Kari Nienstedt - Meetup Organizer of the Week - August 6, 2008

Join us this week in sunny Phoenix, Arizona for a conversation with the Arizona Director of the Humane Society in the United States.  For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs.

We're thrilled to play a small part in lending a hand to such a worthy cause and I'm happy to introduce you to our wonderful Meetup Organizer of the Week, Kari Nienstedt and her Meetup group The Humane Society of the United States in Phoenix, Arizona.

"I'm a big fan of Meetup! Since I started hosting my Meetups last year (and they have all been successful) our headquarters has asked all of our state directors to follow suit!"

-Kari Nienstedt


How long have you been involved with the Humane Society of the United States?

I have been employed the The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) as Arizona State Director since January 2007, but have been a member of the organization for many years before I was hired to work there.

For those who may not be familiar with your work, what is the mission of the Society?

Our mission statement: Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty.  The HSUS is the nation's largest animal protection organization -- backed by over 10 million Americans.  For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hand-on programs.  The HSUS is not a parent organization for local humane societies, animal shelters, or animal care and control agencies. Although not affiliated, we do work closely with shelters and offer many programs and services.

How did you find out about Meetup?

I have always been very interested in grassroots activism and found Meetup while looking for ways to reach out to like-minded people in my area.

Being an Organizer can be hard work sometimes, but can you describe that 'Meetup Moment' when something happened that made you say to yourself, "that made it all worthwhile"?

Its so great to see a room full of people who are all there to help animals, every single Meetup makes it worthwhile!  If I had to choose one I'd have to say it was during a Meetup a woman was brought to tears by the fact that the room was filled with so many people who wanted to help animals.  She felt so strongly about these issues and she was just so happy to be around others who felt the same way.

Has being involved with Meetup changed or enhanced your life in any way?

I love hosting monthly Meetups for HSUS supporters in the area. It makes grassroots networking so much easier and more fun!  Much of what I do is online or on the phone, so its great to have a chance to meet people in person once in a while.  The people who attend the Meetups are thrilled to know that they are not alone - that there are others in the area who are interested in taking action for the animals.

Where do you see your group headed in the months and years to come?

My goal is to get people active on animal issues. So, I hope to see more and more people attending the Meetups and using that as a starting point to get more involved in animal advocacy.

Thanks, Kari!