Harmonie Basso
West Kelowna,Canada
Summary
Communications and community engagement leader with 20+ years of experience in strategic communications, public education, stakeholder relations, nonprofit leadership, operations coordination, and community partnerships. Proven success developing public awareness campaigns, strengthening stakeholder engagement, managing media and public communications, and building trusted relationships across nonprofit, emergency response, corporate, and community sectors.
Co-Founder of Lend A Paw Pet Food Foundation and Secretary & Social Media Director for Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team Society (ALERT), helping lead communications strategy, volunteer engagement, public education initiatives, emergency preparedness outreach, donor relations, and community partnerships throughout British Columbia.
Recognized for helping grow a grassroots initiative into a registered Canadian charity while supporting more than 5,000 pets through community partnerships, communications leadership, fundraising initiatives, volunteer coordination, and public education.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Co-Founder & Communications Director
Lend A Paw Pet Food Foundation
West Kelowna, Canada
01.2020 - Current
Helped lead the transition of a grassroots initiative into a registered Canadian charity (2023), supporting organizational growth, governance development, and long-term sustainability.
Lead strategic communications, brand stewardship, public relations, and stakeholder engagement across digital and print platforms, ensuring consistent messaging that strengthens community trust, organizational visibility, and donor support.
Develop and execute integrated communications and public education strategies including social media, website management (Wix), newsletters, fundraising campaigns, media outreach, community events, and educational resources.
Contributed to organizational growth supporting more than 5,000 pets through 2,000+ deliveries in 2025, more than 500 households during Q1 2026, and over 1,300 pets during the first five months of 2026 through communications leadership, outreach, fundraising support, volunteer engagement, and community partnerships.
Build and maintain relationships with donors, sponsors, volunteers, businesses, media representatives, applicants, government contacts, and community organizations throughout the Okanagan.
Lead public awareness initiatives, fundraising campaigns, sponsorship recognition programs, and volunteer engagement efforts that strengthen organizational reputation and community impact.
Create and oversee digital and print communications materials including annual reports, newsletters, brochures, educational resources, social media campaigns, and promotional materials using Canva and other digital communication platforms.
Develop accessible public-facing content, educational resources, partnership materials, and governance communications while supporting strategic planning, organizational development, and community engagement objectives.
Draft and negotiate Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and partnership agreements with community organizations to support collaborative initiatives and service delivery.
Secretary & Social Media Director
Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team Society (ALERT)
West Kelowna, Canada
01.2025 - Current
Lead communications strategy and social media management supporting emergency preparedness, animal welfare response, public education, volunteer recruitment, and community engagement across the Central and South Okanagan.
Develop and deliver public education campaigns that translate emergency preparedness, evacuation planning, animal welfare, and disaster response information into clear, accessible messaging for public audiences.
Create educational resources, awareness campaigns, event promotions, volunteer recruitment materials, and stakeholder communications across multiple digital and print platforms.
Support board-level communications, meeting administration, records management, governance activities, and strategic planning discussions as Secretary.
Collaborate with emergency management partners, volunteers, board members, municipalities, animal welfare organizations, and community stakeholders on regional outreach initiatives and preparedness efforts.
Strengthen organizational visibility through consistent public messaging, social media content, community education, event communications, and volunteer engagement campaigns.
Support crisis and emergency preparedness communications by helping ensure public-facing information is accurate, timely, calm, and easy to understand.
Work Order Control Coordinator / UBI Operations Supervisor
Shaw Communications
01.2013 - 01.2023
- Managed technician assignments, workload distribution, service priorities, and operational resources within a fast-paced telecommunications environment.
- Coordinated workforce logistics and scheduling across Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton, Kamloops, and Merritt, enhancing service delivery efficiency and responsiveness to customer needs.
- Collaborated with field teams, dispatch, management, and customer service departments to resolve operational challenges and maintain service standards.
- Monitored productivity metrics and operational performance to support achievement of service levels and completion targets.
- Developed stakeholder communication and conflict resolution strategies, fostering collaboration among customers, technicians, leadership teams, and operational partners to ensure seamless service delivery.
- Built strong expertise in stakeholder communication, process improvement, operational coordination, customer service excellence, and team leadership.
Education
Criminology
Douglas College
New WestminsterSkills
- Social media strategy
- Content Strategy
- Campaign Development
- Public Relations
- Media relations
- Community outreach strategy
- Community engagement
- Stakeholder Relations
- Brand stewardship
- Event coordination
- Website Content Management
- Social Media Analytics
- Copy editing
- Project management
- Wix Website Management
- Canva
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft Office
- YouTube
- Media relations
Timeline
Secretary & Social Media Director
Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team Society (ALERT)
01.2025 - Current
Co-Founder & Communications Director
Lend A Paw Pet Food Foundation
01.2020 - Current
Work Order Control Coordinator / UBI Operations Supervisor
Shaw Communications
01.2013 - 01.2023
Criminology
Douglas College
Communications Highlights
Maintained website content, newsletters, social media, posters, brochures, educational resources, and promotional materials while ensuring consistent branding and clear public messaging. Developed communications campaigns for education, fundraising, and community outreach. Built relationships with donors, sponsors, volunteers, businesses, media contacts, and community organizations. Drafted MOUs with partner organizations to formalize collaboration, clarify roles, and support coordinated nonprofit and emergency response efforts.
Technology Platforms
- Canva
- AI-Assisted Content Development
- Social Media Analytics
- Wix Website Management
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft Office
- YouTube
- Vimeo
- Basic Adobe Creative Suite
Professional Development
Professional Development & Specialized Training
- Humane Canada Summit for Animals – Emergency Management Deep Dive
- Nonprofit Governance & Board Leadership
- Strategic Communications & Public Engagement
- Volunteer Leadership & Management
- Emergency Preparedness & Animal Welfare Response Training
- ESS PSLV (Personal Supports & Lodging Volunteer) Training
- Emergency Animal Mortality Management Training
- TLAER™ (Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue) Awareness Training
- Emotional First Aid Training
- Indigenous Cultural Awareness & Reconciliation Training
Signature Career Achievement
Co-Founder, Lend A Paw Pet Food Foundation, Helped lead transition from grassroots initiative to registered Canadian charity status (2023). Co-founded and helped grow a grassroots initiative into a registered Canadian charity through communications leadership, stakeholder engagement, fundraising support, volunteer coordination, community partnerships, governance development, and public education. Helped establish a recognized regional resource supporting pets and families throughout the Okanagan while building partnerships with donors, sponsors, volunteers, businesses, media, and community organizations.
Community Leadership
- Lend A Paw Pet Food Foundation, Co-Founder
- Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team (ALERT), Secretary & Social Media Director
Communications Highlights
Maintained website content, newsletters, social media, posters, brochures, educational resources, and promotional materials while ensuring consistent branding and clear public messaging. Developed communications campaigns for education, fundraising, and community outreach. Built relationships with donors, sponsors, volunteers, businesses, media contacts, and community organizations. Drafted MOUs with partner organizations to formalize collaboration, clarify roles, and support coordinated nonprofit and emergency response efforts.
Technology Platforms
- Canva
- AI-Assisted Content Development
- Social Media Analytics
- Wix Website Management
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft Office
- YouTube
- Vimeo
- Basic Adobe Creative Suite
Professional Development
Professional Development & Specialized Training
- Humane Canada Summit for Animals – Emergency Management Deep Dive
- Nonprofit Governance & Board Leadership
- Strategic Communications & Public Engagement
- Volunteer Leadership & Management
- Emergency Preparedness & Animal Welfare Response Training
- ESS PSLV (Personal Supports & Lodging Volunteer) Training
- Emergency Animal Mortality Management Training
- TLAER™ (Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue) Awareness Training
- Emotional First Aid Training
- Indigenous Cultural Awareness & Reconciliation Training
Signature Career Achievement
Co-Founder, Lend A Paw Pet Food Foundation, Helped lead transition from grassroots initiative to registered Canadian charity status (2023). Co-founded and helped grow a grassroots initiative into a registered Canadian charity through communications leadership, stakeholder engagement, fundraising support, volunteer coordination, community partnerships, governance development, and public education. Helped establish a recognized regional resource supporting pets and families throughout the Okanagan while building partnerships with donors, sponsors, volunteers, businesses, media, and community organizations.
Community Leadership
- Lend A Paw Pet Food Foundation, Co-Founder
- Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team (ALERT), Secretary & Social Media Director
Communications Highlights
Maintained website content, newsletters, social media, posters, brochures, educational resources, and promotional materials while ensuring consistent branding and clear public messaging. Developed communications campaigns for education, fundraising, and community outreach. Built relationships with donors, sponsors, volunteers, businesses, media contacts, and community organizations. Drafted MOUs with partner organizations to formalize collaboration, clarify roles, and support coordinated nonprofit and emergency response efforts.
Technology Platforms
- Canva
- AI-Assisted Content Development
- Social Media Analytics
- Wix Website Management
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft Office
- YouTube
- Vimeo
- Basic Adobe Creative Suite
Professional Development
Professional Development & Specialized Training
- Humane Canada Summit for Animals – Emergency Management Deep Dive
- Nonprofit Governance & Board Leadership
- Strategic Communications & Public Engagement
- Volunteer Leadership & Management
- Emergency Preparedness & Animal Welfare Response Training
- ESS PSLV (Personal Supports & Lodging Volunteer) Training
- Emergency Animal Mortality Management Training
- TLAER™ (Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue) Awareness Training
- Emotional First Aid Training
- Indigenous Cultural Awareness & Reconciliation Training