Our charity
The Donkey Sanctuary was founded by Dr Elisabeth Svendsen in 1969. Since then, the charity has steadily grown into an international animal welfare organisation at the forefront of transforming the lives of millions of donkeys and supporting the people who care for them.
We are many different things
International development experts
Researchers
Environmentalists
Educators
Vets
Behaviourists
Grooms
Volunteers
Over 50 years of working with donkeys
Dr Elisabeth Svendsen’s 1969 decision to buy a donkey named Naughty Face set our charity in motion. Dr Svendsen’s legacy now stretches over fifty years and has helped incalculable numbers of donkeys around the globe lead a better quality of life. Discover how we have delivered welfare and wellbeing for donkeys over the years.
Vision, mission and impact
Our Vision
A world where every donkey has a good quality of life.
Our mission
Improving the lives of donkeys every day.
Our impact
We make a better world for donkeys.
Making the right decisions for donkeys
The breadth and depth of our work means that no one in the world knows more about donkeys. We also know our passion for donkey welfare is shared by many others. It is a privilege that the public and our staff, partners and supporters trust us to make ethical decisions for donkeys.
Guided by our values
We put donkeys first
Every decision we make, we make for donkeys – this difference is our strength.
We are inquisitive
Like donkeys, we are endlessly curious and natural problem solvers. Our expertise is built on the belief that no obstacle is too great, no insight is too small.
We are compassionate
We understand and respect the perspectives of others – making ethical decisions that our people, partners and supporters trust us to make.
We do the right thing
We understand that the welfare of donkeys, people and planet are inextricably linked. We lead by example and take accountability for delivering our commitments.
We work together as one
Just as donkeys instinctively know how to work together, wherever we are in the world, whatever we do, we are one sanctuary.
Meet our leadership
Our leadership team oversees the daily operations of the charity and is ultimately accountable for the charity. Each member of our executive board and our board of trustees brings specialist expertise but they share a common passion for donkeys and donkey welfare. Find out more about our strategic leadership.
Find out more
Discover how we use our resources and world-leading expertise to make the best impact for the most donkeys.
Explore our worldwide work and learn how we adapt our strategies to improve the quality of life for donkeys globally.
Learn more about our impact on donkeys and explore some of our recent successes.
