Nonprofit Leadership Podcast

Episode: How to Grow Your Organization by Being Relentlessly Committed to Your Brand

Host: Dr. Rob Harter
Guest: Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society
Date: August 31, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features a vibrant conversation between Dr. Rob Harter and Julie Castle, CEO of Best Friends Animal Society. Julie shares the remarkable journey of growing Best Friends from a small, rural nonprofit with an $800,000 annual budget to a $180 million national leader in animal welfare. The main theme centers on how relentless commitment to brand, high-touch donor engagement, and laser-focused mission clarity fueled exponential organizational growth. Listeners gain actionable advice for scaling impact while staying true to core values, with deep dives into fundraising, storytelling, building culture, and the discipline of saying “no” to mission drift.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Julie Castle’s Personal Journey and Commitment

• Unexpected Beginnings: Julie’s path to Best Friends started with a road trip detour after graduating college and turning down law school in favor of hands-on animal welfare work ([04:55], [07:30]).
  • "I stopped and put a couple of quarters into a payphone, and I called my dad, and I said, hey Dad, I’m not going to law school. I’m moving to Kanab, Utah. And I did." – Julie ([06:47])
• Initial Struggles: Early days included menial but meaningful tasks: cleaning litter trays, fixing fences, and donor outreach as 17th employee.
• Mission Clarity: Since joining, Julie witnessed a reduction in shelter animal deaths from 17 million a year to just over 400,000 ([08:55]).
  • "Our entire goal over the past 30 years has been to get every community and every shelter to no kill… And so over that period of time, we've gone from 17 million animals to just over 400,000." – Julie ([08:54])

2. Three Core Drivers of Growth

a. High Touch Donor Engagement ([10:32]–[14:23])

• Founder’s Call: Every donor, no matter the amount, received a personal thank you call from a founder or staff member.
  • "Within 48 hours, we had one of our founders calling that person. It didn't matter if they gave 25 cents, they got a thank you call." – Julie ([12:25])
• Longevity of Impact: Decades later, donors still recount those early personal contacts as the reason for their support.
• Practical Takeaway: In an increasingly “high-tech” world, nonprofits must be even more “high-touch.”
  • "As our world becomes more high tech, we as nonprofits need to become more high touch." – Dr. Rob ([13:33])
• Volunteer & Staff Engagement: Today, a core volunteer team and staff still manage personal correspondence, including handwritten notes ([38:19]).

b. Positive, Consistent Messaging and Branding ([15:29]–[18:25])

• Rejecting Negative Appeals: Despite outside consultants urging graphic, sorrow-based messaging, Best Friends insisted on positivity and hope ([15:32]).
  • "We believe that people are going to get behind something that's good and positive – and not this negative… Positivity begets positivity." – Julie ([15:36])
• Curating All Materials In-House: Photography, stories, and branding are handled by a long-tenured, passionate team.
• Steadfast Brand Voice: Listening to members’ feedback and building an emotional connection with uplifting stories wins loyalty.

c. Relentless Mission Focus & Generosity with Knowledge ([19:29]–[25:58])

• Origin of Brand Identity: The organization's “no kill” philosophy and storytelling were crystallized through an in-house magazine and sharing best practices.
• Sharing Knowledge Freely: Instead of guarding their “secrets,” Best Friends openly shared fundraising and operational strategies with peers, inadvertently building a nationwide network.
  • "We were giving away all of our state secrets… because if you do, everyone's going to succeed." – Julie ([21:39])
• Result: National thought leadership and grassroots credibility built their brand as a community resource.

3. Building a Strong, Values-Driven Culture ([26:03]–[30:55])

• Culture Over Credentials: Hiring prioritizes cultural alignment and chemistry over pure technical competence.
  • "Would you hire chemistry over competency?" – Rob
    "A million times." – Julie ([28:39])
• Learning From Mistakes: Lessons learned from failed hires who had great résumés but didn’t “fit” the mission.
• Promoting From Within: Growth and retention are driven by recognizing and nurturing in-house talent who share core values.
  • "You can teach management all day long, you can’t always teach leadership." – Julie ([30:54])

4. Stewardship and Storytelling in Fundraising ([32:13]–[37:40])

• Flagship Magazine: The print magazine (launched in 1992, every two months) became a powerful stewardship tool and brand anchor—even winning a Pulitzer Prize, with stories told from the perspective of “personality animals” ([32:42]).

  • "The magazine is priceless...and it actually ended up winning a Pulitzer Prize." – Julie ([32:17], [32:42])

• Stewardship Over Gimmicks: Feedback-driven decision to avoid “tchotchke” premiums (socks, gadgets) in favor of meaningful content.

  • "Please do not send us any of your tchotchkes. We would rather that go to the animals. And we listened… as long as I'm CEO, we’ll never do it." – Julie ([37:40], [37:48])

• Hyper-Responsiveness: Every donor letter, phone call, or email receives a personal reply, either from Julie, staff, or trained volunteers ([38:19]).

  • "Our tenant is we respond to everything. If I get a piece of mail and it doesn't matter what it is, it's responded to by me." – Julie ([38:19])

5. Staying the Course: Laser-Focused Mission Execution ([40:24]–[43:55])

• Power of Story: Across all trends in digital vs. traditional fundraising, nothing beats authentic, well-told stories about individual animals or people.

  • "Nothing trumps a good story about the work that you're doing. Nothing." – Julie ([40:24])

• Avoiding Mission Creep: Julie warns leaders against “boiling the ocean”—getting spread too thin with unrelated initiatives.

  • "If it doesn't fit in that bucket, we don't do it." – Julie ([43:38])
  • Their rallying drumbeat: “ending the killing of animals in shelters by the end of 2025.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “[On high-touch engagement] We still have a group of founders who are calling donors. First-time donors who give $25 are getting that phone call and it creates this stickiness and we're building a community.” – Julie ([14:23])
• “[On branding] We have never outsourced any of that. We do all that in house. And it is very curated.” – Julie ([17:18])
• “[On culture] The employees that you have are absolutely the only thing that is going to propel your mission forward… making sure that those two things match when you hire is unbelievably important.” – Julie ([27:09])
• “[On storytelling] Every part of our nonprofit sector has that individual story and really honing in on that… really focus on telling that story on that individual part of your work.” – Julie ([41:00])
• “[On focus] A lot of nonprofits get excited about all the things they can be doing… everything is so spread so thinly that you aren't doing any one thing well.” – Julie ([42:55])
• “[On saying no] If it doesn't fit in that bucket, we don't do it.” – Julie ([43:38])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Julie's origin story and mission clarity ([04:55]–[10:11])
• Three keys to growth; high-touch donor outreach ([10:32]–[14:23])
• Branding and positive messaging ([15:29]–[18:25])
• Brand identity and the power of sharing ([19:29]–[25:58])
• Culture, hiring, and promoting from within ([26:03]–[30:55])
• Magazine, storytelling, and stewardship decisions ([32:13]–[37:40])
• Personalized donor response strategy ([38:19]–[39:30])
• Julie’s fundraising advice and warning against mission creep ([40:24]–[43:55])
• Show close, ways to connect ([44:54])

Final Advice from Julie Castle

• Great stories trump marketing trends: Invest in collecting and sharing individual, uplifting stories that personify your impact.
• Relentless focus pays off: Define (and stick to) your core mission, saying “no” to distractions or tempting side projects.
• Build and protect community via personal touch: Respond to every donor personally, avoid gimmicks, and make supporters feel truly connected.
• Culture > Credentials: Hire people who align with your DNA and train/expand them internally—they’ll work harder and stay longer.

Connect with Best Friends Animal Society

• Website: bestfriends.org
• Social: LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram
• Visit: The sanctuary in Southern Utah or one of their lifesaving centers across the country

This episode is a “masterclass” in scaling a nonprofit through disciplined brand stewardship, deep donor connection, and unwavering vision—making it a compelling listen for executive directors and fundraisers alike.