American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)

For more than 150 years, the founding mission of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) guided the organization while enabling it to address evolving challenges in animal welfare. Under Matt Bershadker, ASPCA’s president and CEO, the company faced mounting pressure to engage with a growing stream of societal matters far afield from its core purpose. The case explores Bershadker’s initiative to develop a clear, strategic framework for considering which societal issues to address. This effort would clarify the ASPCA’s approach to these issues by evaluating them against the organization’s strategy, history, policies, and key stakeholder relationships, ensuring consistency, transparency, and mission-driven decision-making.