Motoyoshi joins Delaware SPCA as director of develoment
The Delaware Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) recently welcomed Christina Motoyoshi to its staff as their new director of development. Motoyoshi brings with her a wealth of knowledge from the corporate and non-profit world, and a love of animals.
Coastal Point • Submitted
Christina Motoyoshi recently joined the Delaware Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as their new director of development.
Originally earning her degree in accounting, Motoyoshi explained that while working in accounting, she volunteered at a local animal shelter and was “bitten by the bug” of volunteerism.
“Because of that, I made a career change into non-profit and fundraising management and have worked for a youth organization and another animal organization before starting with the Delaware SPCA a few weeks ago,” she said.
She added that now her background finally gets to mesh with her love of animals.
“It really feels like I have come full circle — animals are my passion — and to take my work and do with it something rewarding…”
Motoyoshi earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Villanova University. She continued her education in the master’s degree program at the University of Delaware, where she was recognized with the Barry R. Morstain Award in recognition of academic excellence and commitment to public service and diversity. She is also a graduate of Leadership Delaware, a program established by the Delaware Association of Nonprofit Agencies. She currently serves as vice president of the Caravel Farms Civic Association and volunteers with Tri-State Bird Rescue and the Ministry of Caring.
“Chris brings more than a decade of public affairs and development experience to the table, both of which will help us greatly as we work to increase visibility and support of our mission,” said Anne Cavanaugh, executive director of Delaware SPCA.
Motoyoshi explained that her position is exciting because the Delaware SPCA has had lots of changes in recent years.
“With new direction and new leadership we are kind of starting from scratch,” she explained, adding that it will be her task to raise visibility and awareness about the society.
“We are not the ‘old’ SPCA,” she explained, “we are focusing on the value of the animals’ lives in trying to get them adopted and with our low-cost spay and neuter service.”
She added that the Stanton shelter and the Georgetown shelter make up the Delaware SPCA, and Kent County’s SPCA is a separate entity entirely. Other misconceptions are that they are part of a larger, national organization from which they receive funding, or that they receive government funding — something Motoyoshi said they do not.
“We really do rely heavily on individual donations,” she said. She added that they do have fundraising events, such as the Tails and Trails walk-a-thon in Wilmington, and receive adoption fees, but an important part of her job will be identifying other fundraising avenues to make sure their work continues.
For more information on the Delaware SPCA, visit http://www.delspca.org.
