FLR Philosophy

FLR has a well-defined philosophy regarding animal rescue and operating a nonprofit business. Our approach focuses on four equally important areas: the animals, our culture, networking with other rescues and shelters, and running our nonprofit business.

FLR Belief Statements:

Rescuing animals is a group effort.
Our volunteers are our greatest asset.
We all deserve to be treated with respect – our volunteers, the public, and our animals.
The responsibility for the culture at FLR starts at the top with the leadership team.
Transparency and open communication contribute significantly to the success of our rescue.

The Animals

Goal: To give all animals we take a safe place in which they are cared for while they wait for their permanent homes.

FLR provides veterinary care, a warm and loving foster home, and training for each animal (if needed). Our foster parents are knowledgeable about the species they foster, exchanging information and advice when the need arises.

Our Culture

Goal: To provide a safe, rewarding, and enjoyable environment in which our volunteers work.

FLR volunteers include all those who give time to the rescue – fosters, volunteers, the Board of Directors, etc. We value each contribution regardless of how much time an individual invests in FLR. We respect our volunteers and work hard to create an inclusive and supportive environment.

We have processes in place to assist our volunteers when day-to-day operations go smoothly and when they may not. We train our volunteers in those processes as well as in the activities in which they choose to participate. We support our volunteers by regularly gathering their feedback (and using that feedback to improve our processes), providing mentors for certain FLR positions, and ensuring open communication channels.

Networking with othere Rescues/Shelters

Goal: To work with members of the rescue/shelter community to build relationships and partnerships that focus on opportunities to help animals of all kinds.

Relationship building is a critical component of our philosophy. We are very interested in developing ongoing relationships with potential adopters, successful adopters, donors, veterinarians, schools, businesses, animal rescues and shelters, and community organizations. With each potential partner, we would like to explore how we can best help each other achieve our goals and identify new opportunities for interaction.

A Nonprofit Business

Goal: To run our rescue as a business.

FLR is a 501(c)3, nonprofit organization. We believe that to be successful, we need to run our rescue as a business.

Our business model incorporates a value proposition that focuses on animal rescue, transparency, and documented business resources (e.g., our website and Facebook page, funding sources, volunteer base, community partners, networking partners, and intellectual property). We employ well-defined processes, protocols, and procedures, and operate within a fairly flat organizational structure.