The Association Blog

Here are the 10 juiciest, most actionable and thought-provoking webinars and roundtable discussions of the past year—some you attended live, and some you caught on you own time, via recordings. If you missed any, now’s a great time to kick off your 2024 professional development.

Building Psychological Safety for High Performing Teams
From the popular DEI Dozen webinar series, this one focuses on tips and ideas for fostering a culture where folks can speak up about their ideas, opinions, questions or mistakes without the fear of being ridiculed or punished.

Industry Update: What 2023 Data Is Telling Us
Stephanie Filer of Shelter Animals Count, the ASPCA’s Melissa Thibault and Adopt a Pet’s April Hunstman, CAWA, share stats about why shelters are so full, what’s going on with self rehoming, and the main barriers to outcomes. Listen to the recording and read their 5 top takeaways.

The Roundtable: Bottlenecks in Sheltering—Can Deferring Spay/Neuter Save More Lives?
Does your organization require spay/neuter for all animals prior to adoption? Whether you currently are, or are exploring the easing of that requirement, this webinar will help inform strategy.

The Problem with Messaging: How Our Words Are Holding Us Back
Animal welfare has a messaging problem. Here’s some ideas for changing the narrative.

How to Receive Feedback as a Leader
Easier to give it than to get it? Or maybe you’ve never asked. Get tips for eliciting and responding to your employees’ feedback.

The Roundtable: Liability Insurance Challenges
Why are animal shelters having such a hard time finding and keeping affordable insurance? Experts share ways to improve your chances.

Recognizing and Navigating Bias
Since we’re all conditioned to hold certain biases, it’s important to watch out for them and consciously work through them. As Jasmin Robinson shares in this webinar, navigating bias is constant, consistent practice you can put to use on the job. Listen to the recording and try this exercise.

Not-So-Secret Ways to Retain Your Staff
Why you should make staff development your number-one priority—and how to do just that.

The Roundtable: Dog Breeds: Implications for Behavior, Adopter Expectations & Legislation
The relationship between dog breed and behavior, and what it can mean for staff and adopters when a dog is ID’d as a certain breed

Giving Effective Feedback
Explore a model for giving valuable feedback to reinforce positive actions and redirect problematic ones

Upcoming

What’s in the 2024 line-up? Join us for these educational opportunities:

January 10: Trans* Inclusive Workplaces
January 17: Aligning DEI Programming with Strategy

Photo: Unsplash