Making Good Work

Good Causes > Great Results

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

Margaret Mead

Animal Farm Foundation, Bangall, NY

We are conducting a mixed method evaluation of PAWS of Purpose. Thus far we have:

  • Developed a conceptual framework to guide the evaluation
  • Reviewed, refined, and finalized research questions
  • Drafted the evaluation plan, including determining the sample, developing data collection methods (surveys, interviews), and creating the analysis plan

We are working with AFF to finalize the evaluation plan. We anticipate collecting data on 10 teams of inmates. For each team, data will be collected from the three key constituents: 1) AFF program providers, 2) Rikers staff, and 3) inmates.

SCAN, Alexandria, VA

We are working with SCAN to:

  • Inventory current grants and develop a system to manage them, ensuring all reporting requirements are met
  • Write new grant proposals and resubmissions for continued funding of current grants
  • Review and provide feedback on program strategy
  • Evaluate programs

In the past 10 months we have raised nearly $300,000 in grant funds.

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The Grey Muzzle Organization

Dr. Lisa, as she is affectionately known at Grey Muzzle, has served as the part-time Executive Director of the organization since June 2015. Here are some of her key accomplishments to date.

  • Increased revenue by more than 200% in 4 years: In her first year, Dr. Lisa increased revenue by more than 50%–from $225,211 in 2015 to $343,035 in 2016. In 2018, revenue topped $500,000, and in 2019 revenue was nearly $700,000.
  • Exceeded targets for quarterly fundraising campaigns: In each of the quarterly campaigns, Dr. Lisa exceeded the fundraising goal by 10-30%.
  • Wrote a successful grant proposal to Maddie’s® Fund: Grey Muzzle was awarded a $48,500 grant in March of 2018. Under the grant, Dr. Lisa will conduct a mixed method study to identify best and promising practices to promote the timely adoption of senior dogs (seven years or older). Our goal is to use project findings to inform development of programs and practices that promote senior dog adoption, reducing the likelihood that older dogs will be euthanized.
  • Garnered national media attention focused on Grey Muzzle and senior dogs: In January 2017 Grey Muzzle conducted a survey of grantees and disseminated findings via a press release that was picked up by numerous media outlets, including The Washington Post, msn.com, Tampa Bay Times, Denver Post, News & Observer in Raleigh, NC, Ft. Worth Star Telegram, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Miami Herald, Wichita Eagle, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, NewsOK.com (The Oklahoman), Bradenton Herald, Independent Tribune, the Huffington Post, Dogster, the Dodo, and SFGate. Since 2016, Grey Muzzle has also been featured in national news outlets, including Modern Dog magazine, Family Circle, TODAY, One Green Planet, Radio Pet Lady, and the My Old Dog and Grouchy Puppy Blogs.
  • Led Grey Muzzle’s increasingly successful grant cycles: In her first year, Dr. Lisa managed the most successful grant cycle in Grey Muzzle’s history. We received a record 160 grant applications, 75% of which were from organizations that had not previously received a Grey Muzzle grant. Thirty-eight organizations representing 25 states received over $225,000 in grants in 2016, a 50% increase compared to 2015 awards. Since then, grant award totals have continued to increase. In 2017, we awarded grants totaling more than $300,000 to 50 shelters and rescue groups in 25 states, and in 2018 we awarded nearly $390,000 to 66 shelters and rescue groups in 30 states. In 2019, we set another record, awarding $419,000 in grants to 62 animal welfare organizations. In addition to traditional programs and services such as hospice, medical and dental care, we also funded grantees offering innovative programs, including one grantee that offers swimming therapy to senior shelter dogs, another focused specifically on rehabilitating senior dogs from puppy mills, and yet another dedicated to helping terminally ill people care for—and ultimately rehome—their senior dogs.
  • Redesigned the Grey Muzzle grant review process to be more objective and transparent: We increased our emphasis on results and program sustainability and revised our grant evaluation criteria accordingly. Applicants are rated, among other criteria, on the extent to which they present well-defined goals, measurable outcomes, and a plan for sustaining the senior dog program beyond the Grey Muzzle grant period. In an effort to build capacity among applicants who did not receive grants, in 2016 we began providing feedback to all applicants who requested it.
  • Conceptualized and managed the Summer Smile campaign: With an original goal to raise $7,500 in our first-ever campaign focused on raising funds specifically for dental care of older dogs, we more than doubled that, raising more than $15,000. In addition, the photos submitted to our GivingGrid were voted on and the top dogs were featured in our first-ever Grey Muzzle calendar, which sold more than 500 copies. Our Summer Smile campaign continues to grow, raising $21,000 in 2018 and $24,000 in 2019.

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Association for Human-Animal Bond Studies, Poway, CA

Great results include writing a winning grant proposal in response to the Human Animal Bond Research Initiative (HABRI) Foundation’s call for research proposals to investigate the health outcomes of animal-assisted activities, for both the people and animals involved. We worked with the Association for Human-Animal Bond Studies to design the study and then crafted the proposal, which focused on testing the effectiveness of Listening EARS, a classroom-based program that uses small animals (i.e., rabbits and guinea pigs)—that may already be in classrooms—to help children to improve reading proficiency.  The study will advance knowledge about how interaction with an animal can improve third grade students’ oral fluency and reading comprehension. It also offers the potential to demonstrate the effectiveness of a program that includes small animals as an alternative to trained dogs. HABRI awarded the Association more than $13,000 to conduct the study.

 

Animals and Society Institute, Ann Arbor, MI

Lisa worked with ASI from 2012 to 2020. Highlights of her work include:

  • Writing a winning $50,000 grant proposal to Maddie’s Fund to evaluate pet-friendly homeless shelters’ current approaches to handling animals accompanied by people experiencing homelessness, documenting lessons learned and best practices. The goal is to use the project findings to inform development of animal-friendly policies and practices in homeless shelters nationwide, reducing the likelihood that animals will be relinquished simply because their caregivers are experiencing a period of homelessness. Read the final report Maddie’s Fund Final Report_June 2020 and the executive summary Maddie’s Fund Executive Summary 2020.
  • Creating a one-of-a-kind, 16-week intervention/diversion program for animal abuse offenders and a half-day psycho-educational program designed to teach participants how to care responsibly and empathically for companion animals. The program is being used in Syracuse and Rochester, NY, and Maricopa County, AZ.
  • Conceptualizing and implementing a successful fundraising campaign to support scholarships for ASI’s first-ever Summer Institute for human-animal studies scholars, exceeding the fundraising goal by more than 50%.
  • Developing a conceptual framework (logic model) to integrate multiple program components and guide program development and expansion.
  • Leading a strategic planning effort for a Kansas City coalition that is now working to raise awareness of the relationship between animal cruelty and other forms of violence.
  • Leading a strategic planning effort for the Animals and Society Institute.
  • Writing a case statement to be used for fundraising.
  • Developing communication tools, including elevator speeches, brochures, and a comprehensive messaging grid to support all of ASI’s communication efforts.
  • Working with Concern for Helping Animals in Israel (CHAI) to create a training on the relationship between animal cruelty and other types of violence and antisocial behavior to be presented to more than 100 imams at the College of Sharia Law in Israel. This is the first in a 40-hour series on human-animal relationships designed to engage the imams in improving the lives of animals in Israel.

  • Writing a successful grant proposal to expand our work in Chicago and Ohio. In both Chicago and Columbus, Ohio we have conducted workshops for juvenile probation officers, prosecutors, judges, and domestic violence service providers on animal abuse, its relevance to their work, and the critical role they play in early identification and intervention. We have also trained mental health professionals in AniCare, the first psychological treatment model for people who abuse animals. As a result of our work, youth who enter the Cook County, IL court system are now regularly screened for exposure to animal abuse as either a witness or a victim, and intervention is provided, as needed.
  • Being invited by Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary Lou Leary to participate in the Department of Justice’s Animal Cruelty—Public Safety Listening Session. The purpose of the event was to facilitate a conversation among 20 experts from various fields, including research and practice, about priorities in responding to animal cruelty and the nexus between animal cruelty and public safety. The Department of Justice sought to identify gaps that need to be addressed, explore strategies to address those gaps, and identify promising practices that could be replicated.

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Health and Human Services Departments, Fairfax County, VA

  • Findings from the evaluation of county-wide prevention programs for children and families have been used to improve and better integrate programming. We are currently supporting implementation of the Outcomes Rate Card, an innovative procurement tool that identifies a set of outcomes and prices to be paid based on achievement.
  • Findings from Wraparound fidelity assessments identified the need for more training for providers around engaging natural supports to help children with complex needs.
  • Findings from the after-school program evaluation were used to clarify and refine the goals of the program and improve strategies to achieve them, helping more students succeed.
  • Wrote a winning proposal to SAMHSA for the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board. The $1.6M award will be used to improve the coordination and integration of primary care services in community-based behavioral health settings.
  • Wrote a winning proposal to the Department of Justice for a three-year $500,000 grant. The award will support the launch of a new Drug Court in Fairfax County, a critical strategy in the county’s coordinated efforts to  improve outcomes and offer alternatives to incarceration for people with mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders who come into contact with the justice system.
  • Wrote a winning proposal to the Department of Justice for a three-year $500,000 grant to enhance and continue implementation of the Fairfax County, VA, Veterans Treatment Docket, a court-supervised treatment program for veterans who have substance use issues and/or mental health conditions.

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Washington, DC

Dr. Lunghofer wrote a successful proposal to OJJDP and was awarded a grant of $380,000 to test the effectiveness of Friendly PEERsuasion. The evaluation represents a critical opportunity to use an experimental design to examine immediate outcomes and test the hypothesis that program effects are sustained for one year after program completion. Dr. Lunghofer is the Principal Investigator for the study.

Best Friends Animal Society, Kanab, UT

We conducted a qualitative study to explore the experiences of veterans who have PTSD and whose psychiatric service dogs were adopted from shelters as opposed to having been bred specifically for service. We presented preliminary findings to the Department of Justice Working Group on Military Veterans and Families, the national conference of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators (SAWA) Research Symposium. By tracking the implementation of the Canines with Careers program model and demonstrating success, we hope to fundamentally change the service dog field by providing a compassionate and cost-effective alternative to the standard practice of relying on purebred puppies.

Canines with Careers poster

Canines with Careers preliminary findings

 

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Safe Humane Chicago, Chicago, IL

Our great results for Safe Humane Chicago include:

  • Writing successful grant proposals to support Lifetime Bonds and Youth Leaders.

  • Conducting a strategic planning process that included in-depth interviews with board members, staff and other stakeholders, and facilitating a two-day board retreat. Key outcomes included renewed emphasis on diversified fundraising efforts, the hiring of much-needed additional staff and identification of long-term strategies to strengthen the board.
  • Developing data collection methods and measures to assess program effectiveness, including evaluating VALOR, a program that uses the human-animal bond to help veterans achieve emotional healing. Veterans gain a sense of efficacy as they socialize and train shelter dogs who have survived abuse and neglect.

  • Presenting Lifetime Bonds at two high-profile justice conferences, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention conference in 2011 and the American Society of Criminology conference in 2012.
Lifetime Bonds

Safe Human Chicago’s Lifetime Bonds Program: Second Chances for At-Risk Youth and Dogs

Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ

We wrote a successful grant proposal to The Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust, a KeyBank Trust, and received funding to conduct an evaluation of CAT in collaboration with Dr. Risley-Curtiss. The results will be used to improve the program and replicate it across the country, serving even more children and helping to keep animals safe.

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