Episode Notes
Julia, the NonprofitA non-governmental organization whose primary purpose is something other than selling goods or services. Specialist at The Open Sanctuary Project, sits down with Animal Place FounderSomeone who starts an organization. A Founder may or may not also be the Executive Director of an organization. and Open Sanctuary Project Board Member Kim Sturla to continue our series sharing invaluable perspectives from leaders in the sanctuary and rescue world.
In addition to founding Animal Place, Kim also served as Executive DirectorThe individual formally in charge of final decision making at an organization, who sometimes works closely with the organization’s Board of Directors. Sometimes a Founder is an Executive Director, especially early in a nonprofit’s growth stages. for a humane society, as well as the Education Director at Fund For Animals, and worked on many legislative campaigns to improve animal lives.
Julia and Kim discuss five key points Kim wishes she had known before getting started in sanctuary and advocacy work- a conversation not to be missed!
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This Episode’s Referenced Open Sanctuary Project Resources:
- Recognizing And Managing Compassion Fatigue At Your Animal Sanctuary | The Open Sanctuary Project
- Recognizing And Preventing Burnout At Your Animal Sanctuary | The Open Sanctuary Project
- Care Staff Retention At Your Animal Sanctuary | The Open Sanctuary Project
- The Value of Staff Cross-Training At Your Animal Sanctuary | The Open Sanctuary Project
- Guide To Utilizing Shelter Shifts At Your Animal Sanctuary | The Open Sanctuary Project
- Creating A Strategic Plan For Your Animal Sanctuary | The Open Sanctuary Project
- Estimating Species Lifetime Care Costs At Your Animal Sanctuary | The Open Sanctuary Project
- How To Develop A Fundraising Plan For Your Animal Sanctuary | The Open Sanctuary Project
- Choosing The Right Site For Your Animal Sanctuary | The Open Sanctuary Project
- Understanding Your Animal Sanctuary’s Zoning Rights & Restrictions | The Open Sanctuary Project
- What Is A Land Survey And How Can It Help Your Animal Organization? | The Open Sanctuary Project
- Establishing Safe And Effective Quarantine And Isolation Protocols For Your Animal Sanctuary | The Open Sanctuary Project
- Determining Your Animal Sanctuary’s Capacity For Responsible Care | The Open Sanctuary Project
Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated)
Julia Magnus: Hi, I’m Julia, the nonprofit specialist at the Open Sanctuary Project, and I’m delighted today to share space with a very special guest and close friend to and board member of the Open Sanctuary Project, Kim Sturla. I’m so happy that you’re joining us for the second in a series of interviews with folks in the sanctuary movement with the aim of sharing their experience and knowledge with the community.
Kim, your journey for farmed animalsA species or specific breed of animal that is raised by humans for the use of their bodies or what comes from their bodies. began during your tenure as the executive director for a Bay Area Humane Society. There you met a pig, a little stray pig named Zelda. While everyone at this shelter loved little Zelda, the only offers for homes that you were getting for this little friend were from people who wanted to raise her up for slaughter. So, this encounter ultimately led you to co-found Animal Place. In 1988, you dropped everything, sold your home, bought raw land in California, and began to live out of a trailer with a dream of co-founding a sanctuary, and Zelda became your first rescue.
You went on to lead Animal Place as executive director for 35 years. You’ve also served as an education director at the Fund for Animals, and you’ve played a key role in multiple legislative achievements, including authoring precedent-setting laws allowing pre-university students to opt out of animal dissections and mandating the sterilization of shelter animals before adoption. You’ve also authored many local ordinances banning the breeding of dogs and cats, sparking nationwide spay/neuter initiatives. And on top of this, you’ve also advocated for animals in research and education. Among other things, you were the sole public member of UC Berkeley’s Animal Care and Use Committee.
These days, Animal Place, the sanctuary that you founded, which started as a volunteer-run small sanctuary, is one of the most known sanctuaries in the country. It covers two properties: one consisting of 600 acres in Grass Valley and another 12-acre rescue and adoption center in Petaluma. Animal Place has over 20 employees, a cadre of volunteers and interns, and tens of thousands of supporters. With all this deep experience, Kim, I’m pretty sure that you have some really valuable tips to offer to our listeners. So, do you want to dive in with your first point?
Kim Sturla: Okay. My first point, Julia, is I have done a lot of workshops in the past on helping folks how to start a sanctuary. I always begin those with, “do as I say and not as I do,” because I didn’t do any preparation before starting Animal Place. You know, there’s something to be said for kind of jumping in naively, jumping in with no preconceived notions, no business plan, no really serious thought because that passion can take you so far. That said, as you know, rescuing any animal, especially large farmed animals that you couldn’t easily place should you decide that this is not what you want to do anymore, really is a very, very serious endeavor. I say it’s a lifetime commitment.
Julia Magnus: You mentioned when we were talking about this interview that sanctuary can be a 24/7 job. Do you want to tell me a little bit more about your experience that made you emphasize that point in particular?
Kim Sturla: You know, it is a 24/7 job. Myself and the other co-founder were living on-site and realizing that you can’t just really go out to the movies that night and leave those animals unattended. Especially in California, we’re in really high fire danger here pretty much all the time. Especially right now, we’re in the middle of a lot of fires surrounding us that, fortunately, our fire department and Cal Fire are doing a great job managing. You certainly can’t go away for the day or the weekend. That’s just out of the question; you just can’t do it.
If you don’t have anyone trained, really well trained, who can take care of the variety of species we’re dealing with, then I always encourage people to please try to build a facility, a little apartment or a cottage. Our first facility for somebody to live in was actually inside our barn. We built it inside there. They were not deluxe quarters by any stretch, but it allowed us to provide free rent for some hours of help. You need that assistance so that you have some freedom, or if you’re sick or injured, you need the backup.
Julia Magnus: Absolutely. It is a 24/7 job, particularly not just from an animal perspective and a potential hazards standpoint, but it seems to me that it can become very tiring to be constantly at work and on your toes. Compassion fatigueA form of Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder that can affect anyone serving individuals who have experienced or are currently experiencing trauma. and burnoutA physical and emotion reaction to prolonged, unmanaged workplace stress. can become potential issues for folks over time. We do have resources at OSP about recognizing and managing compassion fatigue and burnout, as well as ones covering care staff retention at your animal sanctuary and the value of cross-training. Did you ever work with cross-training folks? Because you mentioned specifically that folks need to be able to cover a variety of different species when it comes to their care practices.
Kim Sturla: Everybody was trained in all species. We didn’t have that luxury when we first started for really the first 10 years. I worked full-time for the Fund for Animals, but fortunately, they allowed me to work remote, which back then was unheard of. Now it’s common. The other co-founder was a veterinary professor at Davis, so he also was working full-time but off-site. Everybody had to be knowledgeable about taking care of all the species.
The thing about the 24/7 schedule, which I should have emphasized, is that when you have a young population of animals, which happens usually when you first start, and if everybody’s healthy, it is in some ways a breeze. You feed them, you clean them, you take care of the barns, you make sure they’re well-fed. But when one animal is sick, injured, or ailing because he or she is old, or when you get a new orphan in, then your workload is amplified dramatically—threefold. Many of those animals need 24/7 care. That means getting up in the middle of the night to make sure they are fed. If they were young, I set them upstairs in my house so it would be easy to roll out of bed, heat up that bottle, feed them, and climb back into bed.
It’s tough. I get the thing about compassion fatigue because I hear that a lot and I have seen that with the staff, but I have to say for me personally, that was never something I experienced. That intense joy of rescue, caring for, and interfacing with them outweighed any grief. Any sadness I experienced when making the call for euthanasiaThe act of ending someone’s life to spare them from suffering or a significantly reduced quality of life that cannot be managed. was healed by spending the afternoon with another animal. Even working 24/7 and not taking vacations didn’t cause compassion fatigue for me. My vacation was to go sit in the pig barn and hang out with them and give them belly rubs. You’re living in a beautiful area and it’s an honor to live with them. That joy overshadowed everything else.
Julia Magnus: I definitely know what you mean. I live with 22 buddies myself. At this point, something that you raised earlier about a younger group being easier is true because you usually don’t have to do as much monitoring. But a lot of mine are seniors now. I’m at a point where I can leave the house for maybe three to four hours a day, once a week. It is offset for me by knowing that their golden years are really special to them.
To that point, we’re actually celebrating the “Summer of Celebrating Sanctuary Seniors” at OSP right now, and we’ve gotten all these beautiful stories. There’s one about Nobel Sheep, whose caregivers rejoice in every day he has because it’s a luxury to see these folks attain years they were never meant to reach. This was also a point that Alistair raised when I had this conversation with them. I think there is a lot of joy to be had from seeing that and it is a privilege.
Kim Sturla: I have one very old doggy too that I love more than life itself. I too won’t leave the house for more than a few hours if I have to. Every minute is a privilege.
Julia Magnus: Absolutely.
Kim Sturla: It’s a wonderful way to start the morning with hugs and snuggles. You’re in a good mood, you’re smiling, you’re laughing, you feel joy. I think rather than focusing on the hard work and the stress, we must remember it does not compare at all to the suffering these animals and their millions of brothers and sisters experience before they come to us. Thinking about that is what will make me crazy, so I don’t try to think about it. My antidote for burnout is to stay razor-focused on helping animals and doing everything in your power to prevent their suffering.
Julia Magnus: Another point that you brought up when we talked about this discussion was that sanctuary is a lifelong commitment. Keeping your focus very intently on those before you helps me when I think about the nameless others that are suffering. I know that this makes a difference to this one and that it is of value. The lifetime commitment part feels really important.
Kim Sturla: It’s crucial. Animal Place was the second sanctuary started, right after Farm Sanctuary. In my long history doing this work, I’ve seen a number of sanctuaries fold for a variety of reasons. I understand each situation, but when starting a sanctuary, it’s something for folks to really give serious thought to. It’s not like rescuing dogs and cats that can be rehomed if you need to.
Julia Magnus: Right.
Kim Sturla: It’s a whole other ball of wax.
Julia Magnus: There’s such a limited amount of compassionate homes for farmed animals that it’s really overwhelming. This ties into another point you made, which is that you have to be very practical. As a lifelong commitment, that means being prepared for costs. A lot of people think costs are only high on the front end during a rescue when animals might have critical injuries.
Kim Sturla: Yeah.
Julia Magnus: But costs also go up over time as your population ages and perhaps someone like Ruth develops arthritis and needs long-term medication. This is why we published a resource on aging populations and how they impact capacity.
Kim Sturla: Oh, greatly, yeah.
Julia Magnus: It can impact your capacity but also create opportunities to expand your narratives. There’s a challenge when it comes to donors who love the bright new rescued babies but might be less inclined to support Ruth, the aging sheep with arthritis. The front-end costs are not going to be your only ones; they will likely increase as folks age.
Kim Sturla: Yeah. And that’s another reason to circle back to that old, “boring” thought of a business plan. You need a business plan. The other thing I feel really strongly about is that sanctuaries are expensive and use a lot of resources. Since there are limited donors, I think it’s a moral imperative that sanctuaries have a fairly aggressive education program. Many folks are good about tours, but they need to promote the heck out of putting compassion into action.
It reminds me of a few months ago when I was taking a friend through the sanctuary. We saw a mom with her little girl, who couldn’t have been more than three. The girl was bending down on the road to help a tiny caterpillar. I thanked her and told her she was the prime example of putting compassion into action. She saw someone who was going to get squashed if she did not intervene. Every single one of us can put our compassion into action multiple times a day. It doesn’t do the animal any good if all you do is feel badly for it; that doesn’t help the animal one iota.
Julia Magnus: It can be very empowering to realize it’s within you to do something. Education programming is a real opportunity for folks to see farmed animals as individuals with names and stories. Great sanctuary education also centers on animal agency—approaching animals with respect for their wishes rather than treating the sanctuary like a petting zooAn organization where animals, either rescued, bought, borrowed, or bred, are kept, typically for the benefit of human visitor interest..
Kim Sturla: I’ve never had much success talking people into veganismA movement and way of living that seeks to eliminate the exploitation of and cruelty to nonhuman animals as much as possible. Often, veganism is defined synonymously with a plant-based diet, although veganism includes abstaining from elements of animal exploitation in non-food instances when possible and practicable as well., but I’ve seen people change once they start meeting these individuals. When they get to know them as individuals, something just switches in the brain. You then need to take the next step of explaining what they can do to help other farmed animals in the future.
If I’m talking to a group outside the sanctuary, I can only go so far with the horrors of animal agricultureThe human production and use of animals in order to produce animal products, typically for profit. before a brick wall goes up. However, when they come to the sanctuary, they see these beautiful animals living in a free space, and that opens them up to taking in the horrors of the industry.
Julia Magnus: Do you think being around those individuals makes folks more receptive to that narrative?
Kim Sturla: Yes, I think it makes a big difference. We also have a museum with actual gestation crates, farrowing crates with life-sized models, veal crates, and hutches for female calves. We even have a human-sized battery cage that we invite people to get into. Anything we can do to demonstrate how animals are treated is vital because most people don’t know what a battery cage actually is. I think education is a moral mandate for sanctuaries.
Julia Magnus: I also think it’s a major point in their favor as advocates. Some people think sanctuaries are just places where animals live, but the power of conjoining the individuals with the educational aspect is the most powerful advocacy you can do. As direct caregivers, having access to stories about their personalities and sentienceThe ability to feel, perceive, or experience things as an individual, especially the ability to feel pleasure and pain. is a form of advocacy that is hard to beat.
Kim Sturla: My office used to overlook the parking lot and the pastures. Our sanctuary has always been open seven days a week for visitors. Before we had the museum, I got the sense that for many moms and kids, it was just like a fun field day at a zoo. They didn’t really come away with what we were really about.
That was the catalyst for building our Museum of Animal Farming. It’s an indoor-outdoor facility with simple displays right at the entrance. It started with just wanting a farrowing crate and a gestation crate outside the pig barn, but even something simple like that is another vehicle for education that sanctuaries can afford. We got ours for free from an old 4-H setup. There’s always more we can do to educate that doesn’t necessarily cost a lot of money.
Julia Magnus: To that point, we have a wonderful humane educator at OSP who has created lesson plans that you can freely download. They are great starting points because they are beautifully illustrated and easy to follow.
Kim Sturla: The Open Sanctuary Project website is filled with so many resources. I know sanctuaries use the animal care sheets a lot, but I hope people explore the other sections as well. You could have different volunteers read different sections and then share what they learned. You can cherry-pick what you can implement because you have so much there. The animal care sheets are the best, but you offer so much more than that.
Julia Magnus: I’m grateful for the shout-out. One of the things I value so highly about you as a colleague and board member is your pragmatism. You’ve emphasized the importance of having a business plan as a sanctuary. Do you want to speak on that more?
Kim Sturla: Yes. And again, I say do as I say, not as I do. We had no business plan. We started like almost everyone else: with no money, working full-time, motivated by a particular animal. Rescuers are so motivated by their hearts that we tend not to think enough with our brains. A business plan is just a way of stating your immediate plan, where you will have the sanctuary, how you will pay for it in the short term, and how you will maintain it in the long term.
You also need multi-channel fundraising. A missing piece for many nonprofitsNon-governmental organizations whose primary purpose is something other than selling goods or services. is the lack of follow-up—no thank you or expression of gratitude. If you’re not nurturing those who financially support you, they likely won’t continue with you.
Julia Magnus: Oh, yeah.
Kim Sturla: Role-modeling kindness and gratitude is important. You need to figure out how you’re going to raise money and create a budget for yearly costs. We were lucky that I had run a humane society and the other co-founder was a vet, but you really need that all in writing. You also need a board of directors. I purposely kept our board small, with every member being veganAn individual that seeks to eliminate the exploitation of and cruelty to nonhuman animals as much as possible, including the abstention from elements of animal exploitation in non-food instances when possible and practicable as well. The term vegan can also be used as an adjective to describe a product, organization, or way of living that seeks to eliminate the exploitation of and cruelty to nonhuman animals as much as possible (e.g., vegan cheese, vegan restaurant, etc.). and 1,000% into the missionThe stated goals and activities of an organization. An animal sanctuary’s mission is commonly focused on objectives such as animal rescue and public advocacy..
Another critical piece is getting a use permit for your property. Our original sanctuary was unable to get a use permit because it wasn’t zoned for that. You want a sanctuary that can legally invite people in. If you can’t have visitors, it hampers your education outreachAn activity or campaign to share information with the public or a specific group. Typically used in reference to an organization’s efforts to share their mission.. You also need to look at climate, rainfall, and fire danger when choosing a site. Maintaining a sanctuary through individual donors means you are constantly in fundraising mode. That requires creative and genuine ways to interface with those donors.
Julia Magnus: I’m grateful you mentioned that because there’s also a legal part to it if you’re a 501(c)(3). Your business plan should include the timely issuance of donor acknowledgment letters that meet IRS requirements. We have a resource that walks you through that and provides templates.
Kim Sturla: You have to. For donors who give substantial amounts, you want to get to know them and understand why they are supporting you. That relationship strengthens into a true partnership.
Julia Magnus: I’m also grateful that you tied the site of a sanctuary to its long-term sustainability. We have resources on choosing the right site and understanding zoning restrictions. It’s important to consult with a lawyer because ordinances change by municipality and county.
Kim Sturla: A good realtor can be helpful, but looking at multiple states is more challenging.
Julia Magnus: I had a friend who was looking for property for her pigeons. In Chicago, you can have any farmed animalA species or specific breed of animal that is raised by humans for the use of their bodies or what comes from their bodies. you like, but you can’t have a pigeon. There’s a lot of unwarranted stigma against them. It’s worth taking a deep dive into local ordinances. Regarding use permits, I worked with a sanctuary last summer that presumed they were allowed to have public events until they suddenly found out they weren’t. They were lucky to have community support to get a special use permit, but that’s not always the case.
Kim Sturla: When we bought our property in Grass Valley, we had to deal with officials who didn’t know what to do with a sanctuary. The land was zoned for agriculture, but they didn’t understand why we weren’t selling wool or eggs. I had to testify at an agricultural commissioner’s meeting. It takes gently educating them about what it means to save a life.
Julia Magnus: Yet another opportunity for advocacy. I also want to mention land surveys as a planning resource. They show flood zones, easements, and property boundaries.
Kim Sturla: When we bought our 600 acres in Grass Valley, the property was affordable because it had a conservation easement on it. We could only build on a five-acre footprint. This forced us to be very careful with barn placement. I was also committed to not taking down any trees.
Boundary disputes are no fun either. Our neighbor built a fence for the monkeys they have on their property, and we found out the fence was actually on Animal Place’s property.
Julia Magnus: I didn’t know Animal Place had a conservation easement. That used to be one of my areas of law.
Kim Sturla: Oh my god, I could have used you so much! After we bought the land, the president of the land trust—who was a Walmart developer—sent me a letter saying we couldn’t build barns or even put up fencing. I studied that 35-page document, highlighted everything, and knew he was wrong, but we still had to get an attorney to fight it. We won, but it was a lot of angst and expense.
Julia Magnus: These things come up so frequently. I’ve heard of driveway easements or neighbor’s fences encroaching. It’s incredibly important to emphasize.
Kim Sturla: We also have PG&E easements for power lines and irrigation water easements. The larger the parcel, the more potential challenges you have.
Julia Magnus: Water rights are also a major issue, especially in the West. I’ve been working on a resource for that.
I also wanted to mention that we are looking forward to releasing a fundraising workbook that consolidates your knowledge on grant programs and cultivating donors. It will help people build their own strategic plans. Please listen to Kim and her practical considerations in advance!
Kim Sturla: A good way to look at it is to bring volunteers into the fold. Seeing your financial supporters as part of the team makes it a partnership. Over the years, I have treasured the relationships I’ve built with donors.
Julia Magnus: I love that. I have a small rooster rescue, and once a woman I didn’t even know gave $500 toward my vet bill. It happened to be on my birthday.
Kim Sturla: I hope you shared that with her.
Julia Magnus: I did! We actually became friends and mail care packages to one another. It really is an opportunity to expand your life because these folks share your values.
Kim Sturla: I’ve always viewed donors as students. The sanctuary is a classroom without walls, and a large donor base increases the number of people you can educate and motivate. You can mobilize them to write letters on certain bills. It’s a huge plus.
Julia Magnus: You’re finding the bright side of every issue, and I really appreciate it. It’s a 24/7 job, but there’s joy in it.
Kim Sturla: We are so lucky that our job is something that fills our heart. So many people never find their passion or calling. I’ve always known mine was with animals.
Julia Magnus: I agree. I feel very lucky to have had this conversation with you today, Kim.
Kim Sturla: I feel lucky too, and I enjoy serving on the board.
Julia Magnus: We’re so grateful for everything you do for OSP and the animal world. Do you have any closing thoughts?
Kim Sturla: I think we covered so much.
Julia Magnus: That was epic. Thank you so much again, Kim.
