Candi Maciel

Candi has been working in the animal welfare field for more than 10 years, initially co-founding a successful 501(c)(3) dog rescue in California and then in 2011 moving from the corporate world to work full-time for Best Friends Animal Society.

During her time at Best Friends, Candi produced national events in Los Angeles (L.A. Super Adoption and Strut Your Mutt), managed local adoption/outreach events and transport programs, started the L.A. foster program and managed both the state-of-the-art NKLA (No-kill Los Angeles) Pet Adoption Center and the NKLA Coalition. Candi also worked in development as corporate engagement manager, working with companies and their employees who give back to Best Friends by donating and volunteering. She managed a large portfolio of donors and helped to craft individualized employee engagement opportunities for companies at Best Friends lifesaving centers and events. She also managed the matching gifts program and assisted donors with securing matches from employers.

In 2019, her role changed to focusing on brand partnerships and in 2020, she moved to the role of director, corporate partnerships. Her team is responsible for building and stewarding corporate giving relationships for Best Friends Animal Society, including cause-related partnerships, sponsorships, workplace giving/employee engagement, licensing, in-kind partnerships and corporate foundation giving. This team is responsible for securing $5 million in revenue for the organization, as well as partnerships for in-kind such as pet food, cat litter, telehealth and other donations.