Over the past few months, I’ve had the pleasure of working behind the scenes on something pretty special: updates and improvements to the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada’s website.
As a long-time admirer (and supporter!) of the sanctuary’s mission to protect and care for neglected and abused donkeys, mules, and hinnies, I was thrilled to bring my skills to the table. I’ve been working with the DSC on their communications—both copy and design—since 2009, and it continues to be one of the most meaningful collaborations of my career.
This most recent refresh was all about blending warmth and usability:
- Streamlining the donation experience with custom forms that make it easier than ever to support the animals—right down to sponsoring a specific donkey.
- Creating a visitor-friendly interactive map so guests can better explore the sanctuary during open days (and meet the animals along the way!).
- Polishing content and layout across key pages to better showcase the DSC’s incredible work, events, and volunteer opportunities.
One of my personal goals was to reflect the rural serenity of the sanctuary itself. The website is, after all, many people’s first glimpse of this peaceful, life-giving place. To help capture that sense of calm and connection, I curated a collection of photos generously donated by volunteers—both professional photographers and amateur shutterbugs alike—who’ve spent time at the sanctuary and clearly love the animals as much as I do. Their images brought so much heart and beauty to the site.
This wasn’t just a website update—it was about helping a unique, values-driven organization connect more meaningfully with its community. And honestly? I’m proud of what we accomplished.
If you’ve never met a donkey, mule, or hinny in real life—or if you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to be gently nudged by a curious muzzle—I highly recommend a visit. In the meantime, check out the site and maybe fall in love with one (or several): thedonkeysanctuary.ca
