Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashleigh Mansell-Diaz.
Hi Ashleigh, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am currently the social media manager and content creator for Whiskertown Cats, which is a 501C nonprofit animal rescue operating in the St. Cloud Lake Nona Orlando area. Whisker Town Cats was born when a previous rescue retired and several members of that previous rescue continued the work under a new name. The organization under the name Whisker Town Cats has been operating since 2020. We are small on the scale of cat rescues, however we do partner with Petsmart Charities. So you’ll find our kitties at several locations in the area as well as some local Pet Supermarkets. We do TNR, cat and kitten adoptions, we also take in cats that are found or surrendered for rehabilitation and rehoming. I started working with the rescue as a foster before I took on the role as the primary social media manager and content creator and eventually joined the board of directors. My current role in the rescue in addition to content creation and social media management, is primarily events and community outreach based. We also all volunteer time Cleaning and caring for the cats in the PetSmart stores that we partner with. My focus with the rescue recently, has been engaging in more local community opportunities, hosting events to drive fundraising networking with other rescues in our area and potential volunteers and donors.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The rescue is 100% volunteer and donation driven the largest obstacle has always been and continues to be funding. Finding a reliable pool of volunteers to carry the weight of the day-to-day operations of the rescue is also a challenge – balancing work life balance. We partner with local businesses and restaurants to engage in fundraising events, as well as host Independent events specifically created and executed by the rescue alone. That is where my focus has been in the recent months: driving unique and interactive opportunities where local folks can interact with the rescue it’s volunteers and of course it’s animals. From a more personal standpoint, I am a completely self-taught photo and video editor and although I’ve always been a very creative person, I have not had any professional training or experience in any digital media or graphic design – so everything that I know I have learned through self education and experimentation. So much of online presence and digital media creation has a very intuitive artistic element where you either have an eye for it or you don’t. I fortunately do which has what has allowed me to launch into this realm of digital media creation. Content drive demands you get in front of the camera and I have never envisioned myself in front of the camera! I am not a performer – however there is a market that can be tapped into with putting a face in videos instead of just silent photo carousels of the animals. People consume content easier when there’s somebody in front of the camera speaking to them, showing them the day-to-day, the highs and the lows, the nuances of the animals that we work with. And while I do not enjoy being in front of the camera, I can appreciate that the market for that type of content is there. Not everybody can move past the fear of being in front of the camera in order to deliver on that content…we are all volunteers at the end of the day and I wouldn’t want to make anybody feel uncomfortable by forcing them to be in front of the camera. I have had to make peace with the fact that the person in front of the camera is going to have to be ME if I want to bring the vision that I have for our social media presence to life. If it drives interaction and brings funding and awareness to the rescue, it is a small price to pay to be a little uncomfortable!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
The work that I do for the rescue through the lens of their social media presence is hinged primarily in graphic design, as well as content creation: shooting and editing footage, keeping a finger on the pulse of trending audios and viral moments within the social media realm that we can tap into to increase our relevance. Every little helps to get the rescue information out into the ether and let’s face it – animal…specifically cat content…is pretty highly consumable across the board. Our Facebook and Instagram presence is also a great opportunity to reveal the day-to-day operations of the rescue so that folks who might be interested in getting involved know a little bit more about us. Families who may be interested in adopting an animal can see a little bit more behind the scenes and get to know the cat before inviting them into their home – so it really is a great way to just meet people where they’re at in a very informal way that feels organic and also entertaining. A lot of my content does have a very strong vein of humor because these animals are, at their core, very funny to film and to watch. I’ve recently started tapping into more of myself being featured either on voiceover’s or in front of the camera just to put a face to the rescue versus it being this organization run by an anonymous group of volunteers. While I am not anywhere close to a senior member of the board making large operational decisions, I do offer my presence and personality in those videos as the face of the rescue. I’ve had my fair share of performing in front of an audience. I used to work for Marriott Vacation Club at their largest property in the portfolio and a portion of that work included, hosting large scale events being on the microphone, ect. So I’m not a stranger to being in front of a crowd or an audience – however I wouldn’t say it’s something that I thrive doing. I just recognize that it can lend an additional layer to the content that I’m producing to make it more successful either by getting views or producing donations.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
In the realm of nonprofit animal, rescues funding is always in high demand and is therefore extremely scarce specifically with smaller rescues like ours who do not have a brick and mortar location. It actually impedes us from being able to tap into a lot of monetary resources that larger rescues who do have a central hub of operations can access. Sometimes it feels frustrating that we are not treated with the same reverence and weight as a larger rescue simply because we operate on a smaller scale. However, it doesn’t change the fact that we are still saving lives and making a difference in our community cat populations and that is what drives the entire operation regardless of the day-to-day struggles of finding funding to stay afloat. Proving education opportunities for younger kids is also something we are pioneering through events and volunteer opportunities specifically designed for school aged kiddos. Instilling a love and respect for animals and the organizations that care for them will help ensure there are future generations that love and care for these kitties. I hope that there is a shift in opportunities for smaller rescues like us gaining access to the same magnitude of funding that larger rescues have. Of course, the necessity for animal rescues is never going to go away because there are always animals in need of our help so in that sense we have quite a lot of job security. It is simply accessing and finding the funds to continue to do what we love that continues to be The biggest issue that we face.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/whiskertowncats
- Instagram: Whiskertowncats
