The Big Fix: A Community Blueprint for High‑Volume Spay/Neuter Clinics

Open‑Source Tools for Communities Ready to Change the Future for Cats

Across rural America, access to veterinary care is shrinking while the number of unowned and outdoor cats continues to rise. Communities want solutions — but too often, the knowledge, structure, and support needed to run a high‑volume spay/neuter clinic feels out of reach.

The Big Fix exists to change that.

This open‑source Blueprint was created so any community — regardless of size, resources, or experience — can launch a one‑day, high‑impact spay/neuter clinic that humanely reduces cat overpopulation and strengthens community health.

There are no fees, no licensing, no gatekeeping. Just proven, replicable, lifesaving information.

What Is The Big Fix?

The Big Fix is a one‑day, high‑volume spay/neuter clinic model designed specifically for rural and underserved communities. It brings together:

• Veterinary professionals
• Trappers and colony caretakers
• Volunteers
• Local leaders
• Community partners

…to safely and efficiently sterilize large numbers of outdoor cats in a single day.

The model is built on efficiency, compassion, and community empowerment, and has been successfully implemented in multiple Nebraska counties — including record‑breaking events like The Big Fix Fairbury.

What’s Inside the Big Fix Blueprint

The Blueprint you’ll find below includes everything needed to plan and execute a successful clinic:

✔ Planning & Logistics (3+ months out)

How to build your core team, secure a venue, create a trapping plan, recruit veterinary partners, and prepare your community.

✔ Operational Setup (1 month out)

Supply lists, volunteer roles, clinic flow diagrams, forms, and training guidance.

✔ Clinic Day Execution

Step‑by‑step instructions for intake, prep, surgery, recovery, discharge, and post‑event follow‑up.

✔ Emergency Preparedness

Severe weather plans, power and internet outage contingencies, flooding protocols, and safety-first decision making.

✔ Volunteer Management

Clear role descriptions for medically experienced volunteers, animal handlers, and non‑animal support teams.

✔ Budgeting & Fundraising

Sample budgets, supply costs, donation strategies, and community engagement tools.

✔ Open‑Source Educational Materials

Messaging, outreach strategies, and templates to help communities understand and support TVNR.

Why This Blueprint Is Open Source

Veterinary access is already a crisis in many rural areas. Access to the information needed to solve that crisis should never be one.

This Blueprint is open source so that:

• No community has to reinvent the wheel
• No one is excluded due to cost or geography
• More cats can be helped, faster
• Local leaders can build sustainable, humane population control programs
• Knowledge becomes a shared tool, not a barrier

You are encouraged to use it, adapt it, share it, and build upon it.

About the Author

The Big Fix Blueprint was created by Carlee Fiddes, Executive Director of the Beatrice Humane Society, drawing on years of experience in rural animal welfare, high‑volume spay/neuter operations, and community-based population management.

Carlee has coordinated multiple large-scale clinics, including The Big Fix Fairbury, The Fix’em Clinic, and other rural TVNR initiatives. Her work centers on removing barriers to care, empowering communities, and building humane, sustainable solutions for cats and the people who care about them.

Questions or Want Guidance?

Communities are encouraged to reach out for support, clarification, or collaboration.

Contact: cfiddes@beatricehumanesociety.org

Access the Full Big Fix Blueprint

The complete Blueprint — including supply lists, budgets, volunteer plans, clinic flow diagrams, emergency protocols, and more — is available below. Use it freely. Share it widely. Save lives.