Strategic Planning for Animal Activism
(SPAA)

When I launched UnchainedTV as a nonprofit news network for the plant-based lifestyle, I knew a lot about television, but nothing about nonprofits.

Dr. Krista Hiddema’s course taught me what a nonprofit really is, how it should be structured and run and how to explain it to the world through a compelling Strategic Plan. Her course, which includes the latest in AI, is fun, cutting edge and – quite simply – brilliant. It’s been a godsend.”

This strategic planning class fundamentally changed how we operate as an organization. It moved us out of reactive decision-making and into clear, values-aligned strategy supported by systems we can actually sustain.

The process helped us articulate what we do, why it matters, and how our programs fit together, something we had struggled to fully name despite years of hands-on work.

As an emerging Executive Director in the sanctuary space, each class provided clarity and practical tools that immediately informed both our strategic plan and our day-to-day operations. Just as importantly, the course created a rare and deeply valuable space for organizations to speak honestly about the real challenges we face, without judgment, while holding compassion for the complexity and care each of us brings to this movement. That combination of rigor and humanity was both grounding and motivating.

Krista brings a unique blend of clarity, discipline, and compassion, with just the right amount of humor. She challenged our assumptions, pushed us to think at the right altitude, and offered tools we were able to put into practice immediately. As a result, we now have a strategic plan that feels accurate, grounded, and actionable—and a leadership team that is more confident, aligned, and equipped to lead with integrity. This work has had a lasting impact on how we plan, lead, and communicate our mission.

Our team had the privilege of attending Krista Hiddema’s strategic planning course,and it was an incredibly valuable experience for our organisation.

The course was well-structured, insightful, and deeply relevant to the challenges and opportunities
we face as a mission-driven movement.

Krista’s expertise, facilitation skills, and ability to distill complex strategic concepts into actionable steps made the sessions both engaging and practical. She was incredibly supportive, guiding us through refining our vision, developing our programs for the next two years, and embedding resilience and best practices into our operational procedures. Her guidance has been instrumental in professionalizing our organisation and strengthening our foundation for long-term impact.

A standout aspect of the course was Krista’s invaluable support in preparing us for funding pitches. She helped us articulate our mission and strategy in a compelling way, ensuring that we are well-equipped to communicate our work effectively to potential funders. Her insights and coaching have given us the confidence and clarity to secure the resources we need to drive our mission forward.

We left the course feeling inspired, focused, and ready to take our organisation to the next level. We highly recommend this course to any team looking to sharpen its strategic direction, build resilience, and enhance its approach to funding and sustainability.

Being in Krista’s class is a privilege and a blessing. You effortlessly learn about the most intrinsic topics with the most inspiring person you would ever meet in your life.

She is transparent, objective, intense, full of information, references and data, and also full of emotion, love and care for the vegan movement and for her students. You can see the fire in her eyes and heart. For me it is absolutely clear that this is her mission, to capacitate activists so they can be their better versions and create greater impact in the world. I will probably see results of what I have learned for years to come. And Krista, you became a true friend. Thank you so much for being YOU!

I’ve had the tremendous privilege, honor, and pleasure to participate in the 2024 SPAA course, and I can honestly say that this has been one of the best things that has ever happened to us as a group, and to me personally, since starting my professional work for animals 2 decades ago.

Every serious group in the animal rights / vegan movement should go through this course, and it’s hard for me to fathom how any group could continue to operate, and operate well, without it.

The knowledge imparted by Krista during the course, from her vast experience of working in leadership roles in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors in and outside the movement – aided by AI expert Kyle, guest speakers and the wonderful community of participants – is so well earned, researched, formulated and delivered, that I can now say with confidence that I finally have a good grasp on every aspect of the complex work of running a nonprofit, and especially a nonprofit in the animal rights / vegan field. From crafting and fine-tuning your mission, vision, values and programmatic areas, to professionalizing your board, marketing, hiring, fundraising, and everything in between, this course covered it all and offered the best tools and practices for learning more, and putting it all together into a cohesive Strategic Plan that will serve your nonprofit for many years to come.

SPAA is the absolute “Non-profiting 101” (and 102 and 103…) that you always knew you needed, but did not know where to get. Now we all do, and it’s so accessible (and fun) and free! Run, run, run to sign up for the next one!

Krista has a unique gift for presenting complex topics in a clear, structured, and inspiring way.

Her lessons create a warm, engaging atmosphere where everyone feels encouraged to share ideas and ask questions. I’m deeply grateful for the practical knowledge I gained, which I now use daily to drive meaningful change. Krista’s passion and ability to spark creativity and collaboration are truly empowering. She doesn’t just teach—she inspires action, making every session a transformative experience. Thank you, Krista, for your incredible energy and impact!

Working with Krista Hiddema has been an invaluable opportunity.

The time spent working with her felt like being involved in a personalized Master Class. The tools and resources, along with her approach and methodology assisted us in shaping a solid foundation for our organizational structure and strategy. The skills I developed in our sessions are ones that I will employ from here on out, because they are effective and logical. “Class” was work, highly involved, engaged work and it was fun and personable. But to reiterate, it’s advanced level development. Anyone looking to develop and soundly structure their organizational strategy, Krista and her services are the best.
I’m grateful for the experience.

Krista is one of the most inspiring instructors I have ever worked with.

She was always very attentive, she answered many questions which came up, and was able to adapt her classes so that it would meet everyone’s needs, despite that the group was large.


I am also very grateful for Krista’s support in trying to answer difficult questions I had about our organization despite the fact that they were not related to the topics of the class. Krista is simply a very experienced, kind, and inspiring person which I would highly recommend working with!

Taking the Strategic Planning in Animal Activism course led by Krista was a transformative experience.

Throughout the course, Krista consistently demonstrated the very principles she taught, especially around fostering respectful, safe, and collaborative work environments. Her thoughtful approach made what initially felt like an overwhelming task of sustainably growing a vegan advocacy organization in the face of significant challenges, instead feel achievable and inspiring.

The resources and insights Krista provided will continue to guide me throughout my career. Her commitment to tailoring the content to real-world challenges made the learning incredibly relevant. It’s clear she iterates on and refines the material regularly, ensuring it remains both timely and impactful. I left the course not only with actionable strategies but also with renewed confidence in our collective ability to effect change.

I would highly recommend this course to anyone seeking to elevate their activism and leadership within the movement.

Attending the “Strategic Plan for Animal Activism” course has been an eye-opening and transformative experience for our organization, Oslo Vegetarfestival.

Thanks to Krista’s and Kyle’s expertise and guidance, we’ve gained a much clearer and more structured approach to planning and execution. The course has helped us identify what we’ve been doing right and, more importantly, what we need to do differently to grow and improve. After completing the course, we feel like we now observe and plan our work with a new and improved perspective—it’s incredibly motivating!

We’ve learned so much about the many facets of running an organization. From creating essential documents to refining our strategies, the knowledge we’ve gained has already had a profound and positive impact on our work and how our team collaborates. The course has also been an inspiration for us to continue fighting for animal rights and promoting the vegan cause with renewed energy.

We are incredibly grateful for this course and the opportunity to participate. After working in the animal rigths movement for many years with different organizations and animal advocates, we are convinced the course could be a game-changer for others as well. We have already wholeheartedly recommended it to other animal advocates in Norway, and hope the course continues so they will have the possibility to attend.

A huge thank you to Krista and Kyle for sharing their invaluable knowledge, to the other participants and guest lecturers for their insights and to The Greenbaum Foundation and Vegan Grants for making this course possible. This course has empowered us to be more effective and impactful in our mission, and for that, we couldn’t be more thankful.

Taking the Strategic Planning for Animal Activists course this year was an incredible experience.

Krista is not only an outstanding teacher—she’s also incredibly generous and supportive with her knowledge, as well as fun and kind. The constant support and the creativity behind the resources and the tools created by Kyle were key to achieving the course’s main goal: developing our own strategic plan (We did it! ). When someone teaches with so much love and passion, it truly shows, and it was a privilege to be part of this network.

One of the most valuable lessons I learned is that it doesn’t matter where your organization or movement is right now—whether you’re new or experienced, working with a large team or a small one—it’s always a good time to pause, get organized, prioritize, and move forward. Krista reminded us that “when everything is important, nothing is important” and inspired us to trust that if we all contribute our part, the world can -and will- truly change.

If you’re thinking about joining, don’t hesitate—trust the process. You’ll learn so much, grow your skills, and become part of an incredible community of activists, experts and beautiful people.
The future is vegan ! =)

Krista’s sessions are a game changer for organizational and personal development.

First and foremost, Krista embodies the idea that the sky is the limit. She inspires critical thinking and enables us to step back from our current actions to clearly see our mistakes, missteps, and the path we need to take to work effectively and in alignment with our values. Krista is not only a charismatic mentor and visionary but also has the unique ability to empower her students to become the best version of themselves.

These sessions were a game changer for me—a source of support, lessons, and learning. They gave me the conviction that, in this ultramarathon for animal rights, I must not forget that I can and should learn and change every single day. Participating in her sessions was a privilege. I hope that one day Krista will find the time to compile her knowledge and experiences into a book.

Krista is a powerhouse of inspiration and intellectual honesty.

Her forward-thinking approach to helping non-profits flourish is a true gift to the animal advocacy movement. In a world stained by systematic violence towards animals, Krista’s refreshing optimism and diverse skill set serve as catalysts to build a more compassionate world.

It was truly an honor to be a part of the Strategic Planning for Animal Advocacy cohort this year, to learn from Krista and Kyle, and to be surrounded by inspiring leaders from around the world all making a positive difference in the lives of animals.

LEAP is the second nonprofit I’ve co-founded, along with my farmed animal sanctuary, Blackberry Creek. Throughout this process I have often thought about how much more impactful the sanctuary could have been in its early years if I would have had access to this course ten years ago when I founded it. The content was helpful and insightful week after week, and there was certainly no “busy work,” which meant each and every class and assignment was meaningful and worthwhile. As a former teacher, I also appreciated the excitement and engagement that the instructors inspired in the cohort, their enthusiasm for our collective work, and the way they created a comfortable environment where we could ask questions and receive feedback.

The guided exploration of our organization’s values, mission, and theory of change was absolutely invaluable at the start of the course, helping us (the board) align our vision so that we could move forward systematically through the strategic planning process. We were able to continually return to those core principles established early on with each decision that needed to be made, to really focus our time and energy on the programs that would advance our mission.

I absolutely believe everyone running a nonprofit organization would benefit from this strategic planning course, and have been telling others in the animal rights, conservation, and sanctuary space that it is most definitely something they should prioritize. They will walk away not only with a clearer vision, but with the critical thinking, organizational, and leadership skills needed to help make that vision a reality. Thank you, Krista and Kyle for the privilege of learning from you and to the Greenbaum Foundation and Vegan Grants for helping each of our nonprofits become better, more efficient stewards of the resources granted us, and more empowered leaders in the movement.

Krista is an incredible teacher and community builder for the animal rights movement. Who or what Krista doesn’t know may not be worth knowing.

Despite being involved in strategic planning for many years in for-profit organizations, I learnt a significant amount during the 6-month strategic planning cohort. Krista ensured the course was specific to non-profit organizations and even tailored it to our specific group which were mostly animal sanctuaries. She balanced the core learning material with personal examples, invited guest speakers when relevant topics arose as well as a bi-weekly informal ‘office hours’ session where we could drop in to ask questions and chat. 

The journey we have gone on throughout this course as a team has been invaluable. We are never short of ideas, however deciding what to prioritize and what not to do is always a challenge. This process has forced us to examine our programmatic areas and make realistic plans on how to make our mission a reality. After all, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” To make a meaningful and lasting impact for our fellow animals takes planning, passion and action.