Thank you to Maddie's Fund for all they have done in 2025!
Here at PBHSN we have had a very eventful year!
Something We Achieved from Our January Goals: One of PBHSN's January goals was to improve our usability of our donor and reporting data. We have successfully cleaned and consolidated multiple donor lists, built more consistent tracking systems, and created templates that allow us to respond more efficiently to grants, sponsorships, and last-minute opportunities. This has made reporting smoother and reduced duplicate work across the team.
A Goal That Evolved into Something Better: What started as a goal to draft a few LOI templates evolved into a broader effort to standardize our development materials. Along the way, we began refining language across proposals, sponsorships, and follow-up reports to ensure consistency, clarity, and stronger storytelling. This has helped elevate how we present our work to funders and partners overall.
A New Partnership, Improved Process, or Reduced Barrier: An improved process I'm particularly proud of is helping transition donor thank-you postcards into a digital format for online donors. By embedding visuals directly into emails rather than relying on mailed postcards or attachments, we've reduced delays, improved the donor experience, and ensured supporters receive timely and meaningful acknowledgment of their impact.
A Small Shift That Made a Big Difference: A small but impactful shift was placing more emphasis on visuals and storytelling in donor communications. Whether through improved photos, clearer success stories, or better-organized reports, this change has made our impact easier to understand and more engaging for donors-without requiring significant additional resources.
A Story of a Pet or Family You'll Never Forget: Choco:
Choco came to PBHSN in December 2023. While he was a loving and intelligent dog, finding the right home for him proved to be a challenge.
At 108 pounds, his size combined with his very high energy level meant that he required an experienced, committed adopter who truly understood the needs of a large, working-breed dog. Choco also struggled with severe kennel stress, which impacted how potential adopters perceived him during meet-and-greets. In the shelter environment, his stress and excitement sometimes masked the wonderful companion he could be in the right setting.
Everything changed when Christy came across Choco's story on social media. Christy and her husband already shared their home with a large German Shepherd, so they understood exactly what kind of environment, training, and daily routine a dog like Choco would need to thrive. They first visited the shelter together to meet Choco and assess whether he might be a good fit. Encouraged by that meeting, Christy returned with their dog, who would soon become Choco's brother, and the dogs got along beautifully!
Confident that Choco had finally found his match, the family finalized his adoption on October 16, 2025-nearly two years after he first arrived at PBHSN. In his new home, Choco has plenty of land to run and play and spends much of his time outdoors with his canine brother.
Choco's journey is a testament to the importance of patience and persistence when matching animals with the right adopters. Thanks to the support of the Golisano Foundation, PBHSN was able to house, train, and care for Choco for as long as it took, ensuring he received the support he needed until his perfect home finally found him.
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Rachel Rothman
Donor Relations Coordinator
Patty Baker Humane Society Naples
FL
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-01-2025 09:51 AM
From: Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
Subject: December 2025 + January 2026 Giveaway: What's a win you're celebrating from this past year?
As we wrap up 2025 and look ahead to a new year, it's a natural moment to pause and reflect on the progress we've made, both the milestones we planned for and the unexpected victories that showed up along the way.
Back at the beginning of January 2025, many of you shared your goals for the year in our 2025 Goals Giveaway thread. Community members shared goals aimed at growing your foster network, strengthening community partnerships, expanding pet support services, improving shelter medicine protocols, or building a healthier team culture.
Now, almost twelve months later, we'd love to hear:
What's one win (big or small) you're proud of from this past year?
Your win could be:
• Something you achieved from your January goals
• A goal that evolved into something better
• A new partnership, improved process, or reduced barrier
• A small shift that made a big difference
• A story of a pet or family you'll never forget
Whether you hit your goals, adapted them, or discovered new priorities along the way, your progress is worth celebrating. These reflections help all of us learn, grow, and recognize the impact this community makes every day.
Share your win on this thread in December 2025 or January 2026 and you'll be entered in a giveaway to receive $1,000 in unrestricted funds for your organization to use in whatever way will make the biggest difference.
We're so glad you're part of this community, and we can't wait to celebrate your 2025 wins, no matter how big, small, or unexpected they turned out to be. Here's to ending the year on a high note and carrying that energy into 2026!
#Maddie'sFund30Years
#FundraisingandDevelopment
#OrganizationalManagement
#PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)
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Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
Maddie's Fund
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