How Do You Lead When Everything Is Changing? ft Butte Humane Society

In the last few years, business leaders have faced more change than ever: shifting teams, new technologies, evolving customer expectations, and economic uncertainty. And there’s no sign it’s slowing down.

In this episode of Behind the Screens, Tyler Smith and Chris Harp sit down with local leader Emily Acevedo, Executive Director of Butte Humane Society to explore a timely question: 

 How do you lead when everything is changing? 

It’s a candid conversation about clarity, resilience, and what it means to make thoughtful decisions when the pace of change feels relentless. This isn’t a story about technology, it’s a story about building systems, mindsets, and partnerships that help leaders stay grounded when the ground keeps shifting.

Transcript

Introduction to Emily Acevedo

Jessica 0:00

You're listening to Behind the Screens presented by the Clear IT Partner Program from Matsom and Isom Technology Consulting. If you've ever wondered how confident, forward-thinking businesses make smart technology decisions while others fall behind, you're in the right place. Every episode, we pull back the curtain on the systems, tools and leadership decisions that keep growing companies running strong, so you can apply them in your own business. Now let's get into it with your hosts, Tyler Smith and Chris Harp.

Leading Through Change

Tyler Smith 0:34

Today, on Behind the Screens, we're talking about a question that feels more relevant than ever how do you lead when everything is changing? Over the past few years, leaders have had to navigate shifting teams, new technologies, evolving expectations and a whole lot of uncertainty. It's not easy, and it takes real intention and resilience to keep things moving in the right direction without burning out. Today, we're excited to have Emily Acevedo. Did I say that right? All right With us to dig into this topic. Emily is the executive director at Butte Humane Society here in Chico. Originally from Northern California, she built a successful career in healthcare operations before moving to Chico in 2017. That's when she found what she calls her true calling joining Butte Humane Society as their veterinary clinic manager and ultimately stepping into the executive director role in 2023.

Chris Harp 1:23

So you've been a leader at Butte Humane Society for a number of years now. Everything changes right, it's always evolving. The landscape has changed, shifted. You got community needs, the staffing, day-to-day demands. When you think back over the years, what's something that looks completely different now than when it did, you know. When you, something that looks completely different now than when it did, you know when you took that position.

Emily Acevedo 1:54

I think one of the biggest things that has changed and, like you touched on, there are so many things that have evolved vastly the economy and how that drives people's decisions on how they're spending their money, how that translates into nonprofit support. The landscape changing really rapidly during COVID of what staffing look like, recruiting all of those things outside of animal sheltering and adoption and taking really good care of the animals that we have is how do we still connect with everyone in our community and in Northern California as a whole when there is so much out there now to view? How do you keep yourself relevant and fresh when there's always new information being put out there and connecting people to the mission of Butte Humane Society, maintaining that level of support and excitement in a way that keeps people talking about what we're doing and the support that we need to continue doing it.

Chris Harp 2:53

Sure, absolutely so. How has that shift affected the way that you lead right through all that change and navigating all that? How have you changed your approach and how you lead?

Emily Acevedo 3:06

Absolutely. I think one of the big things for me has always been to try to, when things are out of control or seeming rocky or shaky, or that there is change coming, I try to go introspective. What is it that I can focus on right now, instead of thinking about? All the external factors you put in are going to trickle down to your team and allow you to better support them through those. It's hard to ask somebody to do something that you are not willing to or have not done yourself, and so I think that's been a really important thing and it's easy to get outside of that mindset, and I think, especially in the executive director role, I've tried to focus on always being proactive so that I don't ever end up in that reactionary oh my gosh, what's happening? How am I going to help my team through this? Try to stay a couple of steps ahead.

Chris Harp 4:21

The worst place to be right.

Emily Acevedo 4:23

Right, it creates its own challenges, but I would rather be there than a couple of steps ahead. The worst place to be right. Right, it creates its own challenges, but I would rather be there than a couple of steps behind.

Tyler Smith 4:28

Great point. I like what you said about the introspection, right? So how such a big part of leadership is looking inside and saying what can I do differently and how can I help people either proactively or get ahead of problems, right? So that would lead me to a kind of a follow-on question about being proactive, Like what does that look like for you and your organization?

Emily Acevedo 4:49

Sure, I think so much of being in a nonprofit in general any nonprofit you're constantly looking at the year ahead and trying to map out where funding is going to come for your different programs, what staff that's going to take, how much of your resources you need to commit to execute these things that your donors feel are important and that they want to support. And so I guess proactivity for me looks like always taking the time to have that forward vision, knowing what's coming, specifically setting time aside to flush out what each of these campaigns are going to look like. And in six months, if this is where we want to be, it's like reverse engineering to say, okay, what steps am I going to take? And then I like to work on the yeah buts like, okay, so we've got this great plan.

Emily Acevedo 5:41

Yeah, but I want to go through all of that so that when I'm sitting down with my team and I'm saying, look, we're here to brainstorm and this is what we're going to be focusing on, and they're apprehensive about something or concerned about something, I want to at least have taken some time to think about that so that we can have a conversation that's less focused on what may be scary, about what we're going into and how we can work beyond that.

Emily Acevedo 6:05

So if you've got plan A and B and C, I think it removes a lot of the apprehension from people to step outside of their comfort zones, which is often what I'm asking people to do and what I have to do myself, and so I just kind of try to take it one step, one campaign, one quarter at a time and look at what are the most important things where do we need to spend our time and how can we structure ourselves to make sure that we're making the biggest impact and being really good about using the resources that we have to accomplish the work that we know needs to be done?

Crisis Leadership & Trust

Tyler Smith 6:41

I love what you're talking about when you're saying plans right, Looking out six months, looking out a quarter, looking out even the full next year. I feel like that's such an important part of any kind of leadership is having that vision first and foremost, but then breaking it down into pieces and looking ahead to say what's coming.

Chris Harp 6:56

I love that Such a great perspective. So, on the other side of the leadership, right is when things don't go, don't go right. That never happens right, it never always happens. Now the um, so when things weren't working and maybe maybe it's a process is break, we're breaking down, people were burning out, something happened, you had to make a pivot. Was there a moment where you felt, um, that things just weren't working anymore and you had to make a quick adjustment, or you had to pivot to something? Do you have like a moment? Or you don't have to describe it, but you know what was your approach to that and what do you do? I mean, that's a challenging position to be in.

Emily Acevedo 7:33

Yeah, I, you know, thinking back on my time at Butte Humane Society, it would almost take less time to describe when there wasn't a pivotal change that needed to take place, and it feels a little overwhelming to think about that. But, like here we still are. Here I still am, I would say. Prior to taking the full time executive director role, I was the operations manager and stepped in as the interim executive director. We're celebrating our 114th year this year, so when I stepped into the role, it was 112 years and I was looking at a bank account that was not going to support us for another three months, I mean, which is terrifying, and I take it very seriously that not only do I have so many animals that are relying on us continuing on, but I've got over 40 employees who are also counting on. They've chosen to be part of Butte Humane Society, and so people are naturally inclined to stay where they're comfortable.

Emily Acevedo 8:39

I don't think that there are very many people out there who are excited about being shoved out of the nest right Like. This is a good place for me to be, and I want to stay here, but I think in that moment what I have always tried to rely on, I think of myself as being a very honest person who has a lot of integrity. I'm always going to do the right thing. I don't walk outside of the crosswalk and I just had to get on that level with the team that I had absorbed, as you know, becoming their director in this role, and really level with them in a way that felt appropriate, based on the knowledge that they had in their role at that time and what they should be privy to, which I think is something that you also have to keep in mind as a leader.

Emily Acevedo 9:23

Not everybody should know everything all the time. Might be an unpopular opinion, but that's just the way that it goes, and I had to get very honest about where we're at and what I had looked at and where I knew we could get, but leveling with them to say I know this is not going to feel good, but this is the right direction to go, and if we have a chance of survival, we've got to do something different. We cannot continue on the path that we're on and see success, or we would be seeing success right now, I think, just trying to connect with people and let them see that you are a real person, the changes that I want to make and I always want to strive for my staff feeling really good at the end of the day, that they can leave, they can turn off, because that's what I want. I have little kids at home. I want to go home and enjoy my time with my family. I don't want to be stressed and worried about what's going on. And so it's 2025 now.

Emily Acevedo 10:20

I just hit two years in the role, so here we are but it took some creativity, that's for sure, and I think opening myself up and showing the team that I was trustworthy I think helped get that buy-in very quickly, because we needed it Sure.

Chris Harp 10:39

So I want to unpack that a little bit. We'll get into. You mentioned longevity right, like things that you know when you're putting something in place that you don't, you don't want to be in it for the long haul, so we'll talk about that in a second. But I want to unpack a little bit of what you said when, when your approach to it was your, would you say, would it be fair to classify your approaches, like what are the quick wins that will make the biggest difference for here and now, while focusing, which will buy you the time to focus on the longevity Right?

Emily Acevedo 11:07

I think that's a perfect way to sum that up.

Tyler Smith 11:10

It reminds me and we talk about this all the time.

Tyler Smith 11:12

But there's a there's a book that somebody in our organization gave to us a long time ago called Leading Change, by John Cotter, and you said probably like three of the seven things he says in the book at the very beginning, which is be very clear, right, create a sense of urgency and then communicate and establish like a guiding coalition of people who are like on board, right, they're ready to move with you.

Longevity, Mission, & Culture

Tyler Smith 11:39

Because that's the thing I think we all forget as leaders is like maybe it's clear in our own head or maybe the sense of urgency is bright and shining and right in front of you, like you're talking about in the funding scenario. But until you communicate that with your team and you create that shared sense of urgency of there needs to be change, like I loved how you put the nobody wants to be pushed out of the nest, right, nobody wants to do that. It's comfortable, it's warm, it's safe, but oftentimes in business and in organizations it has to happen. That's a foundational lesson. You're talking about, that we've uncomfortable for them. But you have to get past that line of communicating that sense of urgency and that shared need to make a difference. So I think that's a profound point.

Chris Harp 12:36

The nonprofit world's not easy, right, there's so many moving parts to it. Sustainability in the nonprofit world specifically is not isn't easy. So you know, especially when you, when you have a mission that is so emotionally charged right, it's something that people care deeply about, very passionate about it. Over a hundred years in business obviously I haven't been around for the whole 100 years, but what has played a core role in that long-term success? Right. So what's helped Butte Humane Society stay successful over the years?

Emily Acevedo 13:19

I think it's the dogs and cats. I really do. People care so much about their pets and when you think about it, it's pretty impressive to me that over a hundred years ago people got together in Butte County and said you know what we need? Butte Humane Society.

Emily Acevedo 13:36

Not even all of the houses had like running water at that point and they're thinking we need to take care of these cats and dogs.

Emily Acevedo 13:42

So, even going back that far, people are passionate about their pets. They love their pets. They bring companionship, they relieve stress, they're members of the family and so I think people's passion around animals, their commitment to making sure that their animals live their best life and are well taken care of, and being able to make the connection between an organization like Butte Humane Society exists to give overlooked or forgotten animals that fresh start and that second chance. You never know what's going to connect with people and it always comes back to the cats and dogs.

Tyler Smith 14:13

So thank goodness that that's what our nonprofit is focused on and one of the things I think is so effective about Butte Humane is that you tell the story. Well, when you connect with a story, it moves you, and when it moves you, then people you know, then wallets open, right, and then donations start because now, all of a sudden, it doesn't matter what it costs, it's meaningful, and that's something that's always impressed me about you all and how you conduct the Be Humane Society.

Chris Harp 14:40

Thank you. Well, you feel like you're part of the mission right you feel like you're making a difference. You feel like you're invested. How do you maintain that focus when there's so many different moving pieces?

Emily Acevedo 14:50

I really believe that if you're going to be an effective leader anywhere, you have to care deeply about the work that you're doing. I think that it comes across, especially to your staff, if your heart's not in the work that you're doing, and, luckily for me, I love dogs and cats, and so it's an easy connection for me to make. One of the things that can really set it apart in a leadership role is that if you're coming to work every day and you are genuinely interested in what's going on, you're focused on how the work you do transforms everything else that happens at that organization. That's best case scenario, because in all reality, as the leader, you're steering the ship. Everything that you do has a trickle down, whether you realize it or not, and people are motivated or unmotivated, I think by what they perceive not even what's reality, but what they perceive about what you're doing great point that's what people's perception is reality.

Emily Acevedo 16:00

They have to recognize and see what that's doing for the organization and see that the leader is investing in those things, and so I really try to. One of the things that we do departmentally, as as an organization, is we meet pretty regularly. I've set the expectation for all of my managers and for myself. I have a one to one meeting, if not weekly, at least every other week, with my team, and my managers are doing the same thing with their team, and once a month we all get together as a group. Taking a step back to slow it down a little bit and create opportunities for connection can make a really big difference as well. We talk about what's going on and the housework things, but there's always open session for the managers in that room to collaborate with one another.

Emily Acevedo 16:53

Do you have a challenge that's going on in your department that you want to bounce off of the rest of the group in this room that are in similar positions? And what we find is that there's often congruency. If they're having staff challenges in this department, chances are another department is having some staffing challenges. Or if we're having difficulty getting a particular animal placed, maybe that's something that this other department has been thinking about and so just creating opportunities where there is some structure and then there's no structure. What is it that you guys want to talk about? What's going to bring value to you? How can we help you solve a problem?

Emily Acevedo 17:27

We've got an hour together and let's figure this out, and I feel that a big part of these meetings that makes them successful as well is we always begin from a place of gratitude, so we start our meetings by sharing a win. It can be personal, it can be professional, but what is your win? And we all go around and share something that we're excited about and that's filling our cups, and then we get down to it and I think that makes a big difference, as just about we talk you know we've talked about the vibes it keeps the vibes high.

Chris Harp 17:57

Yeah, yeah, such great. You know insight from a leadership perspective to that. You guys celebrate that kind of stuff and that that's where it starts, starts with the gratitude side of it, amazing.

Tyler Smith 18:06

Yeah, I feel like that's such an important part of any organizational culture, right, starting from that place, of what is going well, right, what are you grateful for? And something that we do that's similar is, on a quarterly basis, we ask people to nominate each other, right, we call it peer recognition awards, and it's great because, you know, people pour out that gratitude for their peers in a way that's genuine, that is not career-motivated, they're not giving compliments to their managers or anything, and it's such just a great aspect of the culture and it sounds like it's the same for your team. It's like people sitting around having that opportunity to say what fills their cup or what they're grateful for when things get difficult and when things go sideways. My strong opinion is that those are the pieces, that that's the anchor, that's what people can fall back on, right, if they have those strong bonds and peer gratitude and somebody a propose of nothing has said you know what? You make my life better when you come to work.

Tyler Smith 19:08

The next time they're in a conflict situation, you know they are going to think about that. It's going to be something for them to lean on so that they can go. You know what? You're frustrating me a lot right now, but you also think I'm amazing, so we're going to get through this. You know, I love that because that's, I think, such a key part of small business and what makes cultures resilient is people being grateful for each other and calling that out in a positive way on a regular basis. So definitely love the idea of creating that ongoing structure and making sure that it's mentioned right that it's a part of the meetings, because you want to be intentional about that. I love that.

Jessica 19:45

This episode of Behind the Screens is brought to you by the Clear IT Partner Program from Matson and Isom Technology Consulting. If you've ever had that sinking feeling that your tech just isn't doing what it's supposed to, you're not alone. Maybe it's the constant tickets, Maybe it's the security risks, or maybe you just don't know what you're paying for half the time. That's where Clear IT comes in. We built it for leaders who want to stop firefighting and start planning. With the Clear IT Partner Program, you get a dedicated team, real strategy and systems that just work. No more waiting, no more guessing. Imagine your IT actually helping your team get more done and your business feeling more in control. That's the whole point. Want to see how it would work for your business? Schedule a free consultation today at mitcscom slash hello. Now back to the show.

Chris Harp 20:38

So let's talk about clarity, right. I mean, clarity is, as a leader, you're responsible for driving that clarity, and we got done talking about perceptions or realities to some people driving that clarity, and we got done talking about perceptions or realities to some people. What does it mean to you and what's your tactic, I guess, on getting clarity right?

Emily Acevedo 21:01

Gaining some clarity from others, Like what does that look like to you? I think I mean what it really boils down to. For me personally, the clarity exists around always being cognizant of what our overall goals are, Because I have such a deep-seated feeling of responsibility for everything that goes on Outcomes of animals, how my staff are doing, how my staff feel about being part of Humane Society, how the community feels about Humane Society, how the community feels about Butte Humane Society, how the public views us, how all of those things really contribute to overall donations and that's how we run any of our programs is like this giant wheel, I think. For me, what it is is to compartmentalize those things, because it's such an emotionally charged field to be in. My time at Butte Humane Society has not been all cuddling with puppies and holding kittens and seeing adoption stories.

Chris Harp 21:55

There are some really difficult the best job ever.

Emily Acevedo 21:57

Right. There are some really difficult decisions that have to be made at times. Some of them are based on animal outcomes, some of them have to do with staffing, some of them have to do with volunteer interactions. You know, we are highly criticized by the public, and I think that anytime you put yourself out there so that people can see what's going on, you open yourself up and you kind of have to expect the ridicule. But it doesn't make it easy, and so I think what works for me is to always be focused on what is going right, because I could sit and think a lot about what is going wrong and I don't think I would be able to function. So I choose to not have that take up a compartment and I think about the things that I can control, what our ultimate goals are, and I know crystal clear what those goals are and what they have to be in order for us to be here in six months and a year and another 114 years.

Tyler Smith 22:53

And are those goals like posted and shared in those meetings?

Emily Acevedo 22:56

Yeah, so we talk about them with a team and, like I mentioned earlier, there are some things in leadership that you keep to yourself the goals that are relevant to each of the departments.

Emily Acevedo 23:06

Everybody's aware of what those are and we even did a little project earlier this year for each of our departments.

Emily Acevedo 23:12

So we have our mission statement. We blast it out all over the universe right for people to connect with us, but I came across a workshop, essentially, where you have each of your departments within your organization come up with their own mission statement what is our mission for our department and what does that look like when it's part of the entire team? And so in our manager collaboration meetings we typically do modules focused on different things, and so at the beginning of the year, we focused on let's craft our mission and vision statements for all of our departments, and we did it together. We put them up on the whiteboard it was very old school and workshopped until we got it exactly where we wanted it and that department manager felt really good about that. And then they, you know, took that back to their team and made the team feel good about what it is that they're contributing, because, again, sometimes you can get so entrenched in the day to day that it's hard to see what your daily production is contributing to the overall success of this huge organization.

Emily Acevedo 24:14

So being able to be clear on that with staff. And then I think one of the things again it just goes back to being intentional about scheduling time with your staff and making sure that you create opportunities for them to communicate with you if they need something, if something doesn't feel right, if they have an inkling about something right. I don't want to be the only one that's being proactive or thinking ahead, and if my team has thoughts about the way that we're doing something, I am not going to lie. I have strong opinions and I communicate them clearly and directly, but I will always welcome feedback and really think about that. Is my way always the best way? No, I wish it was. It's not, it's not, and that's why you build a team of people around you who are capable and competent and have their own ideas and free think right, that's the the goal.

Emily Acevedo 25:07

So I would say, that's what clarity looks like for me sure, oh, it's great, it's perfect.

Chris Harp 25:13

Um, so you you talked a little bit before about, um, how the public views you. Right, like, not you specifically, but you know, butte humane society as a whole. Um, what is, what are, what's something or what do you? You know multiple things. What do you wish that? Uh, more partners or vendors understood about the organization and how it actually works.

Emily Acevedo 25:34

So one of the big things for me is there is still so much confusion, and it's probably just our name. Everyone assumes that we are funded by Butte County. Absolutely not that we are funded by Butte County, absolutely not. And a common misconception, I think, stems around our funding who we're funded by, how we get our funding. We fundraise, and so that's either going to be through applying for and hopefully being awarded a grant, but most all of it is coming through individual donations and from business support.

Emily Acevedo 26:08

We are a independent, private nonprofit. We don't have any city contracts, government contracts, municipal contracts of any kind, and so if I could stand in the middle of Chico and have everybody's attention for 10 seconds, it would be Humane. Longevity relies on your continued support. That's what I would want to say. Our programs are funded specifically through donations in order for us to continue supporting the shelters around us and doing the work that we do in creating second chances and lowering euthanasia rates. The funds and the means to do that. And if you can't provide funds, can you provide your time? Can you come and help us walk or feed or water or clean, because these are all the things that they sound really basic and really fundamental, but that's how we survive.

Tyler Smith 26:58

This is not a federally funded thing. This is not a state funded thing. This is not a county funded thing. This is funded by people who care in the community about dogs and cats right?

Chris Harp 27:08

people who care in the community about dogs and cats, right? How do you maintain your optimism, you know, when things are either taken off real fast or they slow down, but when things are just kind of shifting all over the place, how do you maintain that optimism and that drive? What's the secret for that?

Emily Acevedo 27:22

Oh, man, I wish I knew. I, for me, I'm such a numbers person that I have to look at trends and averages and historical data to say I know this is not going to be the end. We're going to have some success and we're going to turn this around. And in times of challenge, I think it's just taking a back through the memory reel of thinking of all the challenges that we've been through, even just in my almost eight years at BHS, and all of the things that we've been able to overcome. I know that that that's going to happen and sometimes it's it's a little wishful thinking. Sometimes there is no roadmap for the position that we find ourselves in and, to be honest, I wish that I could sit here and say, hey, back when I had that month of operating funds, I got out there and I door knocked and the whole county rallied around us and they donated. No, the reason that we existed after that was because we had a couple of key donors and stakeholders who I felt that I could communicate very openly and honestly with, and we had one person in particular that stepped up and bought us some breathing room through a donation.

Emily Acevedo 28:38

As soon as the economy starts to get rocky, people are not making money moves at that point, that's when they hold on to their funds. They want to wait and see what's going to happen. We have seen probably a 60% decrease in grant opportunities in just this year, compared to last year alone, with some of the changes that have been made. And then you have to assume that of all the grants you apply for, you'll get maybe one third of them awarded to you. So to have that vast of a decrease, when I'm trying to project out a fiscal year budget for, you know, 2026, it's like I don't, we're going to need a Hail Mary, and sometimes that's what happens. So I think, having faith a little bit in that it's going to come through, and you've got to just maintain that positivity Cause again, if I'm running around, you know the sky is falling. The sky is falling, my team is going to split, they're going to be looking for other jobs and and going other places, and I don't have that feeling.

Emily Acevedo 29:33

I think if you know, if it were really headed in that direction, I would have some type of a deep seated knowledge that that was what was going to go on. But I feel confident in the fact that the community does care about animals and the community does care about the work that Butte Humane Society does. The best thing for us is to try to engage people and keep them from scrolling over our information or our reels or reading the newsletters that we send out and talking to their friends about man. Did you know Butte Humane Society does this? We really got to get over there. Let's write a check, and it's at a really granular level. I know that if I can get 100 people to send Butte Humane Society $25 next month, that I will be able to buy all the food and litter that we need for that whole month. I know that. So it's just how can we make that happen?

Tyler Smith 30:25

Sure, engage that, yeah, and I love it. This all that happen? Sure, yeah, and I love it. You know, this all comes together around that clarity that you talked about earlier and we were talking about internal clarity, but I mean, it's just as important in managing both right.

Tyler Smith 30:36

Yeah, it's being clear about the mission, being clear about the goal, being clear about the need. And you know, everything you've talked about today is the way to move the needle, both inside the organization and outside the organization is being clear about the goals and being clear about the stakes. And you know I respect that when you're in that seat and you're looking at those numbers and you're seeing either increases or decreases and you're looking ahead that one of the hardest things to do in any leadership position is to be clear about what the goals are and what the gap is and what people need to do. And you said something too earlier about reinforcing the mission and making sure that everyone understands.

Tyler Smith 31:18

And I love the idea of getting each team kind of zeroed in on it like a submission right, like how do we in our role today, if we're in the janitor role, right when we're cleaning things out, we're cleaning? How does that contribute to the overall mission of, you know, rescuing animals and then letting them come up with their own one so that they feel personally invested in that goal. All of that I think it's a model, I think, for small business leadership to think through. Where could I be more clear? Where could I help my team understand? How does their job connect to the mission? How does their job move the needle on the goals that are written and published and shared right? And then, when you're talking to outside parties, whether it's a customer or a donor or, you know, a grant organization, how do you connect the story and the mission to something they could do to move that needle on your behalf?

Chris Harp 32:20

If you were sitting down with another nonprofit leader who's feeling overwhelmed. What's something that, if you were in their position, that you would want to hear?

Emily Acevedo 32:28

I have been there many times over the past two years and I think one of the things that is helpful is commiseration. I would say I get it. I understand, I'm overwhelmed. It's overwhelming. I'm overwhelmed. It's overwhelming the work of having to constantly be compassionate and empathetic about raising funds for a cause that you know are going to make a positive impact in your community. That's a huge weight to carry and when you look at, even just in our community, how many different nonprofits exist and then how many people live here, you know that there are people who are being requested to donate by five to six different nonprofits every quarter. It's so challenging.

Emily Acevedo 33:13

I think that if I were to sit down with somebody who's really overwhelmed and really burnt out, I think I would start by One of the things that I notice really amps people up is getting to tell their story, and I think I would ask why did you start? What got you started Great? Why is this something that you are a part of and that you've invested time in? Because what I can say about being a nonprofit leader is it's not just the time that you spend in the office. You're constantly thinking about how can I change this, how can I improve this? How can I set us up for success? I look at commercials on the TV and think how can we do something? I'm looking at reels and thinking how can we recreate this reel to get that engagement with people? So I think I would start with just what got you started and let them talk a little bit about that first day you applied for the job, your first day on the job. Now you're, you know, several years into this job. What's the thing that has kept you coming back?

Emily Acevedo 34:18

I think sometimes being able to reflect and share that with another human being who can understand where you're coming from might be the re-motivation that you need to say. You know what I've got to just change my thinking about this a little bit, because I am motivated by the work that we do. I am motivated by our mission. I am the one who is setting the precedent for the rest of my team on what the attitude is going to be and how the office is going to feel tomorrow, and it's my responsibility to make sure that things are OK.

Emily Acevedo 34:51

I think being able to build a network of people who are your safe place. I met with another executive director of a nonprofit and we had a really great conversation. We went to lunch and we shared a little bit about what we're going through and where I am and, to be fair, it was mostly me saying help, I've got these real things going on and I haven't been in this position as long as you have. And if it were you, what would you do? And she was great and she made the comment in that meeting about you know, it's good to have people who are a vault.

Emily Acevedo 35:24

That you can talk to them and they're going to keep it with them and keep it in confidence and building a network of people that you can share that stuff with, because I think we've all been there right. Like I go home and kind of talk about work stuff with my husband and he's not in it, so for him he's like I will listen to you and absorb this.

Tyler Smith 35:43

And he's on your team, right? He For him. He's like I will listen to you and absorb this and he's on your team. Right, he's just like good job, way to go.

Emily Acevedo 35:46

So it's good to have somebody else who is in a similar position, even though I mean, that great lunch that I had was with an executive director of a nonprofit who has nothing to do with animal welfare. There's ways to find overlap and then to create that community for yourself, because you can't keep it all bottled up. And I really do think too the thing that was so unique for me about getting involved in this role I think that so much of how you're feeling what you're doing also can stem from your board, and I have an amazing board president who, when he became board president, he said look, you know, I know when there's challenging stuff you can't talk to your downline about that, but you can talk to me and we can figure it out together. And I think having a partner like that, who also is really in tune with what's going on at the organization, can make a big difference. So long way to answer a short question.

Tyler Smith 36:42

But it's such an overlap with what we do because we're big believers in the power of peers. We belong to a peer group organization of companies like ours and, like you said, that's an opportunity for you to take those challenges outside of the organization and you can talk to somebody who's a vault, who will hear you, who will reflect back what you're saying, who will empathize. Right, and, like you said, when you're talking about giving someone advice, you know starting with empathy is one of the most important things you can do, because you're like, hey, we've all been there. I understand this is hard and it's not supposed to be easy. Being a leader of an organization of any size I don't care if it's five people or 500,000 people it's really hard and so starting with empathy is one of the most important things you can do. And then talking to peers and having ongoing peer or mentors or coaches or somebody that you as a leader can talk to Because, like you said, it's you know you're sitting there struggling. You've got all kinds of challenges to deal with, whether it's growth or staff or donations or whatever else has to do with keeping the organization healthy.

Tyler Smith 37:48

Talking about it is such an important part about it because leaders are humans too.

Tyler Smith 37:55

They need to talk to people and, yeah, spouses, significant others, maybe partners inside the business are good to talk to, but getting that little bit different perspective of somebody who knows what you're going through because they're in a similar role but doesn't have a direct overlap.

Tyler Smith 38:13

They can also be the ones that challenge you a little bit and say I hear you, I understand what you're talking about, but do you think you've really done enough about this problem or whatever else to maybe force you to look a little harder at some of the decisions you may have made right and say, well, you're right, I should think more about that. So, yeah, I couldn't agree more that having a peer, having a coach, having somebody to talk to outside the organization or, like I said, at the board level somebody, is such an important part of leadership because none of us are superhuman. We all have doubts, we all have that kind of like well, I made a decision and it was definitive and I was very confident standing in front of people, but then I went home later and I thought, oh, should I have done it differently? What?

Tyler Smith 38:53

should.

Tyler Smith 38:53

I do, so. Having that person to talk to is just such a valuable thing. I couldn't agree more yeah.

Chris Harp 39:00

So let's take the conversation and flip it completely to the other side, right? There's a human aspect of all this and then there's a technical aspect of it, and while we're not going to get too technical, let's talk about AI. We've had a couple of podcasts around it discussing some of the AI stuff being a business leader beyond that, being a business leader in a very public, facing nonprofit what are your? What thoughts or concerns are top of mind when you're talking about AI and AI in the organization and all that. Take us through that.

Emily Acevedo 39:37

I mean, I will start it off by saying I think AI is great. I think there are so many platforms in which AI can only make things better and relieve some of that stress of those really mundane, detailed tasks that you would rather not spend your time on, but they have to be done. I personally think that there are times in which AI should that. Ai has crafted the piece that I'm reading, or AI is the voice that I'm listening to right now, and maybe not everybody will catch it, but I think people who are savvy will.

Emily Acevedo 40:36

And in a nonprofit setting, one of the things that we have to do is to always make the connection for the human to the mission. You know, and especially in a nonprofit like ours, our product outside of, if you're somebody who chooses to adopt our product, is you feel good, right, and so it's hard to when you don't have a tangible, it's like well, somebody is getting involved and they're giving me money and they're not physically receiving anything back out of that. So communication is pivotal in that situation and with AI, I think you can tell if something has been generated that it didn't come straight from the heart or the mind of the person who's communicating with you. So I think it has a lot of applications where it can be helpful. I have definitely used it to say hey, this is what I'm thinking about, event, what are names or themes or things that I could put together?

Emily Acevedo 41:41

and this is the gist that I want to have come out of the event, and get a list of 15 different titles but still have the feeling of that event be very organic and that this is a team of people who care a lot about the work that we do. That has put it together and we're going to bring that to the masses Right and we want that to be communicated. So I know that there is a lot of fear around AI and I don't feel that way. I think that if it's used and used correctly I wish that you know more people would try it out and you know, see what it's really about I do think it's going to change the game a little bit for college students.

Tyler Smith 42:24

So I am a little concerned.

Chris Harp 42:26

Interested to see what Parents of college students right now. Yes, I 100% agree with you.

Emily Acevedo 42:32

You know, because if you're using that to answer all your questions, you're going to start to run out of. How did I think about this? How am I going to put this thought process together?

Tyler Smith 42:43

And in business and in nonprofits, that's connected to the same idea of growth and learning of your staff, right?

Tyler Smith 42:49

So if you expect them to continue to develop their skills and knowledge and understanding and writing abilities, there's a little bit of fear, I think, from everyone involved of does this mean it just stops and then the only continuation is through the tools.

Tyler Smith 43:06

But you said two things I think that I really, really think are important, and one of them is use AI but don't let it make you inauthentic, right, like, make sure that the way you're using it is not removing your humanity and your messaging, because in what you do, it's like you said, it's one of the most important things, because people want that genuine human connection of feeling like they did something important, so that they can have that great, that sense of accomplishment or that's probably the wrong word that sense of fulfillment, maybe of helping an animal, helping a pet, and so that authentic core is part of the product, right, it's part of the service that you all provide. So I couldn't agree more that when using AI in any organization, you don't want to displace the humanity, right? You want it to amplify the message and help you brainstorm, help you maybe do more than you otherwise could do in the same amount of time, but not replace the core of that good, fundamental, authentic messaging. So that's such a great point.

Chris Harp 44:16

You can use it to help you, but don't let it replace you. You know, and I think that's such a key point, especially in your business that is about the human and animal aspect of it. Right, the caring, the compassion, the core mission not I used it to.

Emily Acevedo 44:45

I threw a budget spreadsheet in and asked it to calculate out the number of years until I would break even in a certain category. Could I have sat there and added column after column and put my formulas in and kept going until I got the answer I wanted? Absolutely, but my time is going to be better spent on the phone thanking people for interacting with us, writing thank you cards, working with my team to come up with what our next campaign is going to be, not in a spreadsheet. So I think that's, I mean, that's how I plan to use it and, I think, keeping it human.

Chris Harp 45:14

Yeah, being able to redirect your time to something of more value.

Tyler Smith 45:18

Yeah, highest and best use, right. Yeah, that's right.

Tyler Smith 45:20

No, I and I think it's an accelerated form of technology and one of the reasons you mentioned the word earlier fear right, that's right, and I think it's an accelerated form of technology and one of the reasons you mentioned the word earlier fear right.

Tyler Smith 45:29

There's that kind of unsettling underground, like I'm not sure how this is going. What does this mean philosophically for children and education and growth and humanity as a whole? But when you look at it like you're talking about and you're saying, saying, on any given day in a leadership position, you have more to do than you are capable of doing. So if you can segment the highest and best use tasks where you're calling people, you're handwriting notes, I love that you do that. And if those are the things that are gonna move the needle and really again engage with that fundamental story and helping people feel good about supporting a mission that matters, then AI and technology can take the low-hanging fruit that's like OK, well, otherwise I would have spent three and a half hours today updating the spreadsheets, right, or whatever that task is. That is maybe urgent but not important, right? And if we can gradually delegate more of these tasks to technologies like AI, then I think we're doing it the right way, absolutely.

Chris Harp 46:34

So, emily, what's next for Butte Humane Society and what's the next opportunity when people can support?

Emily Acevedo 46:41

So there are ways to support us 365 days a year on our website at buttehumaneorg. But one of the next big fundraisers and in fact our biggest and most impactful fundraiser of the year is our 114th anniversary gala that's coming up on September 13th. We're back at the big room at Sierra Nevada for our very formal and highly anticipated event. The gala for us brings in people from all over Butte County who are animal advocates, animal lovers, who are there to really get a glimpse at the work that goes on behind the scenes, get connected to our mission and support us in a big way through donations. We're going to have live and silent auctions, a dessert auction We've got a fun program and then an evening of wonderful events for our guests. So if you are interested in supporting Butte Humane Society and want to come to the gala, I think it's an event that you cannot miss, and tickets are on sale through September 5th at buttehumaneorg/ gala 2025.

Tyler Smith 47:47

I know we will be supporting it. We moved our company retreat in order to be here for the weekend and support Butte Humane Society. So, yeah, we're definitely looking forward to attending.

Chris Harp 47:59

Well, I know you're busy, so thank you so much for making time to be here and be our guest on this podcast. It's meant a lot, thank you.

Emily Acevedo 48:07

Yeah, I appreciate you having me. Thank you.

Tyler Smith 48:10

Thanks for listening to Behind the Screens. If you're ready to take the guesswork out of technology and lead with greater clarity, we'd love to help you build a plan that works. Visit mitcs. com/ hello, to take the next step, and we'll see you next time.