Sally Williams, Brodie Fund and Feline Fine Project
November 5, 2019
Dr. Kimberley Khodakhah, Veterinarian, Mentor, Wellness & Success Coach
November 12, 2019
I have been binge-watching lots of webinars lately. Webinars are a great way to learn new information without loading up the car or getting on a plane to go to a conference. This week, I’ll share my thoughts on some of the webinars I have been watching recently.
ASPCA Pro: Leadership Is a Practice with BJ Rogers from Emancipet
BJ takes a very deep dive into leadership and learning. As the animal welfare environment continues to change, BJ addresses the key issues around how leadership can improve culture and organizational change. He also clarifies the differences between authority and leadership. About 30 minutes into the presentation, I found the “golden nugget,” where BJ shares really great information about how we need to find the perfect sweet spot for change with over-stressing the organization. Leadership is a skill that we need to practice and it is hard.
Maddie’s Fund: Change Management Principles to Make Hard Changes Simpler
Cristie Kamiya, DVM, MBA, Chief of Shelter Medicine, Humane Society Silicon Valley shares stories about how change occurred at the HSSV. She covers an eight-step management plan. One of the key areas that Dr. Cristie spends a lot of time on is failure and being willing to fail. You need to create a guiding coalition and clear vision. Change what is needed and not what is easy. Create Pilot Programs, as this will give the organization an “easy out” if the program doesn’t work. HSSV has a very specific strategy to help change happen in the animal welfare workplace.
I do have to say, I found this presentation a bit overwhelming for a smaller organization. If I were part of an organization with only about 10-20 volunteers and wanted to make a change, I don’t think this process would be the way to go. Christie didn’t go into detail on how the board was involved in making organizational decisions. My guess is that they probably weren’t, which is also very different for many groups.
All in all, though, I found the presentation very thought-provoking and I was glad to learn something new.
Alley Cat Allies: Global Cat Day Webinar/Helping Cats in Your Community
Brianna Lovell, ACA’s Associate Director of Community Engagement and Events, hosted a very interesting webinar on TNR basics in honor of Global Cat Day (October 16). She shared how to start trapping, colony caretaking tips, and how to advocate for cats. She also shared a great TNR timeline that you can use to help make sure you are doing TNR in the community professionally in hopes of preventing any conflicts.
This webinar is a wonderful resource for anyone who is just starting out, whether on their own or as part of a group. You can either watch the replay or sign up for an upcoming session. They do it every few months, and it is even held in Spanish every other time. This webinar is also worth posting on your organization’s social media to share with your local community. ACA has some other fantastic resources as well, including community cat care resources and winter tips—and if you aren’t part of the ACA Feral Friends Network yet, I would recommend you join that too. It is an under-used resource for the community cat world, I think.
That’s it from me this week. What webinars are you watching? Please let us know on our Facebook page.
