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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match“Take Charge to Make Change” is a two-part, pre-recorded webinar series from Best Friends Animal Society. It teaches animal welfare organizations and Best Friends Network partners how policy and grassroots advocacy work. It is aimed at shelter leaders, rescue groups and nonprofit advocates, not at a general pet-owner audience. The dates on the publisher’s page are historical: Part 1 was listed for April 6, 2023, and Part 2 for May 2023. Best Friends’ current Advocacy & Legislation page still lists the series among its resources. The sources don’t confirm that registration, the live panel or the grant offer are still open.
What the series covers
Best Friends describes the series as policy, advocacy and grassroots training. Its topics are working with elected officials, lobbying, fundraising, data, coalitions and strategic plans. The common thread is that animal welfare groups hold community knowledge and shelter data that policymakers need. To use them well, they have to understand who decides what, build relationships, know the limits on their role, and prepare before they ask for anything.
Part 1 (listed for April 6, 2023): five sessions
Law and Policy Making: Who is the boss when it comes to animals?
This session explains the legislative and policy-making process. It also covers which level or body generally has jurisdiction over different types of policy, and how that affects an advocacy plan. Knowing whether an issue sits with a city council, a county, a state legislature or a national body decides where your effort goes.
Demystifying Elected Officials
The session covers starting, cultivating and maintaining relationships with elected officials. It also covers recognizing when those relationships can be useful.
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Anyone can “lobby” to get what they need from local elected officials
This session looks at what different stakeholders can and cannot do when lobbying, advocating and seeking policy change. The stakeholders include government employees and 501(c)(3) nonprofits. The page raises the issue but states no rules for any particular jurisdiction or organization. Treat it as an orientation. Check your own organization’s limits with qualified counsel before you act.
See beyond numbers: Making data work for you
The session covers tracking and using data to explain shelter and community animal needs, and to justify budget requests. It demonstrates the Shelter Animals Count dataset.
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No shortcuts! Do your due diligence!
This session covers political timing and community dynamics. It also describes the preparation to do before starting a campaign or making a request to elected officials. Best Friends’ current advocacy page links a Due Diligence Playbook, which fits the same theme.
Part 2 (listed for May 2023)
The page said details were forthcoming. It listed these topics:
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- Money and funding
- Coalition partners
- Board members and friends groups
- Strategic planning for community engagement
- Grassroots and online organizing
- The relationship between lobbyists, lawmakers and advocates
The page gives no detailed session descriptions for Part 2 and doesn’t confirm that it is still accessible.
Presenters named on the original page
These roles are copied as the publisher listed them in 2023. They may not be current titles.
- Kelsey Gilmore-Futeral, manager, legislative attorney
- Eric Swafford, senior manager, campaign strategy
- Kathleen Murphy, policy analyst
- Keiko Berkon, manager, digital organizing
- Laura Donahue, director, legislation and advocacy
- Ledy VanKavage, senior legislative attorney
- Audrey Lodato, regional director, East region
- Elizabeth Oreck, national manager, puppy mill initiatives
What is still current at Best Friends
The current Advocacy & Legislation page calls for action at local, state and national levels. Its examples include puppy mills, community cats, pet-inclusive housing and breed-restrictive legislation. It links these resources:
- People, Pets, and Policies
- A Due Diligence Playbook
- A Budget Advocacy Handbook
- Advocacy 101
- A free petition tool
- An advocacy coaching call
The page, as accessed in 2026, describes the Best Friends Network as a community of 6,000 animal welfare organizations. It says partners can access challenges, grants, resources, dedicated support and collaboration. That figure is the publisher’s own count of network size, not a measure of this webinar’s reach or results.
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What is historical and what isn’t established
- The 2023 event page described five grants of $1,000 each. That offer belongs to the 2023 event, and nothing confirms it is available now.
- Neither source reports statistics on the webinars’ attendance, learning or policy impact.
- Both sources are U.S.-oriented Best Friends materials. They don’t analyze local, state or federal law in detail.
Choosing among advocacy resources
If you are weighing this series against other training, compare on these points:
- Intended user: shelter leader, nonprofit advocate, volunteer or policymaker.
- Jurisdiction: which level of government it addresses.
- Focus: policy process, lobbying compliance, coalition-building, data use or budget advocacy.
- Format and access: whether it is still available today.
- Type of advice: general education or jurisdiction-specific legal guidance.
This series is general education on policy process, relationships, data and preparation. It is not legal advice. For current material, start with the resources on Best Friends’ Advocacy & Legislation page.
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