Animal Welfare Professionals

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  • 1.  Volunteer Committees-Job Roles?

    Posted 09-17-2024 06:06 PM

    My shelter is in the process of forming volunteer committees, something I am very excited about as we can create more oppurtunities to build up our program and utilize the skill base in our community. This has also provided us the oppurtunity to have students complete unpaid internships with us. I am looking for advice on what kind of committees to form and some important, niche, or oftten forgotten roles we can implement into our program. Thanks in advance!


    #PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)

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    Brandon Fancy
    Community Engagement coordinator
    Columbia Animal Services
    SC
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  • 2.  RE: Volunteer Committees-Job Roles?

    Posted 09-23-2024 05:55 AM

    Creating volunteer committees sounds like a great idea and use of skills in the community! What a great idea. At the shelter I'm at, there is a ton of volunteer work that keeps the shelter running but there are often staff point-people for each group. Here are some things we're doing that I think some volunteer committees could be of assistance:

    -dog walkers 

    -cat socializers

    -fosters (take care of animals in their homes)

    -social media (post for the shelter on FB, intagram, TikTok)

    -front desk (phones and email inquiries)

    -meet-and-greet helpers (take dogs on walk before meeting potential adopters, trained on animal behavior and helpful in introducing animals to the public)

    -animal enrichment teams (make KONGs, shreddable boxes, and other games for enrichment)

    -builders (help with infrastructure projects - i.e., shelves, cat-ios)

    -landscapers (keep facilities up-to-date on lawn care, plant seasonal flowers)

    -event coordination and attendance



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    Lydia Gandy-Fastovich
    Dog Walker, Enrichment
    CNYSPCA
    NY
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  • 3.  RE: Volunteer Committees-Job Roles?

    Posted 09-23-2024 09:10 AM
      |   view attached

    We JUST started recruiting for a new volunteer community that I am calling our "Community Action and Planning (CAP) Team." Essentially, I don't have a ton of consistent volunteers who want to help with off-site events that do NOT include animals, and we get invited to too many events for me to manage on my own. So I want to start this team of volunteers focused on helping with these events. I attached the volunteer "job description" I created for the role, and here's what I advertised on Facebook:

     https://www.facebook.com/RVSPCA/posts/pfbid0NtTDmT2nPj6MH23VGhxArxSdsrT4aZwf8phdKsTf6NbndhMNPcEEYHLXMdJwLf4ul

    We currently have a wonderful problem here at the Roanoke Valley SPCA! Our list of community partners and event invites keep growing and growing... but we do not currently have the manpower to participate in as many events as we'd like. 
    To solve this problem, we are looking for dedicated people to join our exciting new volunteer committee: the Community Action and Planning Team (CAP Team)! The goal of this team is to work together to represent the Roanoke Valley SPCA at community events and activities. CAP team members are required to attend one team meeting and volunteer at one event per quarter (3 month period).
    This is a great opportunity to help out if your schedule doesn't accommodate the typical "4 hours per month" required of our regular volunteers, if you're allergic to pets, or if you want to help out but aren't comfortable entering our kennels. The Community Action and Planning Team is also a great opportunity to gain experience working with kids, public speaking, environmental activism, and more.


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    Erin Dams
    Community Relations Coordinator
    Roanoke Valley SPCA
    Roanoke VA
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  • 4.  RE: Volunteer Committees-Job Roles?

    Posted 10-01-2024 07:59 AM

    Hi! I am the former volunteer coordinator for a shelter with over 300 active volunteers... We had SO many different opportunities for volunteers. One thing is we had volunteer advisory committees, which were nominated by the volunteers themselves. One was for dog volunteers and one was for cat volunteers. These groups helped address issues and brainstorm new ideas with leadership staff on a monthly basis. Some roles that might be considered outside of dog walkers and cat socializers: puppy socializers (great for volunteers who may not be able to physically handle/walk an adult dog), adoption counselors/greeters (great to provide customer service and a welcoming environment), and help with discharge if you have an associated clinic. Feel free to message me if you need some more ideas :)



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    Sarah Fuqua
    Director
    The Bobo Fund
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