We have broken the roadmap into three categories, each with up to four sections.
The categories are: The Sanctuary, Farmed Animal Care, and Governance.
The sections are: Essentials, Building, Preparedness, and Horizon. The first section of essentials we find are… essential! After accomplishing them you move on to building, then preparedness, etc.
These are, again, just starting blocks, as starting and running a farm sanctuary, just like everything else, is a continual learning and growing experience!
THE SANCTUARY
ESSENTIALS
☐ Currently residing on, or buying properly zoned land to have farmed animals.
☐ Lease contingency plan. | GFAS supplies a template.
☐ Incorporate as a non-profit organization.
☐ Farm Sanctuary bank account (after incorporation).
☐ Separate stand-alone social media platform(s) for your farm sanctuary.
☐ Farm Sanctuary email address.
☐ Farm Sanctuary PayPal account.
BUILDING
☐ Volunteer and intern manual.
☐ Farmed animal surrender form. | Option 1 | Option 2.
PREPAREDNESS
☐ Start your Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) application.
☐ Human first aid plan. | GFAS supplies a template.
☐ Job descriptions of key personnel like farm sanctuary manager, executive director etc. | GFAS supplies a template.
☐ Employee manual (if applicable). | GFAS supplies a template.
HORIZON
☐ Succession plan. | GFAS supplies a template.
FARMED ANIMAL CARE
ESSENTIALS
☐ Resident intake process and records. | GFAS supplies a template.
☐ Proper and secure fencing installed – species specific.
☐ Safe and secure all season shelters – species specific.
☐ Predator mitigation and protection plan.
☐ Nighttime security check and lock up procedures.
☐ Feeding and special diets procedures.
☐ Secure and identify appropriate veterinary care. Including emergency services – species specific.
BUILDING
☐ Best practice procedures (eg. shifting farmed animals, cleaning, hoof trimming, health exams etc).
☐ Seasonal procedures schedule (eg. summer/winter prep, shearing, pasture management, ice mitigation etc).
☐ Preventative medicine program. | GFAS supplies a template.
☐ Disaster and emergency plan and procedures.
☐ Escaped farmed animals plan and procedures.
☐ Adoption procedure and paperwork (if applicable). | GFAS supplies a template.
☐ Foster procedure and paperwork (if applicable).
PREPAREDNESS
Annual Drills
☐ Disaster preparedness and emergency. | GFAS supplies a template.
☐ Escaped farmed animals plan. | GFAS supplies a template.
GOVERNANCE
Policies and Agreements
ESSENTIALS
☐ Capacity for responsible care policy.
☐ Euthanasia policy. | TOSP Template.
☐ Responsible visitor’s policy.
BUILDING
☐ Non-disclosure and confidentiality policy and agreement for your board, officers, employees and volunteers to sign.
☐ Conflict of interest policy and agreement for your board, officers, employees and volunteers to sign. | GFAS supplies a template.
☐ Accident waiver and release of liability agreement for your employees and volunteers to sign. (If not already included in the employee and volunteer manual).
☐ Adoption Policies (if applicable).
☐ Foster Policies (if applicable).
☐ Privacy Policy available on your website (if applicable).
PREPAREDNESS
☐ Zoonotic disease prevention and management policy.
☐ Code of Conduct/Ethics. | GFAS supplies a template.
☐ Anti-discrimination, inclusion and diversity policy. | GFAS supplies a template.
☐ Non-harassment and anti-violence policy.
HORIZON
☐ Grievance policy. | GFAS supplies a template.
☐ Whistleblower policy. | GFAS supplies a template.
DISCLAIMER | P.E.A.C.E. has provided this roadmap as a service to the public and farm sanctuaries. Some of the information in this website has been provided by external sources. P.E.A.C.E. is not responsible for the accuracy, reliability or currency of the information provided by external sources. Users should please consult directly with the external source of the information.