Pros
Being with the animals that have been rescued and seeing them live with dignity and care. An extraordinary group of dedicated individuals who care deeply about the mission, many times beyond what they have the capacity to give.
Cons
Years of ineffective, inexperienced and unqualified leadership have diminished what was once a leading organization in the movement, causing frustration and disillusionment that left me to reconsider my hope for farm animals. There is high staff turnover and many staff members suffer in silence because they care too deeply about the mission or are too new at their jobs to know better. Many operate in a culture of fear of speaking out as firing staff is a regular occurrence, even to those who have given decades to the organization. Be prepared to endure significant stress, mental health challenges and to possibly lose a sense of your own values. Know that you might risk any hope you have for farm animals by witnessing how self-serving and unqualified the executive director and leadership can be.
For years, staff have shared concerns about the founder, which dozens of board members have been made aware of numerous times over the years. There is a reason that staff have pushed this person to the sidelines for years - as they consistently meddled in operations and areas they had very little experience in - by undermining, micromanaging, and demoralizing staff, making misguided decisions that now have the power to further the organization’s decline.
In organizations like this, people are vulnerable to manipulation when they are connected to causes that are emotionally charged, where the mission is deeply tied to personal values. It’s natural to want to believe in a leader or “hero,” but it’s also critical to evaluate whether someone is truly equipped to lead. I was left wondering about what narcissistic behavior by individuals can do to an organization and how jarring it is for people to claim to show compassion for animals but have no compassion for people.