Emergency in Ukraine
Building Capacity / Emergency in Ukraine
Just days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Gregg Tully started his new position as the Executive Director in Romania of Save the Dogs and Other Animals.
On his first day at the job, he advocated for launching a major response to the Ukraine crisis. With other Save the Dogs staff, he traveled to the Ukraine-Romania border, assessed the situation and the needs, and made a plan to place staff and volunteers at the border every day to give supplies and advice to refugees escaping with their pets.
Because many refugees left pets behind, there was an overwhelming increase in the number of homeless animals in Ukraine, many of whom were household pets without survival skills. Gregg coordinated with pet food manufacturers, drivers, and warehouses to send tons of food to these starving animals. Over time, they established an efficient system for sending more than 40 tons of dog and cat food every month, and developed a robust network of hundreds of volunteers across Ukraine who distribute the food to thousands of animals.
Thinking of the longer term as well as urgent needs, Gregg initiated a spay/neuter program in Ukraine in collaboration with reputable veterinary clinics in several cities. His regular trips to Ukraine have been invaluable for building relationships with Ukrainian partners, assessing vet clinics, and understanding the evolving needs in the country.
“Gregg reached out to his worldwide network and personally raised more than US$3 million, more than doubling Save the Dogs’ income in 2022.”
A fundraising strategy was necessary to ensure that the Ukraine program could continue. Gregg reached out to his worldwide network and personally raised more than US$3 million, more than doubling Save the Dogs’ income in 2022. His frequent updates, reports, emails, and calls with partners and supporters were essential to build trust in an organization that most hadn’t heard of, as well as to establish new partnerships. He converted this into an opportunity to help internationalize Save the Dogs, setting a path for breaking away from fundraising predominantly in one country. To facilitate donations from the United States, he created a registered U.S. nonprofit.
Although Save the Dogs is a not a large charity, because of these efforts, it became a leader in the animal welfare response in Ukraine, having sent more than 1,000 tons of dog and cat food to Ukraine and spaying and neutering thousands of homeless animals.
Years after the start of the invasion, Gregg Tully continues to manage a program to help animals in Ukraine in collaboration with local partners, as well as raise the funds for it.
