Volunteer Requirements
Age Requirements
- Volunteers ages 18 and up may volunteer in the opportunity of their choice. Volunteers under 18 may volunteer in the roles described below.
- Volunteers under 18 years old are required to have a parent or guardian sign their Volunteer Release Form.
- Dog Walking & Enrichment Volunteers
- Volunteers ages 10-17 are permitted to volunteer in Dog Walking & Enrichment along with a parent or guardian who is also a trained volunteer.
- No more than 2 children will be allowed to walk with an adult at once.
- Volunteers ages 16+ years old with required experience (training and 20 hours of service) can request to do Dog Walking & Enrichment alone.
- Shelter Dog Care Volunteers
- Volunteers ages 13-17 are permitted to volunteer in Shelter Dog Care along with a parent or guardian who is also a trained volunteer.
- Volunteers ages 16+ years old with required experience (training and 20 hours of service) can request to do Shelter Dog Care alone.
- Shelter Cat Care Volunteers
- Volunteers ages 13-17 are permitted to volunteer in Shelter Cat Care & Enrichment along with a parent or guardian who is also a trained volunteer.
- Volunteers ages 16+ years old with required experience (training and 20 hours of service) can request to do Shelter Cat Care & Enrichment alone.
- Office Assistant, Outreach & Community Events
- Volunteers ages 13+ may volunteer for office roles, special events, Kibble Supply Pet Food Pantry, and outreach on a case-by-case basis.
Community Service
- We accept volunteers 18 and over for court-ordered community service.
- Community Service volunteers do not interact with animals. They provide shelter support including washing dishes, doing laundry, general cleaning, and special projects.
Time Commitment
- We ask volunteers to commit to one volunteer shift per week. Volunteer shift times vary by assignment, but are always at least one hour long.
- We ask volunteers to commit to four months of service to Animal Friends Alliance. Our volunteers are important to us, and we hope you will stay much longer!
- We ask all volunteers to have an email address they will check at least once a week.
- We ask all volunteers to help with one event or fundraiser 1 event per year. This could be a fundraising event such as our annual Gala for Animals, an outreach event, or a Kibble Supply distribution day.
Volunteer Fee
As part of our application process, we ask for a $35 volunteer fee ($50 for a parent and 2 children) to help cover the costs of your volunteer T-shirt, nametag, handouts, background check (if 18 or older), and our online volunteer information center. We hope it is a small price to pay for the good feeling of knowing that you are helping the animals and people in our community, but if you are unable to pay, please contact our Volunteer Program Administrator.
Please contact our Volunteer Program Administrator at volunteer@savinganimalstoday.org for more information.
Steps to become an Animal Friends Alliance volunteer
Step 1: Fill out our online Volunteer Application Form
Step 2: Attend a volunteer orientation
Orientation serves as an introduction to our organization, our services and policies, the requirements to become a volunteer, and the positions that are currently available. It is a time for you to ask questions about positions you may be interested in or policies we hold.
Step 3: Pay volunteer fee & complete background check
The $35 volunteer fee covers your background check (applicable to adults 18 and over), a volunteer t-shirt, name tag, a copy of the volunteer manual & other handouts, training, and our volunteer database. The fee for families (one adult and up to 2 minors) is $50. If the fee is cost-prohibitive, or you prefer to pay by check or cash, please contact the Volunteer Program Administrator to make alternative arrangements.
You will be sent a link to pay the fee after you’ve attended a volunteer orientation.
Step 4: Sign up for an onboarding opportunity
We have set up a virtual on-boarding process to show prospective volunteers proper animal handling techniques and what a volunteer shift may look like. We will send you links for 2 videos and ask you to complete a quiz for each. Once this step is complete you will be able to sign up for hands-on training.
Step 5: Complete training & start volunteering!
You will be matched with a Volunteer Mentor or Staff member who will begin your training for your position. Volunteers are welcome to hold as many positions as desired but must complete the necessary training for each position.
Please contact our Volunteer Program Administrator at volunteer@savinganimalstoday.org if you have any questions.