We were lucky to catch up with Stacy Jenkins recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Stacy, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Almost eight years ago, my husband Dave and I lived in the city, with neighbors close by on either side and no privacy. I was ready for a different view (literally & figuratively) so I talked him into moving out to the country and our search began. At this time, I didn’t know that a business idea would develop from this move but that’s exactly what happened. We found the perfect property that fit everything we wanted. Five acres, a pond, a perfect house, and a bonus barn & pasture. I’ve always loved animals so I immediately thought this would be a perfect setup to adopt a couple farm animals and start a little hobby farm of sorts and that’s exactly what we did. We originally took in two goats and three alpacas but pretty quickly, we got more and more requests to take in animals. Two years in and we were up to almost 40 animals and I was working multiple jobs to pay for everything. In the summer of 2019, with all of the need for farmed animal rescue/sanctuary, I decided to jump both feet in and start Jenkins Forever Farm. We received our 501(c)(3) status in July and got busy fundraising. Over the last five years, we’ve rescued, provided transport, fostered and provided sanctuary for hundreds of animals. We currently have nearly 100 residents and receive requests for intakes weekly to this day. Rescue is a difficult life but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Stacy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Stacy Jenkins, born and raised in Indiana to two fantastic parents. I’ve been married to my husband Dave for almost 10 years, and we share our home with our two dogs, two iguanas and two ferrets. During the day, I’m the VP of Cruz Pedregon Racing. I’m also the Founder of Jenkins Forever Farm, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal sanctuary, which is an around the clock “job”. I started the sanctuary when I realized the deep need for farmed animal rescue/sanctuary once we relocated to the country. Although there are several rescue organizations for companion pets like dogs and cats, there are very few for animals that aren’t considered companions by the general public. For us, they’re all the same. They all deserve to live their lives in comfort with full bellies, access to vet care and proper housing. We dedicated our entire five-acre property to provide for the nearly 100 resident animals who call Jenkins Forever Farm home. We also purchased an additional property to expand the sanctuary and are actively fundraising to develop that property. We’re incredibly proud of all that we’ve been able to accomplish and look forward to the differences we can make in the future!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Transparency. In the non-profit world, many are skeptical of where their donations are going and rightfully so. Our organization is 100% donation and volunteer based so it’s vital that we build relationships with our donors so that they can trust that their hard-earned money is going to a good cause. To foster and develop this level of trust, we do things like sharing copies of invoices for vet care, feed, structures etc. We also host two events each year at the sanctuary so our supporters can visit, meet the animals and literally see their donations in action.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

We use multiple avenues to keep in touch with our supporters. Social media is our biggest platform used that reaches the largest number of people. We do our best to post daily and come up with unique content that will gain visibility. Our followers really like posts that ask for their engagement. We keep up with some of our followers via our e-mail list. Some folks prefer to get the latest information sent directly to them, so they don’t miss a thing and we’re happy to do so. Finally, our most personal reminder that they’re so important is our Holiday card. Every year we put together a collage of photos and send it out to our supporters. We get tons of response so it’s a big hit every year!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jenkinsforeverfarm.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JenkinsForeverFarm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenkinsForeverFarm/