As I write, yesterday we buried our dear cat Taffy. She was a soft, quiet, beautiful, gentle soul with a goofy, cross-eyed visage. Sad goodbyes. Maybe you’ve been there.
It gives me the opportunity to offer a word of thanks to animal charities, a group within the larger nonprofit world that perform a set of good and loving services.
It also provides an opportunity to consider the set of relationships many of these charities enjoy. First, they partner well with local governments. Taxpayers are willing for their tax dollars to pay for the humane rounding up of strays, but not quite as willing for their tax dollars to pay for the longer-term care and complicated work that is required to find good, new homes. So government agencies collect the animals, and animal charities take it from there.
Second, these charities also partner well with veterinarians. Vets usually do their work through for-profit companies. They very often offer free or discounted services to the charities for these strays, to restore their health, to provide their shots, and to neuter them. Why? Sure they are good people and happy to help alleviate suffering, but it is also in their financial interest to support a higher level of pet ownership in the community.
So – here’s a case where the nonprofit sector (animal charities), and the public sector (local governments), and the private sector (vets), work together very well, to the symbiotic benefit of each, not to mention enhancing the lives of animals, their people, and the community.
The moral of this story: maybe stop and consider ways that your nonprofit could expand or invent symbiotic partnerships with the public and private sectors.
love, joy, peace … Michael
www.michaeljaffarian.com. Michael is a freelance consultant to nonprofits, with an emphasis on research. Contact him for a free, one-hour consultation. emichaeljaffarian@gmail.com.
Vol. 1 No. 10
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