Hi Connie, This one made me think for a minute, so I want to give you a real answer instead of a tidy one. The most honest example I have is a volunteer relationship I just stepped back from after three years — Saturdays helping out at a training barn here in the Fraser Valley. It started because I wanted hands-on skills-building time, and it genuinely gave me that early on. But it settled into a routine that stopped moving anywhere for me, and I kept showing up longer than I probably should have, mostly because the barn owner is someone I respect and it felt easier to keep going than to have the conversation. When I finally did have it, it was completely amicable, she's a great trainer and a good person, and I'm grateful for what those years taught me. It just wasn't a relationship I'd chosen fresh if I were choosing it today, and that's on me for not naming that sooner, not on her. What I've kept, by contrast, are two Sunday commitments, New Stride Thoroughbred Adoption Society and Horse Protection Society of BC and the difference is real. Both still give me something back: hands-on experience, an honest relationship with the people running them, and a two-way sense that my time matters to what they're building. Those I show up for on purpose, not out of habit. And now with the Foundation, I'm trying to build every partnership the way I wish I'd built that first one, values-first, from scratch, with an honest conversation up front instead of just letting it happen. Scott at High Country Horseshoes is the first real test of that. Good question. It's easier to apply a filter like this to other people than to yourself. Ryan

I think I got this part covered, but also think the founding board should have a say I was thinking the 5/6 directors Lawyer, Treasurer, Secretary, President, Vice president, Medical professional and Communications, fundraising directors should all have a say in not only naming the foundation but deciding on the original grants so everyone is engaged and a full part of this journey ? see attached draft

Hi Connie the nonprofit partner line was the one that landed truest for me: "We're not looking to write a check and walk away, we want a real partnership." That's exactly the model I'm building with the Foundation. It's actually why the outreach I've been doing with nonprofits across Canada started with questions instead of a pitch: 1. What's the biggest financial gap you run into: vet care, farrier work, training, feed, or something else? 2. Thinking of horses you couldn't help this past year, what usually stopped you: money, capacity, or something else? 3. If a small grant (roughly $2,500-$10,000) existed for exactly those costs, what would make it easy to apply for, and what would put you off? 4. What follow-up or accountability from a funder would feel reasonable to you, versus what would feel like too much? 5. What's worked well in past funding relationships, and what hasn't? The feedback's been pretty diverse org to org, but some real similarities are starting to surface. Great exercise, thanks for sharing it.

Fingers crossed we got a commitment and solid experienced secretary, treasurer, we may have even found our first donor for a grant. I meet with the top lawyer pick and fundraising/branding people this weekend!!

Connie, this could not have landed at a more perfect moment. Thank you for putting words to something I've been living for three years. When I started, I said yes to everything. I wanted to touch every cause, every barn, every rescue that needed a hand, because it felt wrong to say no when the need was so obvious. But you're right, spreading yourself that thin feels generous and it accomplishes almost nothing. This past year I've been doing exactly what you described, tightening the scope inch by inch, moment br moment and it has been humbling. I found out fast who was actually standing beside me, who was on the fence, and who just wanted free labor on their own barn. That sorting process hurts, but it's the only way the real work gets done. I think of it as sharpening a sword. You can swing a dull blade at everything and never cut deep, or you can take the time to sharpen it on one edge and actually get through something that matters. Right now for me that means going all the way down to the community level, block by block, barn by barn, until the impact is so obvious that nobody around me can miss it. You as the leader need to show them the way sometimes as you can see it in your head and eyes so much clearer. Starting was the easy part. Following through when no one is going to do it for you, that's the real test, and this post is exactly the reminder I needed to keep pushing forward. Thank you for writing it and what timing !

I’m definitely somewhere in the middle of this right now. I’ve got the vision and the plan for a new equine welfare foundation, but I’m also building it from the ground up, finding the right people, developing partnerships, figuring out fundraising, and making sure the foundation is built properly from day one. Some days it feels like everything is coming together. Other days, there are a lot more questions than answers. But I think that’s part of building something that matters. Right now, I’m working through how to turn a good idea into something that can create lasting impact for horses and the organizations already doing the work. One step at a time. I did have a great talk with the Horse welfare alliance of Canada and they may be able to help the foundation get charitable non profit status under there umbrella they would set the standards nationally and we would award the grants accordingly.

Thank you, Connie. Another layer I’ve been working on is listening directly to the organizations that would potentially benefit from the foundation. I reached out to as many equine nonprofits across Canada as I could and asked them five questions: 1. What’s the biggest financial gap you run into, vet care, farrier work, training, feed, transportation, or something else? 2. Thinking about horses you couldn’t help this past year, what usually stopped you, money, capacity, or something else? 3. If a small grant of roughly $2,500–$10,000 existed specifically for those costs, what would make it easy to apply for, and what would put you off? 4. What kind of follow-up or accountability from a funder would feel reasonable, versus what would feel like too much? 5. What has worked well in past funding relationships, and what hasn’t? The responses I received were really in-depth and surprisingly diverse, but clear patterns started to emerge. That’s been extremely valuable because it’s helping me think about the foundation from the perspective of the organizations actually doing the work, not just from the perspective of the person trying to fund it. One more thing I’m curious about: would there be any appetite for a small, informal meeting or Zoom call bringing together a few equine nonprofits from across Canada to compare notes on what’s working and what isn’t? No commitment or formal agenda. I’m simply trying to get a read on whether that kind of conversation would actually be useful to the people doing the work.