Sanctuary One
People, Animals & the Earth: Better Together
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Each year Sanctuary One’s nonclinical therapeutic programming connecting people with animals and nature increases in demand, as well as the need to care for animals. There is demand in Jackson County for engaging and unique experiences bringing youth outdoors in a structured and high-impact learning environment. Youth today have decreased access to natural areas, face greater competition from technology, and experience stress and pressure from greater focus on homework and testing. Many children and teens from Jackson County have limited or no access to nature, have never met a farm animal up close, and have never experienced harvesting food from a garden for a snack or meal. One in five Jackson County children are living in poverty and low income situations. These children face great challenges and are considered at-risk for poor academic achievement, psychosocial outcomes and physical health. This is especially critical at a time when demand for mental health services is increasing.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Care Farm
Care farms are farms where people, animals, and the earth work together for mutual healing. As the first care farm in the US, Sanctuary One innovates programs with a variety of community partners including schools, retirement communities, and nonprofit organizations.
Animal, People and Earth Care
With over 2,400 visitors each year, Sanctuary One offers a unique and beautiful rural setting for environmental education that teaches about the interdependence of humans, animals and the land to all ages and abilities. Learn, Care and Grow Educational Programs provide people, especially those most in-need, the opportunity to experience, visit and participate in our care farm. They interact with rescued animals, grow food in our educational, permaculture gardens and develop mindfulness, compassion and understanding for how to make a positive impact in our communities and for the planet.
Animal Rescue, Rehabilitation and Adoptions
Sanctuary One provides a safe, loving home to approximately 100 rescued farm animals and domesticated pets, including horses, donkeys, cows, alpacas, llamas, sheep, goats, pigs, dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens, ducks, and geese. Sanctuary One focuses on rescuing animals that are less likely to be adopted in traditional settings, including elderly, injured, chronically ill, or abused animals. Most animals are available for adoption to qualified homes, though if an animal is never adopted Sanctuary One guarantees a lifetime of care.
Where we work
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Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Sanctuary One's mission is to provide a refuge for animals and a healing place for people while promoting environmental stewardship.
ANIMAL CARE: We rescue, rehabilitate and find adoptive homes for neglected and abused animals.
PEOPLE CARE: We serve over 2,000 visitors each year with inspirational and life-changing care farm experiences.
EARTH CARE: We model sustainable, environmentally sound practices including permaculture principles and farming practices.
From our 4 year strategic goal planning session the following are our broad goals:
• Become fiscally solvent
• Expand community engagement and accessibility
• Solidify being a well known and respected nonprofit in the community
• Research and develop capital projects and infrastructure
• Assessing quality and sustainability in all three prongs: people, animals, and environment
• Diversify and grow the board
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
• Develop and finalize new four-year strategic plan, with staff and board buy-in, and delve deep into one year working plans that are quarterly evaluated by staff
• Create committee structure that both board and community members are engaged with, to support staff and their key initiatives
• Hire development manager (first development staff person) to support organization with fundraising, marketing, and outreach/event engagement
• Expand and grow the number of community partnerships, with nonprofits, business partnerships, and foundations
• Continue to develop and implement opportunities on the farm, to engage local groups with participation, educating them on ways that the farm benefit them and the larger community
• Share success stories in newsletter/annual report, social media, and on website
We will use, in part, the following indicators as we move forward:
• Follow-ups with teachers, donors, volunteers, community leaders
• Surveys
• Partnership growth
• End of Year evaluation
• Fiscal growth and solvency
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
• Sanctuary One staff have both decades of experience and education in their fields
• Sanctuary One’s educational programs have been developed as the result of three years of experience serving over 2,200 youth with pilot programming and ongoing fundraising, community outreach and outcomes assessment
• Sanctuary One has a 13 year success in rescuing animals, helping people, and working with the earth that the staff and board are building off of as a foundation
• Board engagement and experience are diverse and are regularly assessed for skill set and community diversity
• Sanctuary One already partners with local schools and community organizations including Ruch Elementary, Washington Elementary, Ashland Middle School, Talent Outdoor Discovery Program, Southern Oregon University, Armadillo Technical Institute, Southern Oregon Educational Service District, Maslow Project, (serving homeless youth) and others. Building a network of schools and community groups with a focus on youth most in-need, Sanctuary One will continue to grow partnerships to address the need in our community
• Our continued four year fiscal growth and Foundation, business and individual donor support enables steady growth
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Sanctuary One was able to rescue 91 animals (a 62.5% increase) and increase adoptions by 57% in 2020.
Despite COVID shutdowns, Sanctuary One was able to directly serve nearly 400 youth onsite through field trips and service learning. With online lessons for parents and educators, as well as new virtual field trips many more youth regionally and nationally are being reached.
Staff has grown and in 2020 Sanctuary One was in the position to hire its first sole development focused staff person.
Our board growth has been on a positive growth pattern the past three years (50% increase) and is structured to continue the growth.
Moving forward Sanctuary One staff and board members are focused on intentional programmatic growth, regularly engaging in community feedback to ensure resources are addressing true community needs, establishing systems and structures to stabilize our continued growth, including self-sustainability when possible (such as growing our own hay for our farm animals).
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Sanctuary One
Board of directorsas of 09/27/2023
Eric Westerberg
Lynae Williams
Alison Cavaner
Ryan Pfeil
Brigitte Nickel
Leslie Miller
Harvey Potts
Kenny Steahly
Shane Brady
Lisa Ottoson
Kristina Driscoll
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/26/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.