An online community for community advocates
If you’re able to recognize that there is a problem, you are able to do something about it.
Joining the 2025 Action Team is about connecting with fellow advocates around the country to create positive change for pets and people. In that spirit, this site is open and available to everyone working toward that same common goal.
You are welcome to use this space for engaging in productive advocacy-related conversations and campaigns. All campaigns should be:
- Positive, collaborative, and solution-oriented.
- Evidence-based and reflective of the belief that all animals and people are individuals.
- Well-meaning, well-maintained, active and up to date.
Any petitions engaging in unproductive or inappropriate dialogue will be removed from the site. For more on Best Friends’ posting and comment policy, visit https://bestfriends.org/comment-policy.
If you see petitions or comments that are inappropriate, please flag them and we'll review them. And, of course, if you run into any technical difficulties on the site or have any other concerns, just let us know and we’ll do our best to address them as quickly as possible.
Welcome to your new community space. We’re looking forward to working with you!
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I run a campaign on?
This site provides tips and resources to help you advocate for the changes your community needs to reach and sustain no-kill. But the best campaigns are positive, collaborative, and solution-oriented.
When starting a campaign the most important step is to get the ball rolling - don't worry about getting everything 100% right. Even experienced, professional campaigners make mistakes and often change tack as things develop. You don't need to be an expert to launch a campaign, you just need to be willing to learn new things along the way.
What can't I campaign on?
We expect we'll probably see campaigns we don't agree with 100% or campaigns that might seem a bit random. But the goal of this website is to help advocates help their community achieve and sustain no-kill.
We reserve the right to use our judgment and take something down if it is counter to our mission, if it attacks a person or a shelter directly, or it crosses a line of common decency. So take responsibility for your campaign.
How will signing petitions make a difference?
Positive, solution-oriented petitions can be the catalyst for conversations that change how people think.
Local agencies and elected officials need to know you care about saving the lives of homeless pets. And pets in your community need your voice to help make that happen. Having good old-fashioned face-to-face conversations with people in your community is the most effective way to build the support you need to save more lives. Creating a hard-copy petition and collecting community members’ signatures for it can develop awareness, increase community engagement and build a contact list of local supporters. After writing a petition, circulate it at a forum, while tabling or canvassing, and at other community events. In addition, consider writing a separate, perhaps more detailed petition for like-minded organizations to sign to demonstrate coalition-style support.
A petition is most effective when you make a point of delivering your petition to your target in a personal, high-profile or creative way, explaining why supporters feel the way they do. But it probably won't do much if you just start a petition and walk away.
How do I make my campaign/petition even more effective?
To learn more about how to take your petition and make it into an even more effective community-changing campaign, check out the Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit