Lindi Biggi’s love for all animals leads to NPD award as Outstanding Nonprofit Founder
“Rescuing an animal fills your heart with joy for a lifetime — you renew their life and in turn they renew yours,” says Lindi Biggi, founder of Loving All Animals (LAA) and National Philanthropy Day’s (NPD) Outstanding Nonprofit Founder honoree.
When Biggi sees a need, she wastes no time finding ways to meet it. Growing up on an Oregon farm, she fell in love with animals. In 1994, she retired to the Coachella Valley and thought she would spend her days volunteering at The Living Desert. Instead, while helping her friend find a new dog, she was devastated by the deplorable conditions of some of the local animal shelters.
Biggi believed: “If they knew better, they would do better,” and so she joined the Animal Samaritans board and the national board for PetSmart Charities. She learned that the tragic euthanasia practice used to control the animal population was rampant throughout the country. To remedy the situation, in 2008, she founded Loving All Animals.
Her vision for LAA was to partner with other animal rescue organizations with the goal of developing a “no kill” community. Due to an overpopulation of stray animals, Riverside County’s Animal Control “catch and kill” method ranked the area among the highest in the nation.
“I have always been blessed with kindhearted animal lovers who helped me groom and nurse pets back to health so people can meet the animals they want to love,” Biggi says. “We stood outside grocery stores and car dealerships. We modeled pets in various nonprofit fashion shows. We created a Mobile Mutts limo to bring potential adopters right to the shelters where they can connect with the right dog or cat. We hosted annual Super Pet Adoption Fairs and invited shelters to join us, often finding homes for 250 animals during the two-day event.”
LAA became an umbrella organization that brought all the rescue groups together, and Biggi’s dedication to building a “no kill” community was achieved. Realizing the need for foster homes, LAA-trained animal lovers provide homes until the animals are adopted. The organization also sponsors spay and neuter campaigns and advocates micro-chipping. They oversee the entire adoption process to ensure that the animals find a loving forever home.
When Biggi discovered that stray dogs were roaming migrant camps and children were afraid to go to school because the dogs would take their lunches, she launched a two-day clinic to vaccinate, spay and neuter hundreds of dogs. Working with 7 veterinarians, vet technicians and volunteers, her team set up a facility to care for these dogs. Biggi also built Venus De Fido — a spa for people and their dogs — that sparked the renewal of a depressed section of Palm Desert.
Biggi’s giving heart has saved the lives of countless animals and enriched the lives of the families who adopted them. Loving All Animals has become a beloved institution, and a grateful community honors Biggi for her kindness, generosity and devotion to create positive change that makes the world a better place.
“I am truly honored to be recognized by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) at NPD. But it’s also important for me to thank the hundreds of volunteers and our president, Michael Phipps-Russell, who have helped LAA pair animals with loving families.” Now Biggi has taken on a new challenge of bringing Shadow Mountain Golf Course, Palm Desert’s first course, back to its original splendor with hopes of having another Super Pet Adoption Festival there.
The NPD Awards will be presented on Friday, Nov. 4 at 11 a.m. with emcee Patrick Evans from KESQ News Channel 3 at the Renaissance Esmeralda in Indian Wells. Special thanks to NPD’s exclusive TV media sponsor KESQ News Channel 3, presenting magazine and virtual media sponsor Palm Springs Life and presenting newspaper and digital media sponsor The Desert Sun and LOCALiQ.
For information on sponsorship or becoming an AFP member, contact Josh N. Zahid at jnzahid@llu.edu, call (909) 226-1085 or visit afpcadesert.org.
Theresa Maggio is the business development director of The Competitive Advantage, a full scope business development and revenue generation marketing firm in Palm Desert. She proudly serves as the PR writer for the Association of Fundraising Professionals CA, Desert Communities Chapter.
Gailya Brown is a fundraising consultant with more than 25 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising. She is a member of AFP CA Desert Communities chapter and received the 2021 Outstanding Fundraising Professional award.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Lindi Biggi named Outstanding Nonprofit Founder by NPD
