Animal Friends Alliance

Animal Friends Alliance was formed in 2020 through the merger of The Fort Collins Cat Rescue & Spay/Neuter Clinic (est. 2007) and Animal House Rescue and Grooming (est. 2006). Animal Friends Alliance now operates two facilities and provides a full range of community animal services including cat and dog sheltering and adoption, spay and neuter clinics, income-eligible veterinary services, pet supply and food pantry, and efforts to control Northern Colorado's stray and feral cat population. Animal Friends Alliance is led by Executive Director and Fort Collins Cat Rescue and Spay/Neuter Clinic founder Sarah Swanty and includes a 10-member board of directors and a staff of 60 with assistance from over 900 volunteers.

Transformation at the Top
Animal Friends Alliance is primarily led by its leadership team which is composed of the board president, executive director, director of community engagement, director of operations, and director of philanthropy. When Animal Friends Alliance was formed, the leadership team established a set of seven core values for the organization: Integrity, Shared Purpose, Compassion, Courage, Collaboration, Progressive, and Communication. The leadership team has created many avenues for feedback to ensure the organization is following through with these core values. Supervisors maintain an open door policy and there are virtual suggestion boxes to submit concerns or ideas to the leadership team. To get feedback from volunteers, monthly volunteer coffee chats are held (virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic) to hear experiences or suggestions from the large volunteer staff.

Reinforce and Build
One major way Animal Friends Alliance seeks to communicate its ethical foundation throughout the organization is its JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) Council. The JEDI Council is responsible for coordinating Animal Friends Alliance's diversity and inclusion efforts within the organization, as well as helping guide how the organization will respond to larger societal issues. Currently, the JEDI Council is introducing this concept to staff and volunteers and surveying stakeholders to determine how well Animal Friends Alliance currently performs in its diversity and inclusiveness initiatives. The JEDI Council is also gathering training tools and resources and analyzing Animal Friends Alliance's policies and procedures to ensure that the organization is as welcoming and inclusive as possible for all its constituents including staff, volunteers, and clients.

Unite the Team
Unite the Team means something a bit more literal to Animal Friends Alliance than other organizations as it is the result of a recent merger. According to executive director Sarah Swanty, the decision to merge was the only easy part of the process, and the rest of the process took a great deal of hard work, grit, and determination, especially as the merger took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. What helped push the organization through this period of change was the knowledge that once the two organizations were fully integrated, they could do a lot more to help people and animals than they could separately. The next phase of this growth will be the expansion and renovation of the Taft Hill campus which will house all of Animal Friends Alliance's shelter and adoption programs, allowing the Mulberry campus to focus on spay/neuter services, veterinary care, and the pet supply and food pantry.

Steer Performance
Both long and short-term goals are set by the Board of Directors. These goals have gotten much more ambitious with the newly merged organization, such as the goal to have 3000 animals adopted in 2020. Once goals are set, the entire staff and board of directors are involved in the strategic planning process whether that is for annual planning or longer-term strategic planning which sets the course for Animal Friends Alliance for the next five years. Employees are provided with the necessary skill development through a continuing education budget which allows employees to attend workshops and conferences. The investment in the new Taft Hill campus will also provide for new and expanded capabilities that will allow Animal Friends Alliance to set itself even more ambitious goals.

Treasure People
With over 900 volunteers, Animal Friends Alliance has spent considerable effort on how volunteers are trained, overseen, and rewarded. This starts by having the director of community engagement sit on the leadership team, giving volunteers a voice and advocate at the highest levels of the organization. As volunteers complete different training programs, they receive buttons that recognize achievement and help staff know the capabilities of each volunteer. Volunteers are recognized through monthly spotlight blog posts, recognition of service anniversaries, awards at Animal Friends Alliance's annual gala, and volunteer celebration events. The Volunteer Corrective Action Process helps correct any volunteer behavior that does not meet the organization's values. Staff is recognized through Saving P.A.W.S. (People, Animals, Work Ethic, and Society) nominations. Every quarter two staff members are recognized for their achievement in one of these areas and each year a Saving P.A.W.S. Champion is selected who receives an all-expense paid trip to the animal welfare conference of their choice.

Enthusiastically Reinvest!
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Animal Friends Alliance's Kittens at Collinwood program was an innovative outreach program that benefited both partners. Each month, Animal Friends Alliance would bring shelter kittens to the Collinwood Assisted Living and Memory Care facility in Fort Collins to spend time with residents. For the Collinwood residents, this brought some companionship and joy while for Animal Friends Alliance the kittens received socialization which would help when it came time to foster or adopt them out to families. Animal Friends Alliance also runs their Community Cat Program based on "trap, neuter, and release" or TNR. This reduces the breeding population of feral cats in the area in a more humane and less disruptive manner.