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So welcome to the Meaningful Jobs podcast season three.
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I'm your host Adrian.
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And today we're extremely honored to welcome Kyle Crickle,
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who is from K9 for Warriors,
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a company that trains service dogs for veterans.
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So how are you doing Kyle?
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I hope you're doing well.
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Yeah, doing well, Adrian.
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Thank you so much for having me.
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So the reason why I was so excited for this interview
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is because it's because of the nature
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of K9 for Warriors work,
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because they train up veterans, sorry,
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train up service dogs for veterans.
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And it's really related to what our viewers are looking for,
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which is, you know, meaning of work
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aside from just monetary rewards.
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So, you know, I think based on your profile, Kyle,
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I don't think you've gone into an industry
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related to veterans at first, right?
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So you went on to different marketing roles
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before you got onto where you are.
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So can you tell us a little bit about how this, you know,
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journey came about?
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Sure, so I'm actually from the New York area,
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born and raised,
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and I spent my career after graduating from NYU
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in marketing in the entertainment world.
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I worked in the film industry, the TV industry,
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and then moved into market research
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for the film and television industry,
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and really, really enjoyed that,
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had a great time, learned a lot,
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really got an understanding of analytics,
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which is something that I've carried
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throughout my entire career.
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But one of the things that really impacted me
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early in my life while I was in college was 9-11.
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I was an NYU student
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living just a few blocks away from the towers,
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and it really impacted me significantly.
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I mean, I had my own issues, you know,
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having kind of lived through that trauma.
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And, you know, after the marketing career
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and entertainment career,
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I got an MBA from NYU,
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which I really was fantastic.
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And then I had an opportunity
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to work at the 9-11 Memorial and Museum
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as their head of marketing.
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So I thought this was a great way
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to kind of deal with the stuff
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that I'd been avoiding when it came to 9-11.
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It was a subject that I didn't wanna talk about.
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I didn't wanna watch it on TV.
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I didn't wanna deal with it.
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And when I got contacted about the position,
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it seemed like one of those God moments.
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Like, you know, the world is telling me that,
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you need to really deal with this,
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and here's the way you're gonna deal with it.
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And I took that opportunity to do that.
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And it was a tremendously fulfilling experience.
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And that's really where I found myself,
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you know, realizing that
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when you're working for kind of a greater good,
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there is something that is more rewarding.
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And while at the 9-11 Memorial and Museum,
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I really felt that.
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I felt like I was helping individuals
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confront something that's scary,
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learn more about something that is not comfortable.
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And I was doing it for myself at that time as well.
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And I really, really found a lot of fulfillment in that work.
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And during my time in New York,
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my wife and I decided to, you know,
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kind of look around and get out of the city.
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And K-9's for Warriors
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had a chief marketing officer position.
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And I saw this as a really amazing way
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to continue doing the work that I was doing at 9-11,
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kind of helping people deal with the after effects of 9-11
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by helping the men and women who actually went to war
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because of that day.
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So I saw it as a kind of a continuation
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of the work I had been doing,
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but actually also helping the folks who fought
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in these conflicts after that day.
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So I came down here about three years ago,
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took on the chief marketing and development role,
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had a lot of impact in terms of their ability
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to fundraise and spread awareness of the mission.
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And last year was promoted to chief executive officer
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of the organization, which was an honor,
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something that I don't take lightly.
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It's a lot of work.
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You know, we have 200 plus staff,
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we have 150 plus dogs at any given time.
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We have veterans who have, you know, PTSD.
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It's not easy for a lot of these ladies and gentlemen
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to get through the day.
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So there's a lot of moving pieces.
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It's a lot of hard work,
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but ultimately it's really rewarding.
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It was very interesting when you talked about 9-11
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because we actually had a recent guest
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who also suffered, you know,
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having seen the live events unfolding in 9-11
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and he used music as a way to get through it
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and spreading his love as he's, you know, a musician.
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And, you know, for yourself,
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you kind of use your marketing related skills
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to help others.
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So, you know, without 9-11,
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how do you think your career would have been?
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Do you think it would be completely different?
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Like, would you still be in marketing?
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Yeah, I think that it would be a lot more media heavy
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and less kind of nonprofit related.
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I do believe that.
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Yeah, I think the trajectory would have continued in,
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in media within the marketing world.
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So how did you get into marketing in the first place?
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Like, were you interested in marketing from a young age
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or was that something that you got to come to grips
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maybe in the latter stages of your maybe studies, I think?
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As an undergraduate,
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I interned at entertainment companies,
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Nickelodeon, Comedy Central,
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within their advertising and promotions departments.
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And I really, I loved,
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I loved the speed of advertisements.
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I loved the pressure of having to communicate a lot
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in a short amount of time.
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I'm a quick communicator.
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It's kind of, you know, maybe it's where I was raised,
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probably because I come from a gigantic family
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that doesn't listen.
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So you have to speak really quickly
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or else no one hears you.
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But I know I guess people-
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It started early.
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It started as an undergraduate.
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And then I think the thing that really pushed me
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over the edge when it came to marketing is,
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there's the creative side of it, which I was part of,
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you know, putting together promotions and advertisements.
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And then there's the data side of it,
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kind of the analytics where you're looking at, you know,
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who this advertisement is targeting.
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And then you have obviously the advertising success,
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you know, if it's online,
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there's a ton of digital data behind that.
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But really the marrying of numbers and creativity
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was what really drew me to marketing.
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Because I do feel like I have,
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I'm a very analytical person,
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but I also have a creative, you know, kind of edge to me.
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So that's kind of what drove me in that direction.
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And it did start early.
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I'd say, like I said,
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undergraduate is when I really fell in love
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with the marketing field.
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So obviously you had a few years
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in a for-profit organization in a commercial role
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and then switching to an NGO.
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So, you know, was there like a particular time point
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in your career where you think,
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I've had enough of working in a for-profit role
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and wanting to switch into an NGO role?
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Or is it something that has happened more naturally?
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I'd say more naturally.
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There wasn't a moment where I said,
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that's it for me, I'm done working just for money.
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I think it happened organically.
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The 9-11 Memorial Museum job kind of was presented to me.
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I didn't go seeking it.
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That's why I think it was kind of a larger,
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kind of the larger forces of the universe
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showing me the path.
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So no, and it just,
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the path was kind of illuminated for me
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and I just decided to take the step,
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but it wasn't something where I made that declaration
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in terms of a shift in my career.
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So, you know, moving on and talking about
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canines for warriors,
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can you tell us what your day-to-day role is
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and a little bit about your company?
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So how it helps vets?
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Yeah, I'll start with the overview.
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So we pair, we're the largest service dog provider
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to military veterans with PTSD, TBI, and MST,
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military sexual trauma.
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And we've been around since 2011.
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Early next year, we'll have paired a thousand dogs
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with warriors, which is tremendous.
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The program works like this.
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We procure dogs, majority rescue.
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We bring them onto our campus.
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Once they, you know, we obviously temperament test them.
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They have to be a certain size and weight,
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bring them to our campus, train them to be a service dog,
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which means they perform tasks.
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It's not as emotional support animal.
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And about, you know, 40 to 50% of the dogs
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make it through the program
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and actually graduated service dogs.
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The half that don't, we find forever homes out.
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So we're always adopting dogs.
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But once-
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Sorry, can I ask how you source these dogs?
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Is there like a particular way you do this?
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Yeah, absolutely.
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So we have relationship with shelters
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all over the Southeast.
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We're based in Florida and Texas.
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So the shelter system in Florida and Texas,
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we're always looking for shelter dogs
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that fit our temperament and size and weight.
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We also have a puppy program where people donate puppies.
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And we also have partnerships with organizations
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that provide dogs to us.
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So there's three main kind of ways we procure dogs.
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Rescues being the majority,
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because that is something that we're trying to help,
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which is the, you know, preventing the euthanasia of dogs,
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because it is an issue in this country.
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So in terms of, you know, how your dogs help vets,
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can you tell us a little bit about how that works?
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Yeah, so the program, the way the program works is,
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every month we bring in a new class of veterans, right?
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So in Florida, it's about 12 on campus,
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in Texas, it's about four, it varies.
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And they come here day one,
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they get acclimated on a Sunday.
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Monday, they get paired with their dog.
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This dog is a-
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That's a quick process.
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Yes, but the pairing is,
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how lots happening in the background
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before they even get here,
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in terms of understanding who that veteran is,
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what his lifestyle like or her lifestyle is like,
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what do they have children, what do they do every day,
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and then finding the dog
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that really matches that personality.
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So the following day, they get paired with their dog,
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and then they spend three weeks on our campus.
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It's a residential program.
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We have housing here, we provide meals for the veteran
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to learn how to utilize that dog.
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So the dog is fully trained, it is a service dog.
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The veteran is not training the dog.
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We're really training the veteran how to utilize that dog.
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So the dog provides a lot of different services,
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a lot of different tasks.
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So whether it's, you know,
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the veteran's at the ATM, their back's exposed,
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that dog will actually watch the veteran six, right?
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It'll actually look the other way
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to ensure that no one's coming,
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because there's a vulnerability there with veterans
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when their back's exposed.
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So the dog will look back.
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If you're in a crowded space,
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the dog will actually make space for you
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so you can navigate through a crowd.
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If you have mobility issues, there's a brace command
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where the dog will actually brace its back
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so you can use the back of the dog to stand up.
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There's also my lap, which is a command that's used
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when the veteran is having an anxiety attack,
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and the dog will jump up, put his paws on the veteran's lap,
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and that it immediately has a soothing effect
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on their wellbeing.
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And there's a number of other tasks,
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but I think the point really is that there's a real bond
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that happens where there's more safety felt by the veteran,
280
00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:38,360
there's companionship,
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00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:41,200
there's also a reason to get out of the house,
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a reason to wake up.
283
00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:46,000
You know, a lot of these folks who are dealing with PTSD,
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I don't know if you know anyone who's ever had it or has it,
285
00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:52,200
but they like to isolate, they like to stay home,
286
00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:54,240
they don't wanna engage with the world, they're scared,
287
00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:56,600
they don't wanna go to the supermarket, it's overwhelming.
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And this dog allows them to kind of get back into life.
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And we see that all the time.
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You know, individuals come here who haven't left their house
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00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:06,440
barely at all in three years.
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00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:09,000
And then after our program, a couple months with the dog,
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they're going to the supermarket by themselves.
294
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So it's really a tool to get them back to life.
295
00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:19,360
It doesn't cure PTSD, it helps them better navigate the world
296
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and live a fuller existence.
297
00:12:21,520 --> 00:12:25,040
I think the interesting thing about this
298
00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:28,080
is that when I did psychology back at school,
299
00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:30,080
one of the things that I learned,
300
00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:33,400
treating lonely people was to give them a pet.
301
00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:36,400
And seeing you guys doing the exact same thing
302
00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:39,440
and having this sort of positive impact,
303
00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:42,120
I guess it's a bit of a full circle thing for me
304
00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:44,320
because I haven't really seen this in practice before.
305
00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:47,240
So I'm just wondering if your organization
306
00:12:47,240 --> 00:12:49,600
is one of the first of its kind doing this,
307
00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:52,920
or do you know any other organizations
308
00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:54,000
doing a similar thing?
309
00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:56,680
Yeah, we are one of the kind of pioneers,
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00:12:56,680 --> 00:12:57,720
I guess, in this space.
311
00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:00,040
And because of that, we take a lot of leadership
312
00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:02,920
when it comes to legislation, trying
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00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:07,320
to get the VA to subsidize service dogs for veterans
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00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:10,760
and really make the VA understand
315
00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:12,680
the efficacy of service dogs.
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00:13:12,680 --> 00:13:15,520
And because of that, we've done a lot of research,
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00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:16,520
third party research.
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00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:19,040
So we have the O'Hare Laboratories,
319
00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:21,160
which is now based in the University of Arizona.
320
00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:22,760
It used to be in Purdue.
321
00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:25,920
Do studies of our veterans and the impact of service dogs
322
00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:27,160
on their mental health.
323
00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:31,240
One such study was testing the cortisol levels, which
324
00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:35,920
indicates stress and anxiety in veterans with PTSD
325
00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:38,800
who have emotional support animals as a baseline,
326
00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:41,240
and then those who have service dogs.
327
00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:47,720
And that study really led to some incredibly relevant data
328
00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:52,640
that really tells the story of what we see every day.
329
00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:55,880
Which was that the veterans with PTSD who had service dogs,
330
00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:59,240
their anxiety and levels were equivalent
331
00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:00,920
to the normal population.
332
00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:04,960
And those who had emotional support animals were much higher.
333
00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:07,200
So the impact is there.
334
00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:08,920
We have scientific research to back it.
335
00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:10,720
And that's relevant because in order
336
00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:13,800
to get the government to subsidize this,
337
00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:18,560
you have to show that it's real, that it's not just anecdotal.
338
00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:21,320
So my point in saying that is because we were pioneers
339
00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:25,520
in this space, we've led the way in bringing more attention
340
00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:29,960
to this tool, this modality, as an alternative treatment
341
00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:31,040
for PTSD.
342
00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:33,040
But there are a lot of other organizations
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00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:35,800
that have come up within the last 10 to 15 years that
344
00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:36,880
are doing the same thing.
345
00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:38,560
And we love it.
346
00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:40,320
It's one of those things where there's
347
00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:42,520
a lot of veterans out there who have PTSD.
348
00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:44,200
We can't take a hair of all of them.
349
00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:45,440
So the more the merrier.
350
00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:47,160
I don't see it as competition.
351
00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:51,480
I really see it as all of us collectively trying
352
00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:54,640
to make a dent in a really serious problem.
353
00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:56,600
Speaking about cortisol levels, they
354
00:14:56,600 --> 00:14:59,680
must be pretty high up as a CEO.
355
00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:01,320
I don't know about your experience,
356
00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:08,600
but how stressful is it for you to run a mid-sized company,
357
00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:11,440
I would say, as a CEO?
358
00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:15,160
I'd say it has its moments.
359
00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:17,480
I mean, there's a lot of variables when you're dealing
360
00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:22,520
with 160 dogs, a lot of them shelter dogs.
361
00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:25,400
And obviously, shelter dogs have more baggage.
362
00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:26,240
It's like humans.
363
00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:27,960
It's like the more trauma you've been through,
364
00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:30,120
the more you kind of have to work through.
365
00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:33,240
And so there's the dog aspect of it.
366
00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:35,480
And then you have veterans who we really
367
00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:37,880
need to take care of well.
368
00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:41,120
So there's a lot that we really focus on to make sure
369
00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:42,120
we do the right things.
370
00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:44,920
And it takes a lot of effort, a lot of focus.
371
00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:46,360
There's a lot of great people here
372
00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:47,720
who are here for the right reasons.
373
00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:49,720
And that makes my job easier because I don't have
374
00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:52,280
to be involved with everything.
375
00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:53,800
But it is stressful.
376
00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:55,960
It's not easy.
377
00:15:55,960 --> 00:16:00,200
I would say every day comes with a little surprise.
378
00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:04,000
But like I said, there's an amazing staff here
379
00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,560
and great people that help solve problems.
380
00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:07,800
And that's why we're here.
381
00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:09,440
We're not here to sit in the problem.
382
00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:10,640
We're here to find solutions.
383
00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:14,200
So it's a unique organization that
384
00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:16,840
comes with unique challenges.
385
00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:22,200
So I'm interested in knowing about whether veterans are,
386
00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:25,040
whether you guys help veterans integrate back into society.
387
00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:27,960
Because obviously with a lot of them having PTSD
388
00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:31,200
and other problems, it might take them a few months
389
00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:33,920
with a service dog just to recover.
390
00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:36,520
And after that, what kind of support
391
00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:39,120
do you continue to give veterans?
392
00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:44,640
And do a lot of them get another job in society?
393
00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:45,160
Yeah.
394
00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:46,760
And so we do help.
395
00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:49,480
I mean, that's part of what we do, is helping these ladies
396
00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:53,200
and gentlemen kind of reintroduce themselves to society.
397
00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:58,320
The dog is a great kind of catalyst for that.
398
00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:00,880
After they graduate, so after the three-week program,
399
00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:02,880
we check in on them regularly.
400
00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:05,080
We have a whole warrior operations department
401
00:17:05,080 --> 00:17:08,280
that ensures that that transition is going well,
402
00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:10,120
not only for the veteran and the dog,
403
00:17:10,120 --> 00:17:12,600
but for the wife of that veteran,
404
00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:14,600
or the husband of that veteran, or the children
405
00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:18,520
of that veteran, to really ensure that the caretakers,
406
00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:21,800
the folks who have been helping this individual with PTSD
407
00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:24,960
for a long time, are transitioning with that dog
408
00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:26,280
in their house as well.
409
00:17:26,280 --> 00:17:28,600
So ensuring that the household itself
410
00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:32,760
is moving forward in a good direction.
411
00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:33,840
Because it's a transition.
412
00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:36,480
Getting a dog is not a small thing.
413
00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:39,600
And so after the warrior graduates,
414
00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:41,840
we check in on them regularly.
415
00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:45,240
If they have issues that are specific to their service dog,
416
00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:46,200
we help them.
417
00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:48,040
Let's say that their employer has
418
00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:50,280
a problem with the service dog.
419
00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:53,640
We ensure that they have the proper legal understanding
420
00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:55,680
of what a service dog is and what their rules
421
00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:57,000
and regulations are.
422
00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:59,040
And we help that person as much as possible.
423
00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:02,800
If they have an HOA issue, say their apartment is not
424
00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:05,600
dog-friendly, we help them navigate that as well.
425
00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:08,640
So we are helping.
426
00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:11,680
The point of the dog is to make their life easier, not harder.
427
00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:18,240
So if hurdles come up, we help mitigate them as best as we can.
428
00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:22,760
So after being with your organization
429
00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:26,800
for a couple of years now, how do you
430
00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:29,760
find meaning in the work you do?
431
00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:34,440
And how does this differ from that of a for-profit organization
432
00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:36,320
that you worked before?
433
00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:38,080
Well, I mean, very simply, you're not just
434
00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:40,640
looking at bottom line.
435
00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:42,240
You're not just looking at sales.
436
00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:44,640
You're looking at, obviously, we need
437
00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:46,920
to raise money in order to keep doing what we're doing.
438
00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:50,320
So unfortunately, money is a focus, a pretty big focus.
439
00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:52,280
But you're looking at output.
440
00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:54,960
You're looking at how many dogs did we save?
441
00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:57,240
How many veterans did we pair with dogs?
442
00:18:57,240 --> 00:19:00,280
How are those veterans doing?
443
00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:02,160
So the metrics that you're looking at
444
00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:06,640
are a lot wider than bottom line.
445
00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:08,960
Because our impact, money is just a mechanism
446
00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:10,920
to have impact, right?
447
00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:14,400
So the real testament to our success
448
00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:17,680
is the number of canine warriors graduating every year
449
00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:19,120
and every month.
450
00:19:19,120 --> 00:19:21,040
And there's a lot of work that goes into that.
451
00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:22,480
And that's really the difference is
452
00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:24,640
that that's the figure that you're looking at.
453
00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:27,120
And money is just kind of a means to an end.
454
00:19:27,120 --> 00:19:29,400
It allows us to do this and do more of it.
455
00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:32,760
So that's probably the biggest difference.
456
00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:36,480
So in terms of perhaps people who might be struggling
457
00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:39,920
in their careers, would you recommend them to maybe try out
458
00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:43,680
a career in a non-profit organization?
459
00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:48,400
How difficult is it to join an NGO
460
00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:50,680
and continue to keep that passion?
461
00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:54,960
Because we've had guests before who worked for NGOs,
462
00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:59,280
obviously for a bigger cause, but burnt out pretty easily.
463
00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:03,200
Due to the workload and the relatively less pay.
464
00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:04,480
So how would you encourage people
465
00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:07,400
to maybe make this transition?
466
00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:13,200
I think that if you care about something immensely
467
00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:17,040
and you don't have real value in what you do every day
468
00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:20,400
presently, it's worth exploring.
469
00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:22,280
But it has to be the right organization.
470
00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:24,040
It has to be the right mission.
471
00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:27,120
And it has to make sense for you and your skills
472
00:20:27,120 --> 00:20:28,400
and your skill set.
473
00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:31,120
So it's not something you just jump into.
474
00:20:31,120 --> 00:20:36,400
I think that if people want to find a more meaningful
475
00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:40,240
form of employment, research the things you care about.
476
00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:43,200
If you care about plastic in the ocean,
477
00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:46,080
figure out what organizations are cleaning up those oceans
478
00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:47,880
and figure out what jobs they have available
479
00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:50,720
and see if it aligns with what you want to do.
480
00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:53,720
But I think that the transition is there.
481
00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:56,880
I think that as a non-profit executive,
482
00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:58,600
I can tell you that somebody who's
483
00:20:58,600 --> 00:21:01,440
coming from the private sector who applies for a job,
484
00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:03,600
I'm absolutely looking at them for certain roles
485
00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:08,040
because you don't have to have nonprofit experience
486
00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:10,800
to be successful in a nonprofit.
487
00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:14,080
And it says something when someone's transferring over
488
00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:17,480
from a for-profit where their salary might be a little higher
489
00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:18,920
in order to do work here.
490
00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:21,120
It says that they're motivated not just by money,
491
00:21:21,120 --> 00:21:23,360
but actually by impact.
492
00:21:23,360 --> 00:21:27,760
So that's a huge plus in terms of looking at candidates.
493
00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:34,680
So just lastly, before we end, on the subject of hiring,
494
00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:37,720
is K9s for Warriors hiring at the moment?
495
00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:42,160
And if so, what other kind of people are you looking for?
496
00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:44,720
Yeah, I believe we have some jobs posted on our website.
497
00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:46,880
I'm not exactly sure what's up there.
498
00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:51,760
But K9s for Warriors.org, that's the letter K, number 9S,
499
00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:54,360
for warriors.org.
500
00:21:54,360 --> 00:21:56,160
You can look at our jobs there.
501
00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:58,280
We want to have some.
502
00:21:58,280 --> 00:22:01,320
I'll include the careers link as well in the description.
503
00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:01,800
Yeah.
504
00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:03,160
Thank you very much, Adrian.
505
00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:06,040
I would say we're looking for passionate people.
506
00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:07,320
People love dogs.
507
00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:09,240
I mean, we have a lot of people on our staff
508
00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:12,280
who are just dog crazy, which is fantastic.
509
00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:14,040
People who really understand canines
510
00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:16,880
because it's a science, no doubt about it.
511
00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:19,680
And we have people who are super passionate about veterans
512
00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:22,840
and people who are passionate about both.
513
00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:26,040
And people who just love to have a job where they're
514
00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:29,160
making a positive impact.
515
00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:30,600
It could be something else, but it
516
00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:32,040
happens to be veterans and dogs.
517
00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:35,320
And they know that that's having a positive impact.
518
00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:37,000
So passion is key.
519
00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:39,600
If you're going to put your time and energy into a nonprofit,
520
00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:40,640
you've got to care.
521
00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:41,800
You've got to care about the mission.
522
00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:43,640
You've got to care about the quality of what you're
523
00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:45,920
putting out and the time and energy you're doing.
524
00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:50,760
And so that's one of the key things we look for.
525
00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:52,560
Well, it's been a pleasure talking to you, Carl,
526
00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:57,880
about your role in an NGO and helping veterans so much
527
00:22:57,880 --> 00:22:59,640
in the work you're doing.
528
00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:02,440
So all the best to what you're doing.
529
00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:05,360
And yeah, thanks for the interview again.
530
00:23:05,360 --> 00:23:06,520
Thank you very much, Adrian.
531
00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:16,160
Thank you.