Creating Clarity: How RACI and Canto Helped Tree House Work Smarter (On Demand)

Sam Alspaugh is the Intake and Foster Program Manager at Tree House Humane Society, where she oversees intake operations, capacity management, and the organization’s Foster Program. Since stepping into manage the Foster Program in 2023, Sam has focused not just on coordinating placements, but on supporting and engaging foster volunteers, strengthening the vital connection between foster families and the organization.

Tree House is also a familiar home for Sam, as this is her second chapter with the organization. More than a decade ago, she worked at both Tree House’s original location and its current home in West Ridge, primarily supporting the adoption, transfer, and foster programs. Sam’s broader career spans animal welfare and nonprofit work, with experience in program coordination, client relations, event logistics, project management, and data analysis. She holds both a B.A. and B.S. from Loyola University Chicago and, - after growing up in east central Indiana - has happily made Chicago home, where she currently lives with her three cats.

Katie Jordan is the Associate Director of Marketing & Communications at Tree House Humane Society, where she leads marketing, communications, and brand strategy for Chicago’s only cat-focused humane society. With a background in graphic design and five years in marketing, Katie brings a strategic and creative perspective, as well as a love of cats, to their nonprofit communications.

Katie enjoys finding the intersection of creative storytelling and strong systems: developing the strategies, processes, and messaging that make it easier for organizations to communicate consistently, build trust, and move people to action. She believes effective nonprofit marketing can be both thoughtful and results-driven, without losing sight of the people, pets, and communities at the heart of the work.