Why Animal Victory’ Non Profit Is Needed
Author: Janelle Babington, Founder
One of the reasons I have always envisioned Animal Victory as something similar in spirit to the American Red Cross for animals is because large-scale disasters require something much bigger than a single organization.
When a major hurricane, wildfire, flood, war, or other catastrophe occurs, the number of animals needing help can be enormous and the needs can be spread across a huge geographic area.
There may be:
already working directly where the animals are.
These organizations may be extremely capable, but they often don’t have a national profile. The public may never hear about them.
The large national organizations have enormous reach.
Organizations such as the ASPCA have extensive national infrastructure. The ASPCA has national disaster-response teams, works with local organizations, and provides grants to animal welfare organizations. In 2024, for example, it reported providing more than $23 million in grants to 1,010 organizations across the U.S.
The ASPCA also deploys its own teams during disasters for evacuation, search and rescue, emergency sheltering, supplies, relocation and other response activities.
That is important work.
But it also demonstrates the scale of the problem.
A massive disaster doesn’t need one organization.
It needs a network.
Imagine a disaster affecting several states.
There might be 50 small organizations already working in those communities. One may have kennels. Another may have a veterinary relationship. Another may be rescuing animals from flooded homes. Another may be caring for livestock. Another may be taking in displaced dogs and cats.
They already know their communities.
The problem is often not that they don’t know how to help.
The problem is that the outside world doesn’t know they exist.
That’s the gap Animal Victory is designed to address.
Our model is different
Penny and I spend significant time finding these smaller organizations and researching them.
We look for organizations that are:
credible.
sustainable.
legitimate.
actually doing the work.
and already on the ground.
Then we can use the reach of Animal Victory to shine a light on them and help direct resources toward them.
That is the part I want Animal Victory to become known for.
We don’t have to be the organization doing everything.
We can be the organization that finds the people who are already doing it.
That distinction is extremely important.
A massive disaster could overwhelm even a very large organization because the need is distributed across hundreds of communities and thousands of animals.
But if Animal Victory can identify dozens of credible local organizations, each organization can concentrate on the animals immediately in front of them.
Our role becomes the connector and amplifier.
And this is why I don’t want Animal Victory to become another ASPCA.
The goal isn’t to compete with the ASPCA, Humane Society, or other large animal organizations.
They have resources and capabilities that we don’t need to duplicate.
Our specialty can be different.
The large organizations have tremendous national infrastructure.
Animal Victory can specialize in discovering the organizations underneath the radar.
The little rescue that has 12 volunteers.
The sanctuary that everyone in the county knows but nobody outside the county has heard of.
The wildlife rehabilitator who suddenly has 200 displaced animals.
The local organization that knows exactly what animals need after a disaster but doesn’t have a national fundraising platform.
That’s where we want to be.
Finding them.
Verifying them.
Giving them visibility.
Raising money for them.
Getting supplies to them.
And, when appropriate, getting resources directly to the organizations that are already caring for the animals.
This is also why the new identity matters.
We are building:
ANIMAL VICTORY
America’s Animal Disaster & Abuse Response
Responding to animal abuse and disasters worldwide.
That name gives us room to build something much bigger than the organization we have today.
But the model underneath the name doesn’t change.
Our mission remains:
Find the credible, often overlooked organizations that are on the ground helping animals—and help get resources and attention to them.
And that is particularly important to me because I don’t want this organization to end with us.
We want to build something that can be carried forward by future leadership, with funds available to continue the mission after we’re gone.
I want someone years from now to be able to look at Animal Victory and understand immediately:
This organization exists to respond to animal abuse and disasters—and it knows where the help is needed.
That is the legacy we are building.
As Animal Victory moves into the coming year, our mission remains clear: to bring justice, compassion, and tangible help to animals suffering from abuse, neglect, and disasters. Each year, our impact deepens—from the courtroom to the front lines—as we unite compassionate people around the world through petitions, funding, and outreach.
Our strategic priorities include expanding advocacy and legal victories, growing donor engagement through small recurring gifts, strengthening digital infrastructure for petitions and communications, and deepening partnerships that allow us to respond more quickly during emergencies and maximize every dollar’s impact.
Animal Victory’s heart and vision are strong, but long-term sustainability requires clarity, diversification, and transparency. This roadmap is designed to ensure that both Animal Victory and Animal Victory Disaster & Abuse Fund continue to grow together while protecting their shared mission.
Key goals include clarifying organizational structure, diversifying funding sources, improving transparency through annual reporting, strengthening partnerships, and investing in donor retention tools. These steps will help build financial resilience and long-term impact for animals everywhere.
Animal Victory was built on love, determination, and a refusal to remain silent when animals suffer. Every victory—every law strengthened, every rescue made possible—belongs to the compassionate community that stands beside us. Together, we will continue to be the voice that never gives up. Because when we unite for animals, we win.
