My Nonprofit Reviews

Got a spot on the Elephant Sanctuary's group volunteer day in November 2015 and spent the day raking and bagging lots of fallen leaves for enrichment for the elephants. The weather was (fortunately) cold and wet which made the elephants come close to the Asian elephant barn rather than roaming out in the 2,700 acres of the sanctuary where the general public is not allowed. The barn has heated floors and special flooring to cushion their feet, as well as safe enclosures for each elephant. We ate our brown-bag lunches in a viewing area near the barn and were able to see 5 of the Asian elephant population - but were also cautioned not to stay too long or take too many photos so as not to cause too much anxiety.
This for me is the most impressive part of the Elephant Sanctuary program and mission- they are so sensitive to the elephants' need for privacy and freedom (after a past of exploitation and often violent control methods or even abuse) that they restrict almost all public access to the elephants to remote video cams. While they choose their volunteers (like me) from a pool of people who have supported the sanctuary via a volunteer lottery, they only allow up to 20 volunteers at the Sanctuary 1 day a month 10 months out of the year to work on group projects, while keeping the group closely supervised. As a volunteer you are not guaranteed to see any of the elephants - as they are no longer on exhibit for our gratification but rather have a true sanctuary for their own gratification. But the point is to make these elephants' lives a little better and understand the contrast between their relative freedom and more natural lifestyle compared to the plight of the many elephants still in inhumane captivity.
A total of 14 Asian and African elephants currently live on the sanctuary in a very secluded and well-hidden refuge. (Through the years this organization has been able to rescue 27 elephants from zoos, circuses and other restrictive environments - and has also lead the way toward developing and teaching more humane methods of treating captive elephants). The sanctuary has big build-out plans so that they can take in more and more elephants from inhumane situations as well as to enhance their public education programming.
This organization faces unique challenges - how to promote an animal sanctuary that is not open to the public in the usual way while attracting support from that same public for the expensive operations of caring for such large animals in compassionate ways - plus also advocating for a change in the way our society treats elephants in captivity. They walk that fine line with creativity and passion.

Colleen McMullen

IFAW's efforts range from addressing the plight of abused/neglected domestic animals to protection for wild animals worldwide - a voice for all animals everywhere! The situation for the survival of rhinos, elephants and lions is particularly dire at this time, and this organization is a key player in the fight to bring these and other endangered species back from the brink of extinction.

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This organization is fearless in holding companies and the government to account in court for decisions, regulations, laws and positions that would degrade our precious natural environment and unnecessarily harm or eliminate wildlife species all across the board. Their success in court speaks for itself as a powerful witness to its effectiveness in protecting the natural world - from the "sexy" causes to the overlooked species. It's willingness to collaborate with other non-profit organizations in forcing legal reassessment of bad decisions or programs is important, as is its decision from time to time to stand apart from other environmental organizations if it believes that the proposed compromises are unacceptable. By explaining its decisions and positions thoughtfully, it helps keep the conversation going toward better solutions.

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