Updated March 23, 2020
Although The Open Sanctuary Project currently places a special emphasis on providing resources for farmed animal sanctuaries, many of our organizational and public resources would be beneficial for animal sanctuaries of all species mixes to review! Here’s a selection of those resources:
What Defines An Animal Sanctuary? – The phrase “animal sanctuary” is surprisingly undefined and unregulated. What are we talking about here anyways?
Choosing The Right Site For Your Animal Sanctuary – Location, location, location! There’s a lot to consider that could save your organization headaches and heartbreak down the road!
Determining Your Animal Sanctuary’s Capacity For Responsible Care – It’s critical that sanctuaries define how many residents they can responsibly provide care for!
Know Your Animal Sanctuary’s Zoning Rights & Restrictions – You must know what you can legally do on your sanctuary’s property so it doesn’t become an issue for your organization.
Preventing Fires At Your Animal Sanctuary – Structure fires are tragically common. How can you protect your residents and personnel?
Practical Biosecurity Measures For Animal Sanctuaries – Biosecurity is crucial to protect your residents, your staff, and your organization!
How To Create An Effective Rescue Policy For Your Animal Sanctuary– Who does your mission serve? Defining your rescue policy can go a long way in clarifying your goals and providing a path toward sustainability.
Establishing Proper Surrender Policies For Your Animal Sanctuary– If you’re taking in residents from an individual or organization, don’t forget the importance of documentation!
How To Set Up A Free And Secure Record Keeping System For Your Animal Sanctuary – If you want to go beyond paper when recording sanctuary information, here’s a free system you can customize to your liking!
Recognizing And Managing Compassion Fatigue At Your Animal Sanctuary – Rescuing and providing care for vulnerable populations carries serious risk to sanctuary workers. How can you recognize the signs of compassion fatigue before they affect your residents and organization?
Establishing A Safe And Effective Quarantine Policy For Your Animal Sanctuary – Quarantine is critical for the health and safety of both the residents you rescue and the humans who care for them.
The Importance Of Regular Health Examinations For Residents At Your Animal Sanctuary – Why health checkups are not an optional component of animal sanctuary operation!
Animal Sanctuary Resident Record Keeping Basics – Keeping track of your residents will lead to better care, better health outcomes, and significant organizational protections.
Animal Care Form Templates – We have templates that would be valuable for any animal care organization regardless of species, such as our Vet Visit Report Form, our Intake And Transfer Of Guardianship Records, and more!
Preventing Hardware Disease At Your Animal Sanctuary – Hardware disease can injure nearly every resident at your sanctuary. How can you prevent it?
Crafting A Compassionate Euthanasia Policy For Your Animal Sanctuary – Animal sanctuaries have a responsibility to provide a gentle conclusion for residents in addition to a comfortable life.
Saying Goodbye With Respect And Safety At Your Animal Sanctuary – What to think about and put into place before a resident passes away at your sanctuary.
How To Raise Money For Your Animal Sanctuary – Running a sanctuary is expensive! How do sanctuaries effectively fundraise while staying true to their mission?
Should Your Animal Sanctuary Be A Public Or Private Non-Profit? – How you structure your organization has significant implications down the road!
Creating A “Business Plan” For Your Animal Sanctuary – Having a well-defined and up-to-date plan is crucial for gaining support and striving toward sustainability.
Crafting An Accident Waiver For Your Animal Sanctuary – If volunteers or the public spend time at your sanctuary, an accident waiver is an important tool to protect your residents and organization.
Getting The Right Insurance Coverage For Your Animal Sanctuary – If you lack insurance, your entire organization can be put at risk from unexpected (and unfortunately common) scenarios.
How To Develop A Fundraising Plan For Your Animal Sanctuary – Providing compassionate lifelong care for animals is expensive! How can you effectively raise more to accomplish more?
Animal Sanctuary Organizational Record Keeping – Running a nonprofit generates a lot of paperwork! What do you legally have to hold onto?
What Should Go On Your Animal Sanctuary’s Website – A website is an essential tool in today’s digital age. What should go on yours?
Fundamentals Of An Effective Animal Sanctuary Tour Program – How can you make your sanctuary a valuable experience for visitors while respecting your residents’ needs?
Care Staff Retention At Your Animal Sanctuary – Animal caregiver positions tend to have some of the highest turnover at animal sanctuaries. How can you help retain a happy, healthy staff?
Recognizing And Preventing Burnout At Your Animal Sanctuary – Burnout is a significant risk at animal sanctuaries. How can you protect your staff and organization?
Independent Contractors Vs Employees At Your Animal Sanctuary – Don’t get caught in this common nonprofit pitfall!
Creating An Effective Set Of Contingency Policies – It’s much safer to make plans than be caught when the unexpected happens.
ADA Compliance For Animal Sanctuaries In The United States – All nonprofits in the United States have to consider the Americans With Disabilities Act. What can you do to make your sanctuary more accessible for everyone?
OSHA Compliance For Animal Sanctuaries In The United States – All organizations with at least one employee in the United States must comply by OSHA standards. How can you help foster a culture of safety at your sanctuary?
Tips For Creating A More Eco-Friendly Animal Sanctuary – How can your sanctuary be kinder to the Earth while promoting compassion to the animals?
Succession Planning: A Necessary Component Of Responsible Sanctuary Management – You can’t and shouldn’t run a sanctuary by yourself until the end of time (and that goes for other critical team members, too!). How can you plan for a successful departure from your organization?
Exempt Vs Non-Exempt Employee Classifications At Your Sanctuary – If you have employees at your sanctuary in the United States, make sure you’re following the Fair Labor Standards Act! Many nonprofits have suffered significant consequences by accidentally misclassifying employees.
Crafting A Successful Press Release For Your Animal Sanctuary – Something happened that you want to tell the world about? Make sure that you write a press release that will get you noticed!
Animal Sanctuary Visitor Surveys: How To Capture The Data That Counts – If you want concrete numbers to demonstrate your organization’s positive impact in the world as well as feedback to ensure your tours are effective, visitor surveys are a practical solution!
Creating A Rewarding Internship Program At Your Animal Sanctuary – Internships are the bedrock of many animal sanctuaries. How can you ensure that your culture of non-exploitation is extended to your dedicated intern population? And not break the law in the process?
The Value Of Staff Cross-Training At Your Animal Sanctuary – If your sanctuary has specialized staff positions, you run the risk of serious issues if anyone leaves. Cross-training can help keep your organization running in times of stress, turnover, or turmoil!
Agricultural Cooperative Extension Services: What Can They Do For Animal Sanctuaries? – What is an agricultural extension service? What exactly can it do for an animal sanctuary? You might be surprised by the depth of resources available to you in your community!
Composting 101: The Scoop On Poop – Is your sanctuary interested in composting? Check out our starter guide!
Advanced Manure Management: Putting Planning Into Action – So you have the basics of manure down; now to implement!
The Open Sanctuary Project’s Volunteer Policy Handbook – Here’s a completely free template to get started with volunteer policies at your animal sanctuary!
25 Questions To Help Guide Intake Decisions At Your Animal Sanctuary – Helpful discussion points for sanctuaries trying to make intake determinations.
Estimating Species Lifetime Care Costs At Your Animal Sanctuary – This tool can be used by sanctuaries of all species mixes to help determine budgetary needs!
Accreditation and Verification By The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries – Who is GFAS? What is the value of working with them for sanctuaries of all species mixes?
What To Consider When Children Visit Your Animal Sanctuary – What do sanctuaries need to do to keep everyone safe if minors are visiting?
Staff Hiring Tips For Your Animal Sanctuary – How can sanctuaries find the best staff possible for their organizations?
Signage To Consider Implementing At Your Animal Sanctuary – Signs! A simple concept, but one that is very important for clarity, safety, and more!
The Open Sanctuary Project’s Sanctuary Resident Adoption Record – Here’s a free template to reliably document resident adoptions at your sanctuary!
The Challenges Of Responsible Rescue – What goes into responsibly rescuing animals? A valuable perspective for the rescue community.
Breaking The Mold: How Animal-Centered Design Can Transform Sanctuaries – How can sanctuaries of all species mixes utilize Animal-Centered Design principles to help their residents thrive?
A Founder’s Guide To Organizational Change At Animal Sanctuaries – When transitioning leadership roles, how can a founder make the best choices possible for their organization while honoring their need to process sometimes complicated feelings?