Take Charge to Make Change Webinar Series - Part Two
In this webinar series, the Best Friends advocacy team sits down to discuss topics around policy, advocacy, and grassroots efforts for animal welfare organizations. The series aims to provide information to help you save lives in your everyday work.
- Make your budget work for you
- Besties, Frenemies, and Wild Cards: Meet your dream coalition
- Work Smarter not harder: Empowering Board Members and Friends Groups
- Make a Plan then Work the Plan: Why creating a strategic plan for community engagement will pay off
- If you build it, they will come: Growing your base the grassroots way
Make your budget work for you
Operational budgets, capital spending budgets, grants, gifts, and RFPs and contracts are all ways cities fund services. Network partners know how to make a lot happen without a lot of money, but they shouldn’t have to. This session will go over the basics of city budget processes, the types of budgets and sources of resources, and recommendations on how to get elected officials to prioritize you in the budget process. We will also discuss what to look for in an RFP and contract to ensure you are getting the most bang for your buck.
Presenters:
- Kelsey Gilmore-Futeral - Manager, legislative attorney
- Rich Angelo - legislative attorney, cat initiatives
- Kathleen Murphy – Policy analyst
Besties, Frenemies, and Wild Cards: Meet your dream coalition
Coalitions can make or break your policy or advocacy initiative if they are not set up to be advocates. Learn some best practices for managing or being a member of a coalition as well as where to find the best coalition members.
Presenters:
- Kelsey Gilmore-Futeral - Manager, legislative attorney
- Lynn Greco - president, Animal Voice of South Carolina (AVA of SC)
- Kathleen Murphy – Policy analyst
Work Smarter not harder: Empowering Board Members and Friends Groups
Most of the time finding someone passionate about animals is easy but are they a good board or friends group member? What makes a good advocacy board member? Network partners will be given tips on where to find board members and gain insight into how to set up board members to turn their passion for animals into policy advocates and how to have boundaries in place to make sure no lines are crossed.
Presenters:
- Eric Swafford - Senior manager, campaign strategy
- Kathleen Murphy - Policy analyst
- Denise Deisler - CEO, Jacksonville Humane Society
Make a Plan then Work the Plan: Why creating a strategic plan for community engagement will pay off
While it may never be too late to ask for help, waiting until the last minute to build community relationships or engage the community will not create the important connections and committed relationships needed to bolster your shelter and animal needs in the long run. This session will explain why having a plan now to build community relations will help protect you from community or elected officials attacks or money grabs.
Presenters
- Kaitlyn Simmons - Senior manager - grassroots advocacy
- Eric Swafford - Senior manager, campaign strategy
- Kathleen Murphy - Policy analyst
If you build it, they will come: Growing your base the grassroots way
Sometimes when you want to create change in your community, it's hard to know where to begin and what tools to use. In today’s current animal welfare word community engagement and community supported sheltering are terms being utilized regularly but often with various intentions and levels of understanding. In this session we will review community organizing and grassroots advocacy tools and tips to getting started building your own network of supporters.
Presenters:
- Kathleen Murphy - Policy analyst
- Carol Reyes - manager of grassroots advocacy
- Keiko Berkon - manager of digital organizing
Watch part 1 of the webinar series here.