The Open Sanctuary Podcast

Executive Director Mckenzee and Nonprofit Specialist Julia discuss how animal sanctuaries differ from petting zoos. While this topic might seem evident to many in the sanctuary movement, expectations from the public based on past experiences might lead to conflations between the two environments. We also discuss how animal sanctuaries and advocates can educate the public and avoid creating unsafe...

The Open Sanctuary Project's Community Education Specialist, Andie, and Nonprofit Specialist, Julia, offer an introduction to The Open Sanctuary Project's offerings in our education and governance departments! Did you know that in addition to our direct care resources, we also have a vast array of resources on these two essential subjects for animal organizations? We talk about the many areas we c...

Community Education Specialist Andie and Nonprofit Specialist Julia discuss zoning laws and their importance to animal sanctuary and rescue work! We've done a few podcast episodes about capacity variables, and zoning is often touched upon. While zoning may not be the first thing you think about in terms of capacity limits , it's critical for you to understand the zoning laws governing your propert...

In this episode, The Open Sanctuary Project's Executive Director Mckenzee and Nonprofit Specialist Julia discuss the importance of language choices. Language is how we interface with and categorize the world around us. Our choice of language plays a significant role in how we consider others, so your language choices can have a tangible impact on promoting your mission and vision! We talk about ho...

In this episode of The Open Sanctuary Podcast, Executive Director Mckenzee and Nonprofit Specialist Julia celebrate our seventh year of operation by discussing our year in review! We know that our audience of compassionate caregivers is often caught up in the day-to-day work of direct care for animals, so this is your chance to catch up with what's new this year in freely accessible resources to h...

Executive Director Mckenzee and Nonprofit Specialist Julia discuss the cases for and against adoption policies at your animal organization and the considerations you must consider when implementing one. We talk about vetting homes, the paperwork you should have in place, the templates we have to help you, and more! To learn even more about how your organization could potentially increase your capa...

Executive Director Mckenzee and Nonprofit Specialist Julia discuss three administrative tools that are helpful (and in some cases necessary) for the effective administration of your animal organization: board bylaws, registered agents, and land surveys! --- This Episode's Referenced Open Sanctuary Project Resources: Nonprofit Board Basics For Animal Sanctuaries | The Open Sanctuary Project Board R...

Community Education Specialist Andie Springirth welcomes back special guest and Open Sanctuary Project contributor Dr. Emily Tronetti to discuss specific agency-supportive practices that sanctuaries can implement in their onsite educational endeavors to nurture the well-being of the residents and increase the effectiveness of their programming. In addition to exploring environmental-, resident-, a...

Executive Director Mckenzee and Nonprofit Specialist Julia discuss ten critical questions that you should ask yourself before you start a sanctuary! This resource is excellent for those new to the sanctuary movement and a helpful refresher for established sanctuaries and rescue organizations. It serves as a guide to some of the many considerations you will need to consider as you embark upon or co...

Senior Advisor Tara and Nonprofit Specialist Julia discuss the ins and outs of an essential sanctuary consideration: resident drinking water! Ensuring your residents receive the nutrients they require for their health and well-being is an essential aspect of animal care, but the importance of water and the logistics around providing it are sometimes overlooked. To learn about the nuances of drinki...

Community Education Specialist Andie Springirth welcomes back special guest and Open Sanctuary Project contributor Dr. Emily Tronetti to discuss the importance of fostering farmed animal agency in sanctuary education. In addition to exploring why agency-centered education is so vital to the well-being of sanctuary residents, this episode also highlights some of the inherent challenges sanctuary ed...

Executive Director Mckenzee and Nonprofit Specialist Julia talk about collaboration and cooperation between organizations! They list common pitfalls to relationship building, how to avoid them, and also how to communicate and work together in ways that enhance your capacity! Building community with like-minded organizations is a great way to strengthen our movement and help out humans and non-huma...

In this episode of The Open Sanctuary Podcast, Community Education Specialist Andie Springirth is joined by special guest and Open Sanctuary Project contributor Dr. Emily Tronetti to discuss farmed animal agency and how to start centering it at your sanctuary to improve the overall health and well-being of the residents. In addition to exploring what agency is and why it's so important, this episo...

In this episode of The Open Sanctuary Podcast, Community Education Specialist Andie and Senior Advisor Tara discuss the vital role observation plays in many aspects of animal caregiving, focusing on how we can use our observation skills to assess our residents' health and catch subtle signs of concern. --- This Episode's Referenced Open Sanctuary Project Resources: Observation: An Important Caregi...

In this episode of The Open Sanctuary Podcast, Senior Advisor Tara and Nonprofit Specialist Julia discuss the guiding principles we use to source compassionate care information. From examining the challenges of finding reliable sources that value the individual lives of animals as sentient beings to explaining how we assess specific care recommendations, we hope that this podcast can provide you w...

Community Education Specialist Andie and Senior Advisor Tara discuss some helpful strategies and tips on how your animal organization can thoughtfully approach and respond to common visitor questions that sanctuaries get asked by visitors. --- This Episode's Referenced Resources: A Starter Guide to Common Questions Your Sanctuary Gets Asked and How to Thoughtfully Answer Them | The Open Sanctuary...

Community Education Specialist Andie and Nonprofit Specialist Julia discuss some helpful strategies and tips on how your animal organization can table at outreach events as effectively as possible. They offer insight on how tabling can be a beneficial way to connect with the public and raise awareness about issues that are important to your organization, actionable tips on how to choose outreach e...

Research Specialist Amber, Community Education Specialist Andie, and Nonprofit Specialist Julia discuss how your animal organization can "bee" more friendly to bees and other pollinators! They offer insight into how bees and pollinators can support your sanctuary (and can help support you and your efforts), actionable tips on how to support pollinators, and ways to educate the public on how to sup...

Research Specialist Amber Barnes and Senior Advisor Tara Hess discuss the importance of understanding how fresh, lush pastures can affect ruminant, camelid, and equine residents. In this episode, we talk about the joys of spring for residents and care staff but also the potential risks that may come along with the season. We take a peek into potential health concerns, why spring pastures can cause...

Research Specialist Amber and Nonprofit Specialist Julia talk about donkeys! Amber explains some of the physiological, behavioral, social, and nutritional needs differences between horses and donkeys and how these impact what caregivers must consider in their day-to-day care of these individuals. We also talk about mules and the traits that make them different from both their horse and donkey pare...

Community Education Specialist Andie Springirth and Executive Director Mckenzee Griffler discuss combatting biases that can harm farmed animals. Since much of human thinking, feeling, and behavior is guided by our biases, understanding biases that can negatively impact farmed animals is an important undertaking for animal sanctuaries. As communities that challenge the dominant treatment and socioc...

Senior Advisor Tara Hess and Community Education Specialist Andie Springirth delve into the topic of goat resident safety. Why goat resident safety specifically? While sanctuary caregivers need to make sure residents of all species are safe, ensuring the safety of goats, in particular, can be a bit tricky, especially if you aren't aware of the unique safety challenges they face. In addition to dis...

Executive Director Mckenzee Griffler and Nonprofit Specialist Julia Magnus continue discussing animal sanctuary capacity. We review some of the many elements that play a role in determinations around capacity and discuss ways to make it easier for your organization and team when capacity limitations dictate that you say "no," and discuss other ways your organization can help even when you must dec...

Executive Director Mckenzee Griffler and Nonprofit Specialist Julia discuss an essential metric for all sanctuaries to consider regularly: capacity. In this episode, we discuss many elements that play a role in determining an organization's capacity, including spatial, quarantine, personnel, financial, regulatory, and emergency response capacity. We talk about how the interplay between these eleme...

Community Education Specialist Andie and Senior Advisor Tara revisit the topic of zoonotic disease, this time with a focus on mitigating the risk of transmission for sanctuary personnel. We start by sharing five measures folks can implement today to help protect personnel and then discuss three additional measures folks can implement that may take a bit more time and consideration but can go a lon...