No More Homeless Pets Conference Schedule

April 22, Friday

Advanced Pre-Conference Seminars (optional)
Choose from one of four specialized seminars that present in-depth insight into key aspects of a successful program. See below for details.

Adoptions: Quantity and Quality
How can you dramatically increase your adoptions? What really makes for successful adoptions? The experts will dispel the myths and fill you in on the latest strategies and tried-and-true techniques for getting animals into good new homes.
- Mike Arms, Julie Castle, Karen Green, Beth Mersten


Spay/Neuter: Community Programs that Work
Spay/neuter is the key to reducing the number of homeless animals, but what will work best for your community? You'll learn about a variety of programs and how to implement them: how to work with veterinarians, open your own clinic, make juvenile spay/neuter part of your program, and decide which approaches will work best for your community.
- Karla Bestle, Karen Kraus, Faith Maloney, Aimee St. Arnaud, Christine Wilford


Fundraising: Building Your Membership
How can you get people to support your organization's work? You'll learn how to communicate with your donors and develop your mailing list to create a solid foundation of funding for your organization. If you manage your organization's membership program or newsletter, this is your opportunity to learn from the people who built and manage the Best Friends membership program.
- Steven Hirano, Michael Mountain


Behavior Assessment: A Lifesaving Focus on Dog Behavior
At Best Friends, our behavior assessment focuses on finding solutions to behavior problems, not just identifying them. You'll learn simple techniques to assess dogs coming into your shelter and how to use that information to develop a training program and find just the right home for each dog.
- Sherry Woodard, Francis Battista

Welcome Reception and Check-in

April 23, Saturday

Check-in and Continental Breakfast

Opening remarks

Panel Discussions on Creating No More Homeless Pets Communities
Explore the strategies of the people who have created the nation's most sucessful No More Homeless Pets programs. Moderated by Bonney Brown and Michael Mountain of Best Friends Animal Society.

Developing a Successful Program from Nothing at All 
Where and how to get started, assess the needs of your community, reach out to the public. You'll hear from people who have launched programs with little or nothing to start with.
Panelists: Emma Clifford, Celeste Crimi, Rebecca Guinn, Craig Neilson, Aimee St. Arnaud

Community Campaigns: Focusing Public Attention on Your Work
How can you develop a campaign that will get the attention of your community and have real results for the animals? These experts will share their experience and offer tips and advice on engaging the media, local businesses, and the public.
Panelists: Mike Arms, Francis Battista, Julie Castle, Becky Robinson

Animal Services for a New Millennium
Animal control officials share their secrets of success and offer advice on how to work effectively with your local animal control officer.
Panelists: Julie Bank, Nancy Hill, Matt Granito, Charlie McGinley, Julie White

Lunch: Meet others from your part of the country at state tables. During lunchtime you can also tour the Oregon Feral Cat Coalition's mobile spay/neuter van.

Workshop Sessions (Four workshops to run concurrently in each period.)

Workshop Session I

Getting Your Story Out: Francis Battista, Julie Castle, Merritt Clifton, Michael Mountain
Your Board of Directors: Bonney Brown, Faith Maloney
Helping Feral Cats in Your Community: Karen Kraus, Becky Robinson, Christine Wilford
Working With Your Local Animal Control: Matt Granito

Workshop Session II

Customer Service for Animal Shelters: Mike Arms 
Why Can't We All Just Get Along?: Francis Battista, Julie Bank, Rebecca Guinn, Nancy Hill, Charlie McGinley 
Successful Trap/Neuter/Return in a Sensitive Habitat: Emma Clifford, Alice Ng
Creative Fundraising Ideas: Aimee St. Arnaud

Workshop Session III

Volunteers: Finding Them, Keeping Them: Julie White
Winning Over the Vets: Karla Brestle, Christine Wilford
Dealing with Difficult People: Linda Harper, Faith Maloney
Getting Sponsorship Money: Julie Castle

Networking Dinner & Keynote Address
Michael Mountain will talk about the Kindness Revolution and how you can be part of it. During dinner, you'll have the opportunity to sit and chat with one of the speakers and other attendees.

April 24, Sunday

Continental breakfast

Panel Discussion, Including Your Toughest Questions
Moderated by Bonney Brown and Michael Mountain of Best Friends Animal Society.

Opening Remarks

"Yes, But in Our Community..."
How you can make it work, even where you live! We'll tackle your toughest questions about rural and urban issues, adoption standards, legislation as a solution, what to do when the largest shelter in town will not cooperate with you or all the grassroots groups are impossible to work with. You ask; the panel answers!
Panelists: Mike Arms, Julie Bank, Francis Battista, Julie Castle, Merritt Clifton, Christine Wilford 

The Kindness Revolution: Setting the Agenda
A fully interactive session with the goal of creating an action plan for the nationwide "Kindness Revolution."

What will it take to reach the public-at-large with the simple message that kindness to animals builds a better world for all of us? How can we recruit people who care from all cross the country, and build the kind of network that can transform the way people relate to animals and nature?

It's a big idea. And we'll work together on drafting a plan that could put kindness to animals right up there on the national agenda.

Closing Remarks