Pet For Life Sustainability Guide

Definition of Sustainability

In the context of the Pets for Life program and this Sustainability Guide, sustainability is defined as:

• Full adoption of the PFL approach as both a conceptual and practical framework for achieving an organization’s mission, including a genuine understanding of how animal welfare is connected to larger systemic challenges for people and pets
• Organizational leadership and ownership in integrating and upholding the PFL approach in all aspects of its operations and programming
• Access to funding (new or existing sources) to support the program

In the nonprofit world, organizations have to be resourceful because there never seems to be enough funding to do the great work they are doing. Understandably, many organizations start with the last point on our definition of sustainability: How can I access more money to support my program? Our perspective is that in order to gain access to additional funding, the other two parts of this definition need to be answered first. Has your organization adopted the PFL approach not only conceptually (the easier part) but also practically? Is it integrated into the other programs and services of the organization? And if you can answer yes to those questions, the next question is just as important: Has the leadership of the organization taken responsibility for upholding the PFL approach in its operations and programming? For example, is community support work as important to the leadership of the organization as it is to the staff who are managing the actual outreach efforts?

When organizations are intentional in their support of the PFL program as a whole, and are committed to the approach, funding will more easily flow from that vision and commitment. Now of course, there are practical elements that can help organizations fundraise better, and this guide includes some of those basic principles. But each organization may have a different strategy in identifying which sources of funding will best support the program, and which networks will provide the most return on investment. Each chapter of this guide is connected to this definition of sustainability for the purpose of increasing your holistic sustainability of the PFL Program.