A strong foster program can be the single factor that finally brings a community to no-kill.

Just ask Ann Lindholm of Austin Pets Alive!, who took their foster program from a one-person operation to a team of more than 35 volunteers. In only three years they were supporting a network of over 1,200 foster parents and fostering 3,300 dogs. No doubt their successful foster program was instrumental in making Austin a no-kill community. So what’s their secret?

It’s actually not a secret at all. In fact, Lindholm shares the entire blueprint of their program at the American Pets Alive! 2015 No-kill Conference, in the hope others will replicate it and save more lives.

“Anything is possible when you harness the compassion in your community and utilize teamwork to accomplish a mission,” she said. “And no matter how small your community, know there are compassionate people who want to help.” She credits getting the word out and telling the community what you’re doing as being a key in foster recruitment success. As for retention? “Customer service is paramount!”

Being a big believer in teamwork, Lindholm recommends having self-sufficient teams with specific roles, with one person whose main focus is to oversee it all. Some of the teams in Austin Pets Alive! program include: New Dog Foster Team, Dog Foster Placement Team, and Dog Foster Mentor Team. “When you break it down into teams, it becomes much more manageable for people, especially those with busy lives,” she said. “It also makes it easier to train for.”

When it comes to summarizing the success of the entire program, she boils it down to three pieces of advice. First and foremost, “If at first you don’t succeed, try it again. Don’t let that stop you.” The second piece is to empower people to do the job, by delegating and giving people responsibility.

Her final piece of advice? “Just ask!” Meaning, if you don’t ask, you won’t ever know that someone might be up for it.

From an overview of the program, to getting started, to successes, obstacles and lessons learned, Ann shares it all with specific and insightful detail. Watch the conference recording for yourself, and then jump right in and apply what you learned to your own community!

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