help animals – Animal Jobs Digest

Should You Start Your Own Animal Welfare Nonprofit?

By Animal Jobs Digest February 17, 2016All articles, Career options, Featured articles

By Paula Fitzsimmons

If you’ve ever considered starting your own animal welfare nonprofit organization, you’re not alone. According to an article by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, the number of animal welfare and environmental charities have grown by 82.5 percent in recent years.

If you’d like to join these ranks, I’m here to cheer you on . . . but also to offer a cautionary tale: Starting and running a nonprofit is tough work and is something you need to research thoroughly – and then some – before diving in.

Fun Career-Boosting Ideas to Try This Summer

By Animal Jobs Digest January 20, 2016All articles, How-to succeed, Tools for success

By Paula Fitzsimmons

It’s the middle of winter. Which makes it the perfect time to start shaping up your summer plans. Whether you’re a student, career changer, or are already working in the field, summertime is the ideal time to pick up a new skill or credential.

Look at the following for ideas on making the most of your summer – both personally and professionally.

A Career Raising Cash for Animal Causes . . . Is It for You?

By Animal Jobs Digest December 10, 2015All articles, Career options, Experts & interviews

By Paula Fitzsimmons with Angela Grimes

All animal protection and care jobs are important in their own right. Animal caregivers, administrators, veterinary professionals, humane officers, sanctuary operators, and others working in this field all play a vital role. Yet their important work wouldn’t be possible without incoming cash. Animal food, rent, employee salaries, vet services, and administrative costs don’t come cheaply. Yep, it’s similar to running a business.

How Do You Measure Success?

By Animal Jobs Digest November 8, 2015All articles, Inspiration & ideas3 Comments

By Paula Fitzsimmons

Working 70 hours a week at a job that may pay well but sucks the life out of you. Securing the bottom line at any cost. Clawing your way to the top of the corporate ladder. Doing whatever it takes to achieve a certain level of “success” isn’t working out too well for us – and especially not for animals or the planet.

Noted scholar and environmental educator, David W. Orr summed it up perfectly when he wrote: “The planet does not need more successful people. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these qualities have little to do with success as we have defined it.”

Get Noticed! Animal Protection Agency Managers Speak Out

By Animal Jobs Digest October 18, 2015All articles, Experts & interviews, Featured articles

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Stop Comparing Yourself to Other Activists – It’s a Group Effort

By Animal Jobs Digest September 30, 2015All articles, Inspiration & ideas

By Paula Fitzsimmons

This past week I was again reminded of just how harmful comparing myself to others can be, and how it often leads to feelings of inadequacy. I had been pleased with recent accomplishments, when on one of these particular days I chose to spend a few free moments browsing Facebook.

Peppered in with the regular stories of planetary abuses were welcome news pieces: Shell had halted its plans to drill in the Arctic; Eco Activists for Governance and Law Enforcement (EAGLE) activists were instrumental in busting yet another wildlife trafficker; various wildlife centers had rehabilitated and released animals to their wild homes . . .to name a few. Among these were posts from friends and others touting their own – or their organizations’ – successes.

Get That Animal Welfare Job – 8 Ways to Stand Apart From the Pack

By Animal Jobs Digest September 7, 2015All articles, Featured articles, How-to succeed

By Paula Fitzsimmons

If you want an animal welfare organization to hire you, the stuff you bring to their table has to be pretty special. If a company or organization has 50 people applying for the same position – and most of these applicants have similar skills and experience – it’s too easy to be forgotten. You need creative ways to stand out (in a positive way!) from the horde of other applicants, and give your future employer a reason to want to hire you.

The following ideas may not necessarily guarantee you the job, but they may indeed help give you an advantage.

Writer, Author . . . Animal Lover

By Animal Jobs Digest May 21, 2015All articles, Career options, Featured articles

By Paula Fitzsimmons

You’re a wordsmith, someone who can effectively write to persuade, educate, and get people thinking and talking. What you’d probably like to know is how to turn those skills into a writing career – specifically, a career writing about animals or the environment.

If you’re like other writers, you may have started your journey with book and magazine markets. These are still feasible options, but are just one path to consider.