4. Make it legal

Shelters always seem to be in need of volunteers with professional legal skills. “Several years ago a coworker who volunteered with a local spay/neuter group asked me to review the copyright notices of a video about euthanasia,” recounts Dixie Dixon, a corporate lawyer now on the board of the Pennsylvania SPCA. “That moment changed my life. I could no longer close my eyes to pet overpopulation issues.” She joined the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and they referred grassroots groups to her for guidance in incorporating. Seeing the need for boilerplate forms and contracts that any animal group could use, she began compiling materials for a book that will be published shortly. “I am encouraged by all the new animal law courses in law schools around the country,” says Dixie. “The work I do with animal protection groups is so needed and appreciated, it is the best possible use of my legal skills.”

5. Work your workplace

Designate a day for coworkers to donate spare change or pool their tips for the benefit of the shelter. Make it an event. Publicize it with flyers and signs, and remind everyone of the important work the shelter does. A restaurant might ask local celebrities to volunteer as wait staff for the evening—with regular staff assisting them. A hair salon might time their event to coordinate with the shelter’s “dog wash” benefit to promote well-coifed pets and owners. Or your company, for example, might sponsor a Saturday car wash.

6. Party with the animals

You may want to satisfy your need for feline contact by spending time socializing shelter cats. “Our volunteers are dedicated to making the cats purr,” explains Connie Barker, a volunteer with Friends of San Clemente Animals in California. “They spend time each day playing with the cats, getting to know them, grooming them and generally keeping them as happy as they can be, given the inherent stress of being in an animal shelter.” Barker has learned, through input about the cats from other volunteers, that adoption counselors are making better placements.

7. Write for or start a newsletter

It’s a great way to keep members, supporters, adopters and the public informed about what the shelter does and what it needs. Many shelters rely on volunteers to write articles, and some newsletters are entirely produced by volunteers. If you’re not so verbally inclined, you might prefer the designing and publishing end of it, or work on creating or updating the mailing list. Be sure to include heartwarming stories and a donation envelope.

8. Have a party!

Organize an event for all your elegant friends and donate the proceeds to the shelter. Any kind of social event—a clam bake, a Super Bowl party, a jazz brunch or a dog walk—is a great way to make new friends and raise money. Each year, as the word gets out, more people are bound to attend, and before you know it, your group will have a major fund-raising event! The Bergh Ball (named after Henry Bergh, the ASPCA’s founder), has become a much-anticipated event in New York City. This year the ball brought in $425,000. (See “Horsin’ Around,” p. 14.)

9. Pick up a hammer

If you’re handy, you’re hired! The Sea Bees, a naval reserve group in Frankfort, NY, volunteered their manpower to the Herkimer County Humane Society in Mohawk, NY. They took down walls and expanded the shelter, built an isolation ward and constructed a much needed storage area for the shelter. More modest projects might include a jungle-gym-style cattery, complete with tree branches or carpeted columns for climbing.

10. Work those numbers

Shelters on a shoestring can reap enormous benefits from the guidance of a caring accountant. To operate smoothly, any non-profit must keep good records, but if you add animal control contracts and the reports for state and local departments, it can all seem overwhelming—except to an accountant. “If there’s one thing a CPA is not afraid of, it’s forms,” says Bettina Bieri, a CPA and a volunteer with the all-volunteer-run West Milford Animal Shelter Society in New Jersey. “Our volunteers bring lots of compassion and caring, which the animals need, but an accountant brings the skills and ability to do things that most shelter volunteers can’t or don’t want to do—keep records and statistics, run the business and plan for the future. A shelter will prosper or dissolve as a business, even if it is the business of saving lives,” notes Bettina.

Lisa Saavedra is the assistant director of ASPCA National Shelter Outreach.

"BUT MY SHELTER DOESN’T TAKE VOLUNTEERS."

If your local animal shelter doesn’t accept volunteers, find out why. Start by asking the director. If you’re not satisfied with the response, contact the board of directors; if it’s a government facility, ask the supervisor of the department it falls under. There may be a legitimate reason, such as not having the proper liability insurance. Or, there simply may not have been enough interest. Volunteers require supervision, coordination and a liability policy that protects them and the shelter. Many shelters have volunteer programs or “friends-of-the-shelter” groups that are entirely coordinated by a volunteer. Some of these groups purchase their own liability policy. Programs can run the gamut from handling offsite adoptions to creative fund-raising. If this is biting off more than you can chew, consider asking if you can volunteer on an ad hoc basis. Remember, you don’t have to work in the shelter to assist it. Make an appointment with the director to discuss how your talents can best benefit the shelter.

Your Local Shelter Wants You!

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