Acting On Purpose

Acting

On Purpose

BY STEPHEN SHAW

Coming out of this pandemic the time has come for every company to take stock of the role it plays in the world and define its true social purpose. But that job cannot be left to marketing alone — it demands a top down commitment to a purpose-led vision and adoption of a new governance model that treats all stakeholders fairly.

It has been called the “Great Reset”: the opportunity for humankind to do things differently in a post-pandemic world. Businesses are now expected to do their part in reshaping society — to be a “force for good”. But first they have to ask themselves a basic question: Just how far should they go in improving the lives of people?

In the past, the answer would have stopped at “wealth creation”. But most people now concede that the single-minded pursuit of profitable growth does nothing to fix the systemic problems facing society — in fact, it may even undermine the quest for a more sustainable future. The vision should be broader and more inclusive with the nobler aim of advancing the human condition.

A purpose-led vision can guide a company through times of extreme uncertainty by serving as a stabilizing force: the vision never changes — just the path to get there. But more than that, it can help to restore public trust in business now that the pandemic has exposed the deep contradictions in society, where a new billionaire is minted every day1, while ordinary people are having a tough time making ends meet.

Without a strong moral compass, companies are free to act like pariahs, doing anything they please. When people see corporate

bosses rewarded with excessive bonuses in the middle of consumer activists like Ralph Nader to protect the public a pandemic (defending their exorbitant pay by saying, “we interest and crusade for stronger safeguards against wilful should be paid what we’re worth”) — when they hear of global corporate negligence. corporations paying zero taxes despite record earnings — From the 1980s onward, the Ayn Rand philosophy of when they learn that some large profitable companies padded unfettered self-interest was adopted as boardroom dogma and their earnings using government wage subsidies — when they corporations abandoned any pretense of a social contract. Hard listen to reports of big business objecting to a modest increase won labour benefits were whittled away — a gig workforce was in corporate tax rates that favoured over salaried employees would put people back to work — high-paying manufacturing — they feel betrayed. Each fresh revelation of corporate Total Shareholder Return jobs were offloaded to lowwage countries — and working wrongdoing — from Wells Fargo to Purdue Pharma to suddenly became the only life became more precarious for everyone. CEOs went from Goldman Sachs, all fined last year in the tens of millions of metric that mattered. earning 20 times the pay of an average worker to 300 times, dollars for corrupt practices2 — making in a few days what the deepens the level of mistrust. average worker earns in a year.

The public has always had a wary relationship with big In the aftermath of the Great Recession in 2008 the corporations, going back to the Gilded Age, when industrial combination of slow job growth and wage stagnation inflamed magnates were known as “Robber Barons” for their social ills. And now, in this current K-shaped economy, the unscrupulous business practices. Their companies grew wealth gap is much more acute, where the greatest sacrifices are into conglomerates so immense, so monopolistic, that they being made by the most vulnerable. Food insecurity is rampant eventually had to be broken up by antitrust action. But even — people are struggling to keep up with bill payments — many in the mid-20th century, when companies were finally being households are flirting with insolvency. Meanwhile, stock prices run by professional managers instead of autocratic owners, keep climbing, fuelled by an endless surge of investment capital. corporations behaved as if they were above the law, using their So, before their purpose statements can ever be taken lobbying clout to bend the will of government. It was left to seriously, corporations must give up their “win at all costs”

“We’re going to see a new kind of these unprecedented times, coming from two of the preeminent capitalists in the world, they are now conventional wisdom, capitalism — and it won’t be the Milton thanks to a reform movement that began around a decade ago calling for a more Friedman capital-ism, that is, just about altruistic form of capitalism. Stakeholder capitalism, as it has come making money.” – Marc Benioff (CEO, SalesForce) to be known, is a total repudiation of the “Greed Is Good” era. Until recently the doctrine of shareholder value had been an article of faith in every corporate mindset. After decades of treating the consequences of their boardroom. It was first advanced in 1970 by the neoliberal actions as someone else’s problem, a carefully worded statement economist Milton Friedman in a landmark New York Times of good intentions is unlikely to be very convincing, seen as essay called, “The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its “virtue signaling”, “woke capitalism”, “greenwashing”, or just Profits”. All that should matter in running a business, Friedman empty rhetoric, rather than a heartfelt sentiment. Which is decreed, is the pursuit of maximum profit, calling CEOs who why the job of defining purpose cannot be left to marketing or think otherwise “unwitting puppets” of the “intellectual forces it will come across as a public relations ploy — ending with a undermining free society”. Corporate social responsibility is hyperbolic press release and a pretty wall poster. akin to socialism, he groused, just a distraction from the real

A meaningful purpose statement needs to be crafted with purpose of a business, to enrich its owners. the same diligence as a constitution and the fervour of a The corporate elite now had all the justification they needed manifesto. It has to be inspiring. It needs to be championed to ignore the common good. Total Shareholder Return soon by corporate leadership. It needs to be brought to life with an became the only metric that mattered. Executive compensation activation plan. And it needs the company shareholders to give was tied to stock options as an incentive for management it their unconditional blessing. to maximize short-term gain even at the expense of other stakeholders. Corporate management redeployed surplus cash The common good to buy back stocks and boost the share price — money that Even the plutocracy recognizes the threat to social cohesion might otherwise have been reinvested in job creation. The unless corporations become more accountable. In a now- quarterly earning report became the CEO report card, with famous proclamation that shocked Wall Street three years ago, activist investors grading it, while hedge funds scooped up Larry Fink, the chief of Blackrock, the world’s largest investor, “undervalued” businesses in order to restructure and sell them. issued a written warning to CEOs: either they made more of an Thus began the unraveling of the “affluent society”. Over effort to help society, or they might be denied the support of his the last four decades, a massive transfer of wealth occurred firm. “To prosper over time,” he wrote, “every company must between the upper and lower echelons of society. Despite a 70 not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it percent gain in productivity, hourly wages increased just 12 makes a positive contribution to society”. In his most recent percent. The top 1 percent of households increased their share annual letter to CEOs he said: “As we move forward from the of wealth by one third, while the bottom half saw their part pandemic, facing tremendous economic pain and inequality, cut in half3. The ensuing social blight — the vanishing middle we need companies to embrace a form of capitalism that class — the extra hardships imposed on the working poor recognizes and serves all their stakeholders.” — the growing “deaths of despair” — eventually became so

Similarly, in his recent annual letter to shareholders, untenable that it gave rise in 2011 to the “Occupy Wall Street” Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan Chase, which enjoyed movement which placed the blame squarely on what it called a record year in 2020, had this to say: “Shareholder value can “pathological” corporations. But it also led to dissension in the be built only if you maintain a healthy and vibrant company, ranks of more progressive thinking corporate leaders who were which means doing a good job taking care of your customers, so appalled by the irreparable harm being done that they began employees and communities. Conversely, how can you have a to agitate for a reimagining of capitalism. healthy company if you neglect any of these stakeholders?”. He goes on to state: “Businesses must earn the trust of companies A new kind of capitalism and communities by acting ethically and morally”. The fact that The first acclaimed management strategist to challenge the he had to remind shareholders that morality was important Friedman model of shareholder primacy was Michael Porter just goes to show how out of touch they must be with the mood who in a widely hailed Harvard Business Review article in 2011 of the public. wrote, “Profits involving a social purpose represent a higher

Those words, spoken just 10 years ago, would have been form of capitalism, one that creates a positive cycle of company shouted down by the investor class as blasphemous. But in and community prosperity”. The purpose of a corporation,

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Porter stressed, must be to create “shared value”, which “involves creating economic value in a way that also creates value for society by addressing its needs and challenges”. In short, corporations had a duty to be mindful of their social obligations, not just make a profit for its owners, a direct rebuttal of Friedman’s belief that corporate managers were “agents” acting solely on half of the shareholders.

Porter’s call for an end to shareholder primacy was joined in subsequent years by a highly accomplished group of reform-minded business founders and executives. Corporate chiefs like Whole Foods founder John Mackey urged his peers to embrace a new credo he called “conscious capitalism”. SalesForce CEO Marc Benioff famously declared that, “Capitalism, as we know it, is dead”, predicting, “We’re going to see a new kind of capitalism — and it won’t be the Milton Friedman capitalism, that is, just about making money”. Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum, who is credited with coining the term “stakeholder capitalism” in 1971, defined a company’s purpose as the creation of long-term value for society at large, taking his cue from the Nordic model of social solidarity.

The official seal of approval for stakeholder capitalism came in 2019 when the Business Roundtable, an elite cabal of the largest corporations in the world, released a revised “Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation.” Signed by 181 CEOs, the new statement retracted its previous endorsement made almost a quarter century earlier of the Friedman model. “Each of our stakeholders is essential”, the Statement emphasized, “We commit to deliver value to all of them”.

At the Annual Davos World Economic Summit in 2020, attended by corporate moguls from around the globe, a Manifesto was agreed to, declaring that “A company is more than an economic unit generating wealth. It fulfils human and societal aspirations as part of the broader social system. Performance must be measured not only on the return to shareholders, but also on how it achieves its environmental, social and good governance objectives.”

Even Fortune Magazine, that venerable voice of capitalism, acknowledged in a recent issue devoted to corporate accountability that change is overdue, calling on business to meet higher ethical standards: “As far as society is concerned — as far as a company’s customers, employees, and even investors are concerned — how a company behaves in the world is now as important as what it sells or produces”.4

Creating genuine value

As calls for corporate reform escalated, marketing influencers began beating the drum for change as well, coming at it from a slightly different angle. Their perspective is similar to management guru Pete Drucker’s advice from long ago: “To satisfy the customer is the mission and purpose of every business.” Making money is only possible, they reason, if companies create genuine value for customers, not simply look for ways to increase efficiency. In 2010 one of the world’s leading management thinkers Roger Martin published an article in the Harvard Business Review called “The Age of Customer Capitalism” in which he argued that businesses do better when they put customers first, calling the deification of shareholder value a “tragically flawed premise”. A smarter “optimization formula”, he suggested, is determining what customers value and “focusing on always pleasing them”. In that same year Simon Sinek gained fame with his viral Ted Talk “The Golden Circle” in which he posited that people don’t buy what companies do, they buy why they do it. His mantra “Start with Why” became a war cry for many marketers. “Why” is what inspires people, he said — “why” is the reason people would miss the company if it disappeared — “why” gives work a higher order of meaning.

Phil Kotler, the “Father of Modern Marketing”, called for a socially responsible approach to business, where the focus is on creating a better world — what he called the “4Ws”: Wealth, Wellness, Well-being, Wisdom. The job of marketing, he said, is to link the needs of customers and society with the commercial needs of the business. “Marketing’s job today is to sell materialism and consumption. Tomorrow’s marketing will be markedly different.”

Jim Stengel, the former CMO of Proctor & Gamble, proved in his 2011 book “Grow” that brands which improve people’s lives grow three times faster than competitors, and outperform the market by a wide margin, basing his conclusions on a Millward Brown study of company performance over a 10-year period.

Countless other research findings since then have confirmed his thesis that companies with strong brand ideals — who are clear in what they stand for and why they exist — who put the needs of customers first, and share their values — do much better than those that don’t.

These days the concept of brand purpose has gone mainstream. Yet in spite of a growing stack of literature on the subject, an expanding network of advocacy groups, and a cottage industry that has sprung up to help companies get it right, marketers struggle to elevate purpose from a messaging strategy to a company-wide set of operating principles. Which is why brand purpose needs the involvement of senior leadership, with the CEO cheering them on.

Paragons of purpose

The companies that do get it right consistently top the charts in every measure of brand health, such as trust, reputation, loyalty and credibility. One of the first companies to prove that purpose can pay off is Unilever, the giant packaged goods company whose portfolio of brands dominate their respective categories, such as Dove, Ben & Jerry’s, Lipton, Hellmann’s and others. Its purpose statement: To Make Sustainable Living Commonplace. Select brands are given license to improve health and wellbeing as well as champion a social cause related to their category.

According to the company, its 28 “Sustainable Living Brands” have grown 69 percent faster than the rest of the product portfolio. The CEO Alan Jope has said, “We have extremely strong data on the link between purposeful communication and short and long-term growth”. To showcase its commitment to social progress, Unilever has even built a dedicated marketing platform called “Every Day, U Does Good.”

Dove is Unilever’s star example of a purpose-led brand. By taking the lead on the issue of women’s lack of self-esteem, Dove succeeded in reaching the pinnacle of brand purpose by creating a self-sustaining movement. Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty struck an emotional chord with women who felt they did not measure up to the media depiction of beauty, fostering a public discussion that continues to this day. Dove is now Unilever’s largest brand, the beneficiary of all that spillover talk.

Proctor & Gamble is another packaged goods company that has pledged to be a responsible corporate citizen, taking an unequivocal stand on issues of racial justice and gender bias, and flexing its massive media muscles to get the message out with award-winning video content, storytelling platforms, TV campaigns, and social media. All of the brand teams are expected to own a specific societal challenge which they must bake into their strategies, aligned with the P&G purpose of “making each day a little bit better for people, families and communities around the globe”.

A global brand that companies have leaned on heavily during the pandemic is Cisco, the leading provider of networking and collaboration technology, and well respected for its “walk the talk” commitment to humanitarian causes. In June of last year, the CEO Chuck Robbins announced a new mission statement, “Power an Inclusive Future for All”, explaining that, “We know our responsibilities don’t end with technology. It’s now about making the world we envision possible”. The company is dedicated to four main social goals: helping the underprivileged segments of society; extending care to families and their surrounding communities; accelerating healthcare innovation through technology; and enabling educational and healthcare institutions to adapt more quickly to change.

Here in Canada the communications technology giant TELUS is on a similar mission, stating that its “longstanding commitment to putting our customers first fuels every aspect

of our business”. Its long-time Marketers struggle to elevate founded in the first place. CEO Darren Entwistle is a The definition of value true believer in what TELUS calls “social capitalism”, saying purpose from a messaging marks the playing field where the company is best “it is important that we lead by example and action”. His strategy to a company-wide positioned to win. From there, a cascading set of questions: advice to other companies is to “leverage your core business to set of operating principles. What are the core values and beliefs of our best customers? improve the social, economic What kind of world would or educational outcomes of they like to see? What gives your community”. That’s exactly what TELUS has done in setting meaning to their lives? The answers can frame the discussion up a $100 million social impact investment fund for socially around the next plank which is Social Progress: How the conscious start-up businesses; in starting up a new agricultural company can be “a force for good” by helping solve systemic business to improve the food system through technology; in global challenges like climate change, poverty, racial injustice, creating an IT company to transform the healthcare system; and the like. The nonprofit group JUST Capital, which tracks and in devising a series of community-based programs to give and measures the social performance of companies, offers a disadvantaged Canadians equal access to technology. scorecard which can be used as a starting template.

These four corporations are exemplary models of acting on The next couple of planks are closely related. Community purpose, simply because the impetus for change came directly Development covers local relationship building — like from the top. While many corporations have opened up their infrastructure upgrades, help for the disadvantaged, or wallets for COVID-19 relief aid, philanthropy is not the same sponsorship of cultural and recreational activity — which as making good citizenship an intrinsic part of corporate might otherwise be left to government to fund. And then you purpose. The real test is whether publicly traded corporations have Responsible Citizenship: acting with integrity, treating are prepared to put purpose ahead of profits. There are very few employees fairly, respecting the law (even if it’s a constraint on brands like the activist apparel company Patagonia willing to profit-making), and proactively seeking consensus amongst say “we’re in business to save our home planet”. everyone who has a stake in the outcome.

So how do companies make that trade-off? How far do they That last bit may be hardest of all, given the acrimonious go? How do CEOs convince their boards that the future health clashes of the past with organized labour, consumer rights of the business means giving up the sugar high of short-term groups and save-the-world movements. But it’s called boosts in share price in exchange for steadier long-term gains? stakeholder capitalism for a reason: social harmony can only And how do they even decide which social causes to throw their be achieved through compromise and reciprocity. Making weight behind? extortionist threats to kill job creation is no longer a socially acceptable bargaining strategy. Purpose planks The one saving grace of this past year is that it has given The starting point is to connect how the brand creates value progressive businesses an excuse to put the idea of shareholder for customers — what it does better than anyone — with how primacy behind them once and for all — to move on to it can make the most meaningful impact on society at large. playing a more constructive role in society as opposed to That is not a marketing exercise — it is the job of executive constantly appeasing shareholders. Everyone has witnessed management. Marketing can clarify what value really means in first-hand how fragile society becomes when the privileged the minds of customers — it can reach out to customers to get take advantage of the underprivileged — when society splits their perspective on how things should ideally work. But it is up into the haves and the have-nots. Building a fairer society that to corporate leadership to pick the right social causes to pursue. rewards all stakeholders will restore trust in business. But that

In arriving at the right purpose statement, there are depends on business being more generous in spirit. As Virgin four “purpose planks” to consider, all of which need to be owner Richard Branson says, “The brands that will thrive in the thematically linked through a higher order expression of intent coming years are the ones that have a purpose beyond profit”. — how the company plans to make the world a better place. Now companies just need to find the right balance between

The first and most important purpose plank is Customer purpose and profits. Value: How the company is uniquely positioned to serve the needs of customers, now and in future. What does the company STEPHEN SHAW is the chief strategy officer of Kenna, a marketing solutions provider do best? What does it want to be famous for, not just today, specializing in delivering more unified customer experiences. Stephen can be reached via but far down the road? These are tougher questions than they email at sshaw@kenna.ca. appear because value creation is a constantly shifting equation: 1 In 2020, 493 people joined the Forbes list of new billionaires. What someone values today may not be the same tomorrow. 2 See GoodJobsFirst.org, “Violation Tracker”. 3 Scott Galloway, “The Great Grift”, January 2021Clues may be found in the company’s origin story — why it was 4 Fortune Magazine, “Trust and Consequences”, April/May 2021.

The Animal Guardian Society

It’s been over 30 years since Kathy Asling found an 8-weekold puppy on the street. She immediately called every possible link to the pup’s owners and ran an advertisement in her local newspaper. A reporter who saw the ad called Kathy to write a cover story.

Although no owner was ever located, she received almost 200 calls to adopt the puppy. She instinctively screened prospective adopters and conducted home visits. Kathy decided on a home but had names and numbers of several families she felt would provide a loving home to a dog. The next day she visited the local shelter and started ‘match making’ by contacting the people who had called her looking to adopt.

Identifying the need for someone to step up and save the lives of good dogs from being put to death, Kathy and her daughter created the name The Animal Guardian Society (TAGS). In March of 1987 the first Durham Region based rescue was formed.

Kathy set out to meet with individuals who could mentor and guide her into developing a program that would operate with integrity and ethics that would promote humane education to our community and find homes for displaced animals.

Perhaps the most difficult task in the early days was creating relationships with Animal Controls. Rescue in those days was a foreign word, and the constant struggle to save animals from death and research labs became a task that proved to be emotionally and physical draining. It soon became evident that this was not the job for one person. Kathy needed help.

Now 30 years later and thousands of dogs successfully re-homed, she has yet to stop! Kathy and her corps of volunteers work closely with animal shelters, humane societies, and the community to improve the lives of canine citizens.

Today, TAGS is a charitable nonprofit organization and does not receive any government funding. We are entirely reliant on public donations for funds. Other than monetary donations, TAGS needs other pet care items like good quality dog food, dog beds and blankets, leashes and collars, winter coats, dog toys, etc. We also need other items like building materials and services.

To donate visit our website at www.animalguardian.org or see our donation information at Canada Helps https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/13492

We welcome your feedback and your questions. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments you have. General information about our program or volunteering: tagsinfo@animalguardian.org Telephone: 905-263-TAGS (8247)

How Will You Leave Your Mark on the Community You Called Home?

In 1902, James Ross donated funds to build and equip a much-needed hospital to care for people in the Kawartha Lakes. Five generations later, with every gift, our donors continue to touch patients’ lives by supporting vital hospital needs that are not covered through government funding. Through their generous support for medical equipment, lifesaving technology and priority projects, donors help the Ross Team provide 24/7 care, and inspire brighter tomorrows.

You can make a lasting impact on patient care with a legacy gift. The Ross is the heart of the community and ensures exceptional care for our residents, seasonal residents and regional patients. By naming the Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation in your Will, you join generations of caring people in creating a legacy that supports the entire community.

We are honoured to be considered in your legacy plans and are here to answer your questions. Let’s talk about the role you want to play in advancing health care for people in the Kawartha Lakes. How will you touch the next generation?

Erin Coons, CFRE, CEO, RMH Foundation 705-328-6113 | ecoons@rmh.org | www.rmh.org/foundation

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The Animal Guardian SocietyIt’s been over 30 years since Kathy Asling found an 8-weekold puppy on the street. She immediately called every possible link to the pup’s owners and ran an advertisement in her local newspaper. A reporter who saw the ad called Kathy to write a cover story. Although no owner was ever located, she received almost 200 calls to adopt the puppy. She instinctively screened prospective adopters and conducted home visits. Kathy decided on a home but had names and numbers of several families she felt would provide a loving home to a dog. The next day she visited the local shelter and started ‘match making’ by contacting the people who had called her looking to adopt. As an animal rescue group we know how important it is to microchip pets. You cannot predict what will happen in the future so we always advise responsible pet owners to make an appointment for this quick and painless 5 minute (or less) procedure. It’s better to be safe than sorry. With other expensive options out there, we also know that many pet owners decide not to proceed with micro-chipping their pets because of the price. That is why TAGS initiated a cheap way to microchip, saving a good amount of money (instead of paying $90 and up). The revenue goes toward a good cause – helping dogs & cats in need through The Animal Guardian Society. HELPING TORONTO’S MAJOR DONORS FIND THEIR CAUSE 2Find your path to new major donors and sponsors. Get into the 2021 GTA Giving Guide and get your charity’s story and key mission statements, fundraising campaigns, major gift programs, sponsorship opportunities, 2021 GTA Giving Guide foundationmag.ca Identifying the need for someone to step up and save the lives of good dogs from being put to death, Kathy and her daughter created the name The Animal Guardian Society (TAGS). In March of 1987 the first Durham Region based rescue was formed. Kathy set out to meet with individuals who could mentor and guide her into developing a program that would operate with integrity and ethics that would promote humane education to our community and find homes for displaced animals. Perhaps the most difficult task in the early days was creating relationships with Animal Controls. Rescue in those days was a foreign word, and the constant struggle to save animals from death and research labs became a task that proved to be emotionally and physical draining. It soon became evident that this was not the job for one person. Kathy needed help. Now 30 years later and thousands of dogs successfully rehomed, she has yet to stop! Kathy and her corps of volunteers work closely with animal shelters, humane societies, and the community to improve the lives of canine citizens. Today, TAGS is a charitable non-profit organization and does not receive any government funding. We are entirely reliant on public donations for funds. Other than monetary donations, TAGS needs other pet care items like good quality dog food, dog beds and blankets, leashes and collars, winter coats, dog toys, etc. We also need other items like building materials and services. The Animal Guardian Society’s microchip clinics have become a popular tradition, offering inexpensive microchip services for pet owners in the Toronto and Durham Region area. How We Use Your Money 100% of your donations goes to helping the animals in our program as we have no paid staff. TAGS’s largest expense by far is the veterinary bills. We want to be sure that all our dogs are healthy, and sometimes this means expensive medications or surgeries that cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. In addition, all TAGS dogs are spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped prior to adoption. While TAGS is fortunate to receive some donations of dog food, we also spend money purchasing quality dog food to feed to our dogs in foster care. Other expenses include the production of training, educational and promotional material. To donate visit our website at www.animalguardian. org or see our donation information at Canada Helps https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/13492 Vision Statement ❯ To sustain the operation of our program and continue to serve and protect the animal citizens of our community.❯ To never see any animal abused, abandoned or left unwanted. ❯ To continue to provide medical care and training to animals in our care.❯ To construct a shelter that will provide safe housing for animals until permanent homes are found.❯ To ensure that our shelter offers a centre for learning and education to our community.❯ To see no animal put to death in municipally run shelters because they are overlooked or due to lack of space.❯ To encourage those who profess their love and dedication to animals to take a stand to educate and participate in the cause of rescue.❯ To see the day when rescue will no longer be necessary, as all animals will have safe, loving homes. We welcome your feedback and your questions. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments you have. General information about our program or volunteering: tagsinfo@animalguardian.org Telephone: 905-263-TAGS (8247) To construct a shelter that will provide safe housing for animals until permanent homes are found. To ensure that our shelter offers a centre for learning and education to our community. To see no animal put to death in municipally run shelters because they are overlooked or due to lack To encourage those who profess their love and dedication to animals to take a stand to educate and participate in the cause of rescue. To see the day when rescue will no longer be necessary, as all animals will have safe, loving homes. 2021 GTA GIVING GUIDE The Animal Guardian SocietyIt’s been over 30 years since Kathy Asling found an 8-weekold puppy on the street. She immediately called every possible link to the pup’s owners and ran an advertisement in her local newspaper. A reporter who saw the ad called Kathy to write a cover story. Although no owner was ever located, she received almost 200 calls to adopt the puppy. She instinctively screened prospective adopters and conducted home visits. Kathy decided on a home but had names and numbers of several families she felt would provide a loving home to a dog. The next day she visited the local shelter and started ‘match making’ by contacting the people who had called her looking to adopt. Identifying the need for someone to step up and save the lives of good dogs from being put to death, Kathy and her daughter created the name The Animal Guardian Society (TAGS). In March of 1987 the first Durham Region based rescue was formed. Kathy set out to meet with individuals who could mentor and guide her into developing a program that would operate with integrity and ethics that would promote humane education to our community and find homes for displaced animals. Perhaps the most difficult task in the early days was creating relationships with Animal Controls. Rescue in those days was a foreign word, and the constant struggle to save animals from death and research labs became a task that proved to be emotionally and physical draining. It soon became evident that this was not the job for one person. Kathy needed help. Now 30 years later and thousands of dogs successfully rehomed, she has yet to stop! Kathy and her corps of volunteers work closely with animal shelters, humane societies, and the community to improve the lives of canine citizens. Today, TAGS is a charitable non-profit organization and does not receive any government funding. We are entirely reliant on public donations for funds. Other than monetary donations, TAGS needs other pet care items like good quality dog food, dog beds and blankets, leashes and collars, winter coats, dog toys, etc. We also need other items like building materials and services. To donate visit our website at www.animalguardian. org or see our donation information at Canada Helps https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/13492 accomplishments and donor stories into Toronto’s largest offi cial guide to help major individual donors and corporate foundations fi nd new ways to support your efforts. Reach more than 20,000 senior executives in marketing, fi nance and C-Suite leadership in the largest fi rms in the Toronto area. Headquarters of companies which allocate millions of dollars for donations, sponsorship, social programs, volunteering, governance, advice and insights. And whose leaders and proven individual donors. 4 foundationmag.ca 2021 GTA Giving Guide We welcome your feedback and your questions. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments you have. General information about our program or volunteering: tagsinfo@animalguardian.org Telephone: 905-263-TAGS (8247) General information about our program or volunteering: tagsinfo@animalguardian.org Telephone: foundationmag.ca The Animal Guardian Society The Animal Guardian Society It’s been over 30 years since Kathy Asling found an 8-weekold puppy on the street. She immediately called every possible link to the pup’s owners and ran an advertisement in her local newspaper. A reporter who saw the ad called Kathy to write a cover story. Although no owner was ever located, she received almost 200 calls to adopt the puppy. She instinctively screened prospective adopters and conducted home visits. Kathy decided on a home but had names and numbers of several families she felt would provide a loving home to a dog. The next day she visited the local shelter and started ‘match making’ by contacting the people who had called her looking to adopt. Identifying the need for someone to step up and save the lives of good dogs from being put to death, Kathy and her daughter created the name The Animal Guardian Society (TAGS). In March of 1987 the first Durham Region based rescue was formed. Kathy set out to meet with individuals who could mentor and guide her into developing a program that would operate with integrity and ethics that would promote humane education to our community and find homes for displaced animals. To donate visit our website at www.animalguardian. org or see our donation information at Canada Helps https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/13492 It’s been over 30 years since Kathy Asling found an 8-weekold puppy on the street. She immediately called every possible link to the pup’s owners and ran an advertisement in her local newspaper. A reporter who saw the ad called Kathy to write a cover story. Although no owner was ever located, she received almost 200 calls to adopt the puppy. She instinctively screened prospective adopters and conducted home visits. Kathy decided on a home but had names and numbers of several families she felt would provide a loving home to a dog. The next day she visited the local shelter and started ‘match making’ by contacting the people who had called her looking to adopt. Identifying the need for someone to step up and save the lives of good dogs from being put to death, Kathy and her daughter created the name The Animal Guardian Society (TAGS). In March of 1987 the first Durham Region based rescue was formed. Kathy set out to meet with individuals who could mentor and guide her into developing a program that would operate with integrity and ethics that would promote humane education to our community and find homes for displaced animals. To donate visit our website at www.animalguardian. org or see our donation information at Canada Helps https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/13492 We welcome your feedback and your questions. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments you have. General information about our program or volunteering: tagsinfo@animalguardian.orgTelephone: 905-263-TAGS (8247) It is our mission to provide re-homing and medical care to displaced companion animals and to support the communi in areas of humane education, behaviour counseling, the promotion of responsible pet ownership, and the needs of animals. We welcome your feedback and your questions. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments you have. General information about our program or volunteering: tagsinfo@animalguardian.orgTelephone: 905-263-TAGS (8247) It is our mission to provide re-homing and medical care to displaced companion animals and to support the communi in areas of humane education, behaviour counseling, the promotion of responsible pet ownership, and the needs of animals.

2021 GTA Giving Guide 5

For more information call Steve Lloyd,