Animal Welfare Professionals

I'm wondering if someone can help me understand what the Open Arms Challenge is?

Of course! Here's our webpage with all the details about the Open Arms Challenge grant:  https://www.maddiesfund.org/open-arms-challenge-2024.htm  

Last week, we held a pre-Challenge huddle to give an overview of the challenge and answer questions. I recommend you watch that. Here's the recording. It's 28 minutes long and goes over everything you need to know about the challenge. 

We also have a community in the forum dedicated to the Challenge. You can access it by clicking on the Communities tab in the navigation menu at the top of this page and selecting "2024 Open Arms Challenge" from the dropdown. 

If you have any additional questions about the challenge, please email our Grants team at Grants@maddiesfund.org.  @Amber Eby @Irene Chansawang or @Kelly Clardy, anything you'd like to add?

Thanks, Myriam! I hope you join the Challenge!

I think you've covered most of it, @Kim Domerofski (She/Her)! 

@Myriam Martinez The Open Arms Challenge is an opportunity for animal shelters, foster-based organizations and other animal welfare organization who are working to keep pets and people together to pilot a new practice (or expand on something you're currently doing) that's open and welcoming to your community. That practice will look different for each organization - it could be making sure you're returning all voice mails and emails in a timely manner, holding events in neighborhoods you haven't worked with in the past, working with different populations of your community.

As Kim mentioned, definitely check out the website and the video recording she linked to above. And if you have any questions, please email us at grants@maddiesfund.org or call us at 925.310.5450. Thanks!

Thanks so much for your response and input, Amber!

You can definitely bring an open and welcoming approach to your foster program, too, if that is the direction you'd like to take.

Some examples could be but are not limited to: expanding your foster program to a new demographic of people in your community (Assisted living facilities, schools, business, barn cats, new zip codes or neighborhoods, etc), making your foster volunteer onboarding more accessible and barrier-free (look at the application and the actual training itself), expand the way you market your foster program (TV, radio, social media, print, grassroots, partnerships with other organizations and businesses) and expand your foster program (foster-to-adopt, fospice, overnights and day trips).

We totally appreciate your feedback about how the challenge and reporting worked for you!