and Inclusive." 

    At Faunalytics, we believe research and data are so much more than some strings of silly numbers or boring old papers – they are tools that are critical to our movement's effectiveness and longevity. Firstly, we'll go over the power of research in animal advocacy more broadly: how we can use it to answer critical questions about welfare and how to make real, tangible change for our furry or feathered friends. Then, we'll turn inwards, reflecting on how data can make our movement more inclusive to all.

    About Guest Speakers
    • Brooke Haggerty has over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector and has dedicated her career to animal protection. She stepped into the leadership role with Faunalytics in January 2020 after serving as our operations manager for over a year. Previously, she served as the executive director and later as a board member for the Foundation for Animal Care and Education, and also worked as a humane educator and later as a campaigns director for the Animal Protection and Rescue League. Brooke is a former board member and programming chair for the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of San Diego, currently serves on the board for HandsOn San Diego promoting community volunteerism, and actively volunteers with her alma mater's student mentorship program. In 2022, she was named one of "40 Top Business Leaders Under 40" by the San Diego Business Journal. Brooke has an MA in Human Behavior, a BA in English, and certifications in Marketing and Nonprofit Management. In her free time, she enjoys classic literature and the great outdoors.
    • Björn Jóhann Ólafsson started advocating for animals at the ripe age of ten and hasn't stopped since. After studying psychology and human rights at the University of Chicago and the Center for Decision Research, Björn worked in education and science writing. He then investigated animal agriculture as a journalist for Sentient Media and other publications, reporting on greenwashing campaigns, alternative proteins, and animal sentience. Outside of work, Björn is often trail running in the Icelandic highlands or the Spanish Pyrenees, learning more languages, sewing outfits from scratch, or spending time with his two beloved lovebirds.
     
    The Maddie's Fund team will also be announcing the September grant winners for Community Conversations and Maddie's Pet Forum! Be sure to tune in to see if you've won! 
     
    Register here for our Monday Community Conversations Calls: maddies.fund/CommunityConversationsRegistration
     
     
    If you are unable to make it live on Monday, this thread will be updated with the recording and resources so you can watch and share whenever you'd like.  After you watch the recording on-demand or attend the call live, be sure to complete this October entry form to enter to win up to a $5,000 grant: https://www.maddiesfund.org/weekly-community-conversations-oct23-giveaway.htm


    #DataandTechnology
    #Diversity,Equity,InclusionandJustice

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    Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
    Maddie's Fund
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  • 2.  RE: Community Conversations - 10/16/23 - Research in Animal Advocacy: Making Ourselves More Effective and Inclusive

    Posted 10-16-2023 12:08 PM

    Really enjoyed this presentation. As a researcher in my former life, I don't need to be sold on the value of research. I am involved in direct rescue work through our foster-based senior dog rescue org (https://www.citizencaninerescue.org/). I have always wanted to develop a legislative arm to our work as I believe that, given the profound number of dogs (animals) in need of rescue, our efforts only go so far. I would be interested in ideas for a jumping off point for becoming involved in policy work



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    Karina Reyes
    President, CEO
    Citizen Canine Senior Dog Rescue
    IL
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  • 3.  RE: Community Conversations - 10/16/23 - Research in Animal Advocacy: Making Ourselves More Effective and Inclusive

    Posted 10-16-2023 12:19 PM

    Great question Karina. While I think information from our speakers or others would be helpful as well. Here's a bit of information on beginning Advocacy-specific work for policy change from my research bookmarks.  

    https://www.humananimalsupportservices.org/resources/advocacy/

    https://aldf.org/article/working-with-legislators/

    https://www.californiaforallanimals.com/resources/



    ------------------------------
    Shonyae Johnson - CPDT-KA
    Program + Operations Management
    Behavior Manager
    Operation Kindness
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: Community Conversations - 10/16/23 - Research in Animal Advocacy: Making Ourselves More Effective and Inclusive

    Posted 10-16-2023 12:26 PM

    Thanks so much, Karina! So great to connect with a fellow research fan. I love what you're thinking. Something we found in our previous research (specifically on animal ag subsidies but hopefully still helpful) was that constituent lobbying tends to be more successful than professional lobbyists in getting politicians to understand an issue (whereas professional lobbyists are better trained to expand or write legislation). So perhaps a program that trains your local community on constituent lobbying would be something to explore. In 2024 we're actually going to conduct research on effectively communicating with legislative staffers, so stay tuned for that (and definitely dive into the study Bjorn shared today on how local laws can have a big impact https://faunalytics.org/local-action-as-stepping-stone/). And here's another resource you might enjoy: Getting Started In Legislative Advocacy - Faunalytics. Thank you for the amazing work you do!



    ------------------------------
    Brooke Haggerty
    Executive Director
    Faunalytics
    CA
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Community Conversations - 10/16/23 - Research in Animal Advocacy: Making Ourselves More Effective and Inclusive

    Posted 10-16-2023 12:26 PM

    Thank you to everyone who joined us today!

    If we didn't get to your question during the Community Conversation, or here in the forum, please make sure to visit our Office Hours: Ask Us: Faunalytics' Virtual Office Hours - Faunalytics

    You can also sign up for our weekly newsletter for information on the latest research: Sign Up for Alerts - Faunalytics 

    And make sure to follow us on social media! @Faunalytics 



  • 6.  RE: Community Conversations - 10/16/23 - Research in Animal Advocacy: Making Ourselves More Effective and Inclusive

    Posted 10-16-2023 12:08 PM

    Thank you so much for this topic! I look forward to hearing from everyone. The topics in the chat were just too good.



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    Shonyae Johnson - CPDT-KA
    Program + Operations Management
    Behavior Manager
    Operation Kindness
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Community Conversations - 10/16/23 - Research in Animal Advocacy: Making Ourselves More Effective and Inclusive

    Posted 10-16-2023 01:45 PM
      |   view attached

    Thank you for joining our conversation today! The presentation slides are attached here, and below are all the links to the resources we shared or mentioned during the presentation. Do let us know if you have any questions!

    Faunalytics:  https://faunalytics.org

    Research Library:  https://faunalytics.org/library

    Companion Animal Fundamental: https://faunalytics.org/fundamentals-companion-animals

    Faunalytics Explains Video Series: https://www.youtube.com/faunalytics/videos

    Studies referenced

    Contact Us:  https://faunalytics.org/contact-us

    Office Hours:  https://faunalytics.org/ask-us

    Subscribe:  https://faunalytics.org/research-alerts

    Follow: @faunalytics



    ------------------------------
    Jenna Riedi
    Communications Manager
    Faunalytics
    CO
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  • 8.  RE: Community Conversations - 10/16/23 - Research in Animal Advocacy: Making Ourselves More Effective and Inclusive

    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
    Posted 10-16-2023 02:27 PM
    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

    Unanswered question from the chat, 

    "On the fundamentals page, it says the question "Has Your Concern For Animals Ever Caused You to..." and one option was "S/N your pet". The result is a very low 52%, even though over 80% of pets are spayed/neutered and over 80% of people with unaltered pets want them to be SN. So I'm curious to know what the goal was here and what it's supposed to be measuring." - Maria S




  • 9.  RE: Community Conversations - 10/16/23 - Research in Animal Advocacy: Making Ourselves More Effective and Inclusive

    Posted 10-16-2023 03:40 PM

    Hi Maria! Great question. This data point in particular is from Faunalytics' Animal Tracker, a 10 year longitudinal study where our goal was to analyze trends over time. You can view more in the study's graphing tool (click Animal-Related Behavior to get results for this question in particular). 

    Other studies get to the higher numbers you're referring to, for example: "81% of survey respondents agreed that spay/neuter is important to control pet overpopulation." Different questions yield different results, so you're absolutely right to engage with research (or anything really that we read online these days!) critically. If you have additional questions from the Fundamental I definitely recommend our Content Director karol's Office Hour. He knows that data like the back of his hand and can walk you through any nuance. 

    Thanks for all you do!



    ------------------------------
    Brooke Haggerty
    Executive Director
    Faunalytics
    CA
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: Community Conversations - 10/16/23 - Research in Animal Advocacy: Making Ourselves More Effective and Inclusive

    Posted 10-16-2023 03:27 PM

    Thanks to the 151+ people who joined us on today's Community Conversations call! The recording is now available to watch on-demand. Be sure to complete this giveaway form if you joined us live or caught the recording to enter to win a grant up to $5000: https://www.maddiesfund.org/weekly-community-conversations-oct23-giveaway.htm

    Agenda

    • Welcome from Hosts
    • Maddie's Fund September Grant Winners 💸
      • Congratulations to our September 2023 Community Conversation winner of $5K: Amanda Gray, Operation Liberation (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
      • Congratulations to our September 2023 Maddie's Pet Forum winner of $3K: @Eudora Watson, Potsdam Humane Society (Potsdam, NY)

    • Question of the Day: Do you know what data your animal wellbeing organization is tracking?
      • "s/n numbers" - Julie Jacobson
      • "Zip Codes" - Katie Peachey
      • "I would need the rest of the week to answer that question! :-D" - Jenna Riedi
      • "Here are GoodPup we are particularly interested in return rates!" - Morgan Rivera
      • "We only do transport.  Track volume, destination, etc." - June Thomas
      • "S/n, Zips, pantry " - Claudia Labbe
      • "For PFL, yes, I know all of it! :)" - Maria S
      • "ALL the data! Anything we can track at BARCS, we do!" - Michelle Pease Kalaskey
      • "s/n numbers and adoptions" - Gwen Harding-Peets
      • "We watch all the data here at Faunalytics!" - Björn
      • "We track everything we can!!" - Becky Costner
      • "Marketing metrics - Engagement, Impressions, Clicks etc. Conversion rates - how long it takes to adopt Behavioral metrics" - Shay Buckway
      • "S/N numbers for ferals, S/N owned animals, adoptions, intakes, transfers" - Amy Joshua
      • "Employee wellbeing and engagement" - José Ocaño 
      • "sources of intake, LOS, Capacity for Care" - Nancy McKenney, Marin Humane 
      • "We track a broad set of shelter activities by zip code." - Steph Kendrick
      • "Where we TNR, medical for everyone, and foster and adoption data" - Samantha Garcia
      • "spay/neuter, tnr, wellness, returns, owner surrenders, intake & adoptions." - Erika Skouby-Pratte 
      • "For each cat spay-neutered:  body condition, weight, whether pregnant, lactating, in heat, housed or community, location of colony, vaccine status, etc....Also, trying to track use of vaccine in kittens." - April King
      • "Yes. We track adoptions, intake, transports, spay/neuter numbers, returns, surrenders, etc." - Erin Hooks
      • "We are only doing intake and outcome but want to do more" - Kim Alcott
      • "Spay-Neuter voucher numbers." - Christine Lugo
      • "Types of owner surrenders,  Health state of intake dogs " - Karina Reyes
      • "Financial information, urgency of the case etc. we help people who cannot afford needed care" - Bernadette Vinci
      • "We track unhoused people services as well" - Maris Brown

    National Updates

    Today's Presentation: Research in Animal Advocacy: Making ourselves more effective & inclusive

    At Faunalytics, we believe research and data are so much more than some strings of silly numbers or boring old papers – they are tools that are critical to our movement's effectiveness and longevity. Firstly, we'll go over the power of research in animal advocacy more broadly: how we can use it to answer critical questions about welfare and how to make real, tangible change for our furry or feathered friends. Then, we'll turn inwards, reflecting on how data can make our movement more inclusive to all.

    • Speakers
    • Discussion Question: If you could have any research done that would help make your work more effective, what would it be?
      • "Deep dive into foster perspectives" - Monica Zinchiak
      • "need more info on where people are getting all the big unruly dogs from... could we also find out how to convince people to adopt the big unruly dogs...or adult cats." - Nancy McKenney, Marin Humane 
      • "Reasons for low interest in grant funding for animal welfare" - Beverly Paladinetti
      • "Effectiveness of owner surrender prevention programs" - Kim Alcott
      • "Always fundraising strategies." - Angela Rowe
      • "What would allow our services to be accessible to folks not currently accessing our resources." - emily wood
      • "What resources would be most helpful to keep animals in their homes (again, for people not currently accessing our resources)." - emily wood
      • "Would love to see research about the effectiveness of specific animal control services/activities. E.g., picking up stray dogs, dangerous dog laws, barking complaints, tethering laws." - James Pawlowicz
      • "How well is the education helping in bipoc communities." - Christina Avila
      • "Best engagement tool to use to inform people for funding or donations" - Beverly Paladinetti

    • Related Links

    Highlights From the Chat

    • "While working on my masters in shelter medicine, I used and LOVED faunalytics!" - Morgan Rivera
    • "Where is this data collected?  Data size, areas, etc?  I would suspect that this category has big swings by what area" - Maria S
      • "The 2021 year-end report includes information on 1,520,713 cats and dogs across 1,280 U.S. animal welfare organizations that use the PetPoint software" - Jenna Riedi (she/her), Faunalytics 
    • "By local, does he mean at the city level?" - Karina Reyes
      • "Yes, city or county" - Jenna Riedi (she/her), Faunalytics 
    • "How many people return and don't provide that information though?" - Kelly Furnas
    • "And is there a reticence to disclose a reason for returning a dog? Seems like people don't want to admit what they perceive as a failure, so they blame the surrender on something else... just a thought..." - Mary Flores
      • "My own answer to this question would be "no" because I've never had an unaltered animal where I needed to make that choice!" - Mary Flores
      • "The reporting behaviors for owners returning or surrendering an animal needs a lot of theory development and behavior research. But, it likely has some impact on the numbers we see" - Lawrence Minnis
    • "I love rescuing dogs but I am also acutely aware that what we do is a drop in the bucket. I am interested in getting into advocacy work at the legislative level. I was thinking writing editorials could be a jumping off point to raising awareness" - Karina Reyes
    • "CARE's REDI Course is another amazing resource for organizations.  And there is funding available to assist orgs in taking this online course.  It's transformative!" - Mary (she/her) @ Maddie's Fund
    • "It is nice to see numbers to reflect my own experiences." - Nicole King
    • "Thank you for this. I never thought of the disparities of rescue workers. Great to think about" - Angela Rowe
    • "Thank you for the presentation!  I've come across Faunalytics so many times, but great to see all the ways we can make use of your work!" - April King
    • "Thank you so much for this call!" - Irene
    • "Thank you! I can use some of this information this week!!" - Eudora Watson


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    Charlotte Otero
    Community Strategist at Maddie's Fund
    she/her
    ------------------------------