Articles
Understanding your animal therapy organization’s mission and vision statements is a good first step into the world of your organization, but it’s only a first step. As you move along, working with the public, visiting, hiring, working with volunteers, you will begin to notice certain things that you hold dear, certain ways of handling things and people that become “the way it’s done here,” certain ways you handle conflict and concerns. These ways, approaches, actions may come from the heart, but when you are talking about business, you need to say they are coming from the culture you have developed and will continue to develop as you grow.
Advisory Councils can give your organization advice, new perspectives, and facts that come from their expertise and experience you may not already have. It’s a body of carefully chosen people who can advise you on important ideas and questions that arise because they have knowledge and connections you may not have within your organization but will need from time to time. An Advisory Council (or Board) is exactly what it says it is – it’s a group of wise and experienced people that come mainly from outside your organization that you have chosen to give you and your Board advice and guidance. These people commit to your organization to answer questions and advise you on concerns and questions that come up, and you would like some expertise on the topic before you make your own decisions.
The following template is just that, a template. It’s the outline of setting up a program and the things to consider about the prospective site, staff, and mission. This is meant to be a guide to help you know what might be important to your organization as you expand. It is NOT meant to be a requirement or a rigid format you need to follow. Look it over and see if it can help you gather your thoughts and keep them organized as you on-board a new site with a new program.