Animal Welfare Professionals

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  • 1.  How do you define an "active" volunteer?

    Posted 10-16-2023 07:20 PM

    How do you define an active volunteer? Is there a minimum time requirement per month or year that you consider to make a volunteer "active" at your organization?   

    Thanks!


    #PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)

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    Clare Callison
    Director of National Operations
    Austin Pets Alive
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  • 2.  RE: How do you define an "active" volunteer?

    Posted 10-17-2023 06:00 AM

    We request that our volunteers donate 4 hours per month to remain active, but I give them a lot of leeway on this. I let them know that if they miss the requirement for 6 months in a row, they'll become inactive (and be removed from our volunteer forum). 

    However, there are several cases where I know when/why someone is behind - for example, we have some college kids who are only here in the summer and a few people who are highly involved in an annual event (but inactive the rest of the year). Since I have to inactivate people manually, I'll just leave them Active if I "know what's going on."

    I also email everyone who is being inactivated to let them know what's going on and that they can easily be "re-activated" anytime if they want to get involved again.



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    Erin Dams
    Community Relations Coordinator
    Roanoke Valley SPCA
    Roanoke VA
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  • 3.  RE: How do you define an "active" volunteer?

    Posted 10-17-2023 06:59 AM

    Very helpful- thank you, Erin!



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    Clare Callison
    Director of National Operations
    Austin Pets Alive
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: How do you define an "active" volunteer?

    Posted 10-17-2023 06:30 PM

    Erin, 

    Could you say a little bit about your "Volunteer Forum" ? 

    Our volunteer activity is very hit or miss, and I'd love to know more about how folks engage their volunteers and help them feel invested in the organization. 

    Thanks!



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    Eudora Watson
    Volunteer
    Potsdam Humane Society Shelter
    New York
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: How do you define an "active" volunteer?

    Posted 10-17-2023 08:10 AM

    At AARF (Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends) we define an active volunteer as anyone who volunteers at least once a month.  Most of our volunteers come in to assist at least one time a week.



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    Ginger Higgins
    Program Associate
    Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends (AARF)
    GA
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  • 6.  RE: How do you define an "active" volunteer?

    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
    Posted 10-17-2023 05:05 PM
    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

    This is a great question, we also struggle with this concept as so many volunteers are INCREDIBLE and come for in person stuff routinely, but as an organization without a brick and mortar facility, most of our required work is remote and we struggle here a lot. Many people are enthusiastic and commit to roles or projects and then dont complete the tasks, require dozes of follow-ups, and finally some even respond with "oh sorry I left on vacation and cant continue to volunteer" when they literally never even started. Its hard to explain that they are so relied upon foundationally (*) for completion of those tasks and they just drop like flies.  Would love to hear how others deal with this and how they encourage volunteers to be serious in their commitments




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