Communications · Marketing · Animal advocacy

Katie
McDonald.

Social media, design
and nonprofit communications.

I’ve built a restaurant’s social presence from launch, co-led community fundraisers and worked with donors, volunteers and local partners. Now I want to put that experience to work for animals.

Explore my work Portfolio PDF ↗
Friend of FaunaAdvocacy & creative direction / 2026
Selected work / 2024–2026Social content · Campaigns · Fundraising

01 / The work

Selected
projects.

Here’s a closer look at the work: what I made, who it was for and where I was involved.

Showing all six projects.

02 / Reels & video

Reels &
video ads.

Animal welfare, community partnerships and restaurant promotions. These are Reels I’ve created for volunteer work and professional roles.

Animal care · Community stories · Promotional content

Outside the shelter

Kelowna Veterinary Care Foundation · 20 seconds

A Reel I created about an enrichment outing with an adoptable dog.

KGM in the community

Kelowna’s Gospel Mission · 14 seconds

A work Reel I created showing KGM’s involvement with the Okanagan Fruit Tree Project.

Be our guest

The Butcher’s Wife · 12 seconds

A dining ad built around food, hospitality and an invitation to book.

View three more videosShow fewer videos

Inside The Butcher’s Wife

The Butcher’s Wife · 12 seconds

A quick tour of the main-floor dining room.

Valentine’s campaign

The Butcher’s Wife · 11 seconds

An animated dinner promotion with the price and reservation times.

The holidays at TBW

The Butcher’s Wife · 21 seconds

A seasonal promotion combining restaurant imagery with a gift-card offer.

03 / In words

Writing &
content strategy.

A social media proposal and a volunteer briefing. One explains an idea; the other gives people the information they need for a busy event day.

Social media & content strategy

Love Thy
Neighbour.

A weekly Reel series introducing the local partners behind KGM’s work.

An excerpt from my written social media recommendations for KGM.

Volunteer & event communications

Volunteer
event briefing.

“Arrive by 8:30 a.m. | Volunteer huddle at 8:45 a.m. | Shotgun start at 10:00 a.m.”

Arrival times, witness responsibilities and what to do if a golfer makes a hole-in-one.

The strategy sample is a proposal. The volunteer excerpt is adapted for portfolio review; direct contact details are omitted.

04 / Animal welfare & volunteering

Working
with animals.

I volunteer with three animal welfare organizations in the Okanagan. My roles include caring for shelter dogs, orienting new volunteers, writing adoption bios and helping at fundraising events.

BC SPCA

Canine wellness volunteer
Volunteer orientation lead

  • Support shelter dogs through walking, exercise, socialization and enrichment.
  • Lead orientations that help new volunteers understand shelter routines and expectations.

Kelowna Veterinary
Care Foundation

Canine enrichment
Social content support

  • Give adoptable dogs outings, enrichment and individual attention.
  • Capture photos and video and support social content that shares their personalities.
Watch my KVCF Reel ↗

Paws It Forward
Dog Rescue

Rescue & event volunteer
Adoption storytelling

  • Help with community events, bottle drives and rescue fundraising.
  • Support adoption storytelling through dog biographies.
Katie giving a dog belly rubs while volunteering.
Katie gently comforting a small dog in a shelter kennel.

05 / A little about me

A little
about me.

I want to build my career around animal welfare.

I’m Katie, a nonprofit development and communications professional based in West Kelowna, BC. At Kelowna’s Gospel Mission, I work with donors and community partners and help plan and promote fundraising events.

I’ve also managed social media for The Butcher’s Wife and supported school and community programs at Best Buddies Canada. I’ve worked remotely and in person, and I’m used to taking responsibility for a project while keeping colleagues and partners in the loop.

My History degree taught me to research carefully, question a source and make a case in writing. Volunteering with animals has given me a direction for those skills. I’m looking for a role where my communications experience can support animals and the people working to protect them.

More about my experience ↗
Katie with a Highland cow outdoors.
Experience & commitment

Kelowna’s Gospel Mission

Fund Development Specialist

Fundraising communications, donor stewardship, sponsorships and collaborative event delivery.

The Butcher’s Wife

Social Media & Communications

Brand voice, content planning, photography, Reels and promotional design.

Best Buddies Canada

Program & Community Engagement

Partner relationships, resources, outreach and training within a national nonprofit.

Animal Awareness Western

Research & content coordination

Researched animal welfare, ethics and advocacy issues and helped develop accessible educational content.

Western University

Honours BA, History · Dean’s List, four years

Contact

Get in
touch.

I’m looking for my next role in animal welfare communications or marketing. If my experience could be a fit for your team, I’d love to talk.

katiepmcdonald@gmail.com ↗LinkedIn ↗Download portfolio PDF ↓
Friend of Fauna

Personal brand & creative project

Friend of Fauna

An independent animal advocacy brand, with graphic, sticker and apparel concepts about animal testing, captivity and factory farming.

Brand conceptsAdvocacy copyVisual direction

The idea behind the brand

I started Friend of Fauna to put animal welfare messages on things people could wear, carry and share. I developed the brand, headlines and visual direction, then explored how the designs could work as graphics, stickers and clothing.

Selected personal brand designs and product mockups. Click any image to view the full artwork.

Vintage Laika-inspired design with red Progress Without Cruelty headline, a dog in a space helmet, and For Laika. For Them All. supporting message.

Progress without cruelty

A Laika-inspired design remembering the animals used in testing.

Friend of Fauna graphic with cows and a barn, Stand Against Factory Farming headline, and Compassion Over Confinement message.

Compassion over confinement

An anti-factory-farming message designed for apparel and social sharing.

Forever Against Animal Testing design featuring bold black lettering, red stars, and a rabbit behind a cage.

Forever against animal testing

A rabbit behind cage bars, paired with the brand’s animal-testing message.

Someone Out There Needs You adoption graphic with a dog, cat, and rabbit, inviting people to adopt from their local shelter.

Someone out there needs you

A warm invitation to adopt from a local shelter.

Vintage cat and dog illustration headed Spay and Neuter Your Pets, with the responsible choice for every furry friend message.

Spay and neuter your pets

A pet-care message encouraging spaying and neutering.

Six coordinated Laika-inspired sticker designs in red, navy and cream, including Progress Without Cruelty and Remember Laika.

A message in smaller formats

The Laika concept adapted into a set of smaller sticker designs.

Apparel presentation

Apparel concepts.

Hoodie mockups exploring messages about captivity, conservation and trophy hunting.

Black hoodie mockup featuring blue Kiska lettering and an illustrated orca.

Kiska

Anti-captivity concept.

Black hoodie mockup featuring Sudan lettering, a rhinoceros, and Conservation Matters messaging.

Sudan

Wildlife conservation concept.

Black hoodie mockup featuring Cecil lettering, a lion, and Not Your Trophy messaging.

Cecil

Anti-trophy hunting concept.

Independent brand designs and product concepts.

The Butcher’s Wife — Social & brand

Social media & brand communications

The Butcher’s Wife

Pembroke, Ontario

I managed the restaurant’s social media from launch, creating the content, writing the captions and developing its online look and voice.

Content strategyCopywritingShort-form video
Project result0 to 6,000+

Followers within the brand’s first year.

My role

I planned, created and published the restaurant’s social content, from photography and Reels to promotional graphics and campaign copy.

Explore the case study

The goal

Introduce a new restaurant to the community and show people what they could expect when they walked through the door.

My contribution

  • Developed and executed a content strategy around the restaurant’s launch and ongoing activity.
  • Created, wrote, edited, and published social posts, Reels, Stories, photography, video, graphics, and promotional copy.
  • Used Canva, Adobe Photoshop, and CapCut to take content from concept through publication.
  • Reviewed engagement and content performance to help plan what to post next.

The Butcher’s Wife / Work samples

Photography, ads, menus and videos created for the restaurant’s social channels and events.

Restaurant photography

Food, people & atmosphere.

Food, drinks, the room and the people who make the restaurant feel like itself.

A server presenting a colourful cocktail, with the restaurant softly blurred behind the glass.

People & hospitality

A cocktail served at the table, photographed for social content.

A plated brunch dish with strawberries, grilled fruit and syrup.

Food photography

A plated brunch feature for the restaurant’s social channels.

A chef using a kitchen torch to finish a crème brûlée plated with fruit and biscuits.

Behind the scenes

A chef finishing a crème brûlée before service.

A strawberry-garnished cocktail styled with roses against a soft pink background.

Seasonal drink content

Cocktail photography styled for a seasonal promotion.

Set dining tables, a dark banquette and framed posters along an exposed brick wall at The Butcher’s Wife.

Restaurant atmosphere

A look inside the restaurant before guests arrive.

A restaurant main course plated with mashed potatoes, vegetables and sauce.

Menu photography

A finished dish photographed for menu-related content.

Campaign design

Promotional design.

Selected ads, with menus and other promotions available below.

The Butcher’s Wife private-event promotion, combining event photography with the headline Your Event Awaits and an inquiry call to action.

Private-event promotion

An invitation to book a private event, with restaurant imagery and contact details.

The Butcher’s Wife dessert promotion with the headline Treat Yourself, a burgundy text panel, dessert photography, and the restaurant logo.

Dessert promotion

A dessert feature built around a close-up photograph and a short headline.

Pink floral Mother’s Day brunch and bubbly promotion with event details and an RSVP email.

Mother’s Day

A Mother’s Day brunch invitation with the date, location and RSVP details.

More seasonal & promotional ads
A five-course Valentine’s Day table menu for The Butcher’s Wife, using a red script heading, serif course names, and vegetarian substitution information.

Valentine’s table menu

A five-course dinner menu, including vegetarian substitutions.

Burgundy and white holiday event booking promotion framed by Christmas trees, with a gift-card incentive and an inquiry email.

Holiday event bookings

A holiday booking offer for groups, with a gift-card incentive.

The Butcher’s Wife hiring graphic for a part-time kitchen team member, listing experience requirements and where to send a résumé.

Recruitment

A recruitment post outlining the role, requirements and how to apply.

Cherry Sour weekend cocktail promotion with bold red type and a cocktail centred on a muted red background.

Weekend cocktail feature

A weekend cocktail feature combining product photography and oversized type.

Selected creative work for The Butcher’s Wife, focusing on design, copy, and social content.

Animal welfare campaign concepts

Animal welfare copy & social design

Animal advocacy & social design

Animal welfare campaign concepts

Two animal welfare messages with a direct next step: prevent unplanned litters and choose entertainment without captive wildlife.

Copy & visual design

Bold headlines, a restrained purple accent, and simple animal imagery put the message first. Each ad connects an everyday choice with its lasting impact on animals.

Bold black and purple spay and neuter ad headed One Litter. A Lifetime of Responsibility, with monochrome dog and cat imagery and a call to speak with a veterinarian.

One litter. A lifetime of responsibility.

Connects litter prevention with the responsibility of lifelong care, then directs pet guardians to their veterinarian.

Read the ad copy

One litter.
A lifetime of responsibility.
Spay & neuter.

Prevent unplanned litters. Ask your vet about spaying or neutering and the right timing for your pet.

Make a plan before there’s a litter.

Bold black and purple Kiska ad headed Your Ticket. Her Lifetime, with a small orca graphic inside a large tank outline and a call to skip captive-wildlife shows.

Your ticket. Her lifetime.

Connects a brief visit with decades of confinement, remembers Kiska, and asks audiences to skip captive-wildlife entertainment.

Read the ad copy

Your ticket.
Her lifetime.
Remember Kiska.

Kiska spent more than 40 years in captivity. She died at Marineland in 2023.

Skip the show.
Choose entertainment without captive wildlife.

Fact checks: BC SPCA pet-care guidance and Animal Justice’s March 2023 Kiska statement.

Art for Impact

Fundraising & event communications

Art for Impact

Kelowna’s Gospel Mission · April 2026

I co-led Art for Impact with the KGM team and created the 32-page live-auction catalogue.

$200,000+Raised by the event
350+Attendees

My role

I co-led planning, marketing, communications, and event execution alongside the KGM team. I also created and designed the 32-page live-auction catalogue.

View the catalogue design
Explore the case study

My contribution

My work included artist and partner outreach, sponsor communications, promotional materials, the silent auction and event logistics. I worked with the KGM team and community supporters throughout planning and event day.

Fundraising and attendance figures describe the event’s collective result.

Cover of the 2026 Art for Impact live-auction catalogue, The Collection, with event and gallery branding.Catalogue page presenting Rod Charlesworth’s artwork with an artist heading, artwork imagery, medium, dimensions and fair market value.

Art for Impact live-auction catalogue

I designed the 32-page catalogue and organized the artwork images, artist names, titles, media, dimensions and fair market values for auction guests.

Catalogue design by Katie McDonald. Artwork credited to the featured artists in the original publication.

View the complete catalogue
Seasonal campaigns

The Butcher’s Wife / Print, digital & seasonal campaigns

Seasonal
campaigns.

Ads and print pieces for specific occasions: Mother’s Day brunch, private events, holiday bookings and Valentine’s dinner.

The Butcher’s Wife private-event promotion, combining event photography with the headline Your Event Awaits and an inquiry call to action.

Private-event promotion

An invitation to book a private event, with restaurant imagery and contact details.

The Butcher’s Wife dessert promotion with the headline Treat Yourself, a burgundy text panel, dessert photography, and the restaurant logo.

Dessert promotion

A dessert feature built around a close-up photograph and a short headline.

Pink floral Mother’s Day brunch and bubbly promotion with event details and an RSVP email.

Mother’s Day

A Mother’s Day brunch invitation with the date, location and RSVP details.

A five-course Valentine’s Day table menu for The Butcher’s Wife, using a red script heading, serif course names, and vegetarian substitution information.

Valentine’s table menu

A five-course dinner menu, including vegetarian substitutions.

Burgundy and white holiday event booking promotion framed by Christmas trees, with a gift-card incentive and an inquiry email.

Holiday event bookings

A holiday booking offer for groups, with a gift-card incentive.

The Butcher’s Wife hiring graphic for a part-time kitchen team member, listing experience requirements and where to send a résumé.

Recruitment

A recruitment post outlining the role, requirements and how to apply.

Cherry Sour weekend cocktail promotion with bold red type and a cocktail centred on a muted red background.

Weekend cocktail feature

A weekend cocktail feature combining product photography and oversized type.

Nonprofit communications

Kelowna’s Gospel Mission / Nonprofit communications

Community
communications.

Materials and content that help people get to know KGM, take part in its work and find useful information.

Watch the community Reel ↗
KGM community tour information sheet headed Get to Know KGM, with tour details, a January 2027 start date and a booking QR code.

Get to Know KGM: community tours

A public-facing information sheet for free shelter tours and Q&A sessions. It brings the invitation, schedule, location and booking QR code into one page.

View the original tour information sheet ↗
Blue KGM community call sheet with service headings, icons and short information blocks for police, fire, ambulance, bylaw and community response services.

Who to Call, When to Call

I created this community resource sheet to help readers work out which service to contact. I organized the information by service, with large headings, icons and short explanations.

Original resource shown as a design sample. Contact information appears as it did in the source.

View the original resource sheet

Volunteer leadership & stewardship

Charity Golf Classic

Kelowna’s Gospel Mission · August 2026

I co-led the Charity Golf Classic with the KGM team and led volunteer coordination.

Explore the case study

My contribution

I supported sponsor outreach, recognition, auction procurement, event communications and logistics. For volunteers, I coordinated roles and schedules, wrote instructions and provided support on event day.

Read the writing samples

Sponsor stewardship

Thank-you notes adapted for returning sponsors and first-time supporters.

Read the sponsor thank-you notes

Returning sponsors

To your team,

Thank you so much for sponsoring our Charity Golf Classic! It was a great day at Sunset Ranch, and we loved seeing everyone out enjoying the tournament.

Your generosity helped make it all possible, and we’re so grateful for your continued support of the tournament. We’d love to have your team be part of it again next year!

Warmly,
Katie & the whole KGM team

New sponsors

To your team,

Thank you so much for sponsoring our Charity Golf Classic! It was a great day at Sunset Ranch, and we loved seeing everyone out enjoying the tournament.

Your generosity helped make it all possible, and we’re so grateful you chose to support us this year. We’d love to have your team be part of the tournament again next year!

Warmly,
Katie & the whole KGM team

Social media strategy — Writing sample

Kelowna’s Gospel Mission / Written recommendations

Love Thy Neighbour

A proposed weekly Reel series introducing the local partners working alongside KGM. The idea was to give each organization a moment to tell its story and a piece of content it could share.

Proposed series · June 2026 · Excerpts from my written social media recommendations.

Read the proposal excerpt

The series

A “Love Thy Neighbour” series that every week highlights the local organizations, businesses, and community partners working alongside KGM to support Kelowna and its vulnerable members. Each short Reel could feature myself or Spencer travelling to the location to do a quick tour, volunteer moment, or conversation with a partner like Helen’s Acres, the Central Okanagan Food Bank, Metro Community, DKA, Mitch’s Independent Grocer or CRCL—showing how each piece of the community support system connects. It would feel authentic, build relationships, educate followers, and give partners content they can repost to reach new audiences.

The thinking behind it

I think it is important to balance difficult realities with stories of hope, impact, and action.

While we should not shy away from discussing community challenges, we should focus on solutions and outcomes rather than only the problem itself.

For a finished example of my community video work, watch “KGM in the community.”

Watch the community Reel ↗
Volunteer communications — Writing sample

Volunteer & event communications

Volunteer event briefing

For the Charity Golf Classic, I prepared role-specific instructions so volunteers knew where to be, what to watch for and when to call for help.

Read the excerpt

Volunteer quick sheet

Friday, August 28, 2026
Role: Hole-in-One Witness
Station: Tee Box

Arrive by 8:30 a.m. | Volunteer huddle at 8:45 a.m. | Shotgun start at 10:00 a.m.

What you’re doing

  • Watch each golfer’s first shot until it stops. Remind golfers that only their first shot is eligible and that a hole-in-one made using a mulligan ticket does not count.
  • Bring positive energy, encourage the golfers and have fun - while staying quiet during each tee-off and focused on every eligible shot.
  • If a hole-in-one may have occurred, note the golfer/team and call Katie immediately.
  • Do not touch the ball or leave your station. Wait for Katie’s instructions.
  • If confirmed, you will need to sign the official documentation as a witness.

Need help or a break?

Do not leave your station without arranging coverage with Katie.

An excerpt for portfolio review; the event-specific contact and station details have been omitted.