BAJA CALIFORNIA SPAY NEUTER FOUNDATION
Be a responsible owner
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Reduce the number of street dogs and animal overpopulation in Baja California through surgery, and education of Vets and Community
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Animal Appreciation Program
Provide presentations, classes, and materials to local public and private school age children and also the local Boys & Girls Club regarding animal welfare, how to be a responsible owner and pet care. Topics covered include immunizations and vaccinations, sterilization, grooming, parasites, housing, food, exercise, etc. We have published 2 coloring books one on animal welfare and one on Cats as they have become popular indoor pets.
Free/Low cost sterilization program
We offer free and low cost mobile mass spay/neuter clinics weekly at various locations in Baja California, Mexico. Cost is either free or between $5dollars-$25dollars depending on the community
Veterinarian Training in Sterilization techniques
Veterinarians in Mexico usually specialize in large animals vs small animal so we share efficient spay neuter techniques, how to use a spay hook, minimal incisions, low cost anesthesia cocktail. We also show them how to make low cost surgical materials with easily available local materials such as surgical drapes, gauze packs, and sutures. We provoide them with a spay-pack of surgical instruments upon completion.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of Children and Community educated about Animal Welfare and S/N
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth
Related Program
Animal Appreciation Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
2020 hands-on education program canceled during covid restarted 2022. Coloring books distributed in partnership with food programs, and at Spay Neuter clinics plus online videos on pet care.
Veterinarians trained in minimally invasive spay neuter techniques
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Ethnic and racial groups, Students
Related Program
Veterinarian Training in Sterilization techniques
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Veterinarians with this skill can sterilize 20+ animals a day. Mexican and international students. Limited number in 2020 due to Covid pandemic and travel restrictions
Number of Sterilization Clinics per year
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Free/Low cost sterilization program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Large Spay Neuter Clinics (100+ animals) are held in cities and smaller clinics (20-50 animals) in remote communities to service those without access to a veterinarian.
Number of animals spayed and neutered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Free/Low cost sterilization program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
For each animal sterilized we conservatory estimate that 20 additional animals will NOT be born in the following 12 months. Same as previous category
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?
Our goal is to change the CULTURE surrounding responsible pet ownership through the following:
1. Use sterilization to reduce the number of street dogs indiscriminately breeding to eliminate the suffering and pain that results from unwanted births. Each companion animal should be born into a loving caring home.
2. Share the 'sterilization solution' with the community, especially all the children. Street dogs are produced in neighborhood homes and we believe education is the answer to shut down these factories.
3. Train as many Veterinarians as possible so that quality, safe sterilizations are easily available and affordable to all
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our strategy is based on the quote...Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.
- We want the pet each child has today to be sterilized and the rest of their pets in their lifetime as well. To encourage this culture change we provide education in the public schools, local Boys and Girls Club, as well as participate in public expos, festivals, and fairs to spread the word and raise awareness. Often a first for them, we offer free and low cost mobile spay neuter clinics to neighborhoods, orphanages, and local Indian Reservations. We hope our mobile clinics are actually a short term goal to provide the service for those in need now. but the long term strategy is to train enough Vets and increase acceptance that every neighborhood has a Vet that promotes sterilization and animal welfare and is rewarded with expanding business for well care and increased appetite for s/n from his clients. We are actively soliciting local Veterinarians to attend our free training courses and participate in our mobile clinics. In 2020 we have expanded clinic services and education to include Pet Wellness as well as sterilization. This includes telling clients why the health of their pet is important and directly impacts them also. We provide the materials and products to help improve pet health such as worming meds, flea/tick meds, vaccines, etc.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Our strong passion, business background, 'boots on the ground' presence, quality reputation, and willingness to embrace the community has helped us to establish local credibility which then enabled us to develop strong friendships, partnerships and working relationships with the City government, Animal Control, the community, and local Rescue groups. Non existent nine years ago, now U.S. and local Rescue organizations are ballooning as the culture is slowly changing. Collaborating on projects allows mutual support. They understand and 'feel' the problem firsthand and so are willing to share our message of responsible pet ownership and the need for sterilization. We are able to provide them with free and low cost surgeries, educational materials, and we echo their Adopt Don't Buy' message. In the Latin American community acceptance is critical. In addition, we have the most experienced spay/neuter Veterinarians in Mexico. Our Medical Director was involved in the first ever mass S/N clinic in Tijuana and all our vets have been participating in clinics in Mexico since 2004 and combined have preformed at least 50,000 surgeries. As an American organization, we are challenged in the area of language but have been fortunate to find Mexican volunteers to translate and teach our education program in Spanish. We believe we are optimally prepared to take on this challenge and succeed.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The greatest hurdles we experience are a combination of cultural and financial. It is a challenge because Mexican Veterinarians are reluctant to learn new sterilization techniques, but the ones that have taken the training are experiencing the benefit of new clients and successful local low-cost clinics. We have an ongoing solicitation campaign to seek out additional candidates as this is necessary for the change. In 2020 we included graduating Veterinarians free of charge in our training program. We have been very successful in hosting our professional local S/N clinics and see increasing demand and interest from the community to sterilize their pets. We now find we are only limited by funding, not clients. Community education is increasingly important and has been very successful. We are approached regularly to speak to community groups and schools as well as offered free booths for education at community events in Tijuana and Rosarito. Peer pressure is beginning to work in neighborhoods as they see that the pets are still good guard dogs, and don't get fat, etc. We often see past students come to volunteer at a clinic and also bring their pets. Two of our volunteers are now in Veterinarian school and we see the culture changing with this new generation.
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 inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
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
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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.
BAJA CALIFORNIA SPAY NEUTER FOUNDATION
Board of directorsas of 05/12/2023
Cathy Bliss
Baja California Spay Neuter Foundation
Term: 2021 - 2024
Robin Gunther
Baja California Spay Neuter Foundation
Cathy Bliss
self employed
Keri Pittman
retired
Maureen Minehan
retired
Eva Holquin
TravelArtsGroup.com
Vennessa Fuhs
Small Steps for Change
Ann Collura
retired
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 ? No -
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:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
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Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/25/2023GuideStar 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 analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- 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.