How to Attract More Animal Shelter Volunteers

The contributions of animal shelter volunteers directly improve the lives of shelter animals while reducing the burden on paid workers. Though most shelter leaders understand the importance of volunteers, how to recruit animal shelter volunteers may still be a struggle. We’ll discuss why volunteers matter for animal shelters and ten proven strategies to increase volunteerism in the shelter.

Why Volunteers Matter in Animal Shelters

Volunteers contribute greatly to the overall success of animal shelters. Volunteers can save shelters money and donate enough work annually to fill the roles of paid workers, reducing the burden on your staff. For example, Humane Colorado (formerly known as the Dumb Friends League), which is a large shelter in Denver, Colorado, reported 1,418 volunteers in the year 2015 who donated 211,307 hours of service. This is the equivalent of 101 full-time employees and was worth $4.7 million in donated time.

The following are examples of the roles that volunteers can fulfill in animal shelters:

Volunteering in an animal shelter is emotionally and physically taxing. Volunteers may find themselves unable to volunteer or occasionally need to step back. Some volunteers, such as college students, may also only be able to assist your shelter seasonally. It is in the best interest of animal shelters to make volunteer recruitment an ongoing priority.

These nonprofit volunteer recruitment trips can help your shelter build a strong volunteer base.

Strategy 1: Create a Clear and Compelling Volunteer Pitch

You should have a clear and consistent pitch that you use to recruit volunteers. This pitch should tell potential volunteers what their role would be and the impact they’d have on the lives of shelter animals.

Consider incorporating the positive stories of existing volunteers in your pitch so that potential volunteers get a good grasp of the volunteer experience. If you have current volunteers helping you pitch to potential volunteers, encourage them to tell their own stories, as well.

Lastly, your pitch needs to include how to sign up and get started. Try to make this as easy as possible. If you have a long and complicated volunteer application or the application is difficult to find, you’ll lose potential volunteers.

Strategy 2: Leverage Social Media and Local Press

You can leverage social media for volunteer recruitment. Use Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and other social media sites to share behind-the-scenes content and success stories that will encourage potential volunteers to sign up. A fun idea that may attract new volunteers is a “volunteer social media takeover.” Established members of your volunteer base would control social media for the day, sharing what they do for the shelter and why it matters.

Reach out to local news outlets and bloggers as well. Invite them into your shelter and make sure to highlight the work that volunteers are doing while they’re there. As you do this, consider the demographics of your community. For example, if your shelter is in an area with a high population of Spanish speakers, make sure you’re putting up posts in Spanish and contacting Spanish news channels.

Strategy 3: Host Open Houses and Community Events

Engage the community by inviting the public to tour the shelter and meet animals. You can offer mini-training sessions or volunteer previews at open houses or community events.

Consider collaborating with local businesses for co-hosted events. The following are a few ideas for co-hosted events:

Strategy 4: Build Relationships with Schools and Colleges

Work with schools and colleges to engage youth and young adults in your volunteer program. Some students need service hours for certain clubs or honors programs, and working with an animal shelter may be a desirable option for these students.

Make sure local schools know you have youth-friendly volunteer roles. Examples of youth-friendly animal shelter volunteer roles include:

Consider giving a presentation at career days or student fairs as well. If you have an on-site medical program, don’t forget to reach out to veterinary schools. Veterinary students are often looking for shelter externships to gain hands-on experience, especially with spay and neuter surgeries.

Strategy 5: Make Onboarding Simple and Welcoming

Two issues that can stop a potential volunteer from signing on with your shelter include complicated shelter volunteer onboarding processes and not feeling welcome.

Keep it simple! Streamline paperwork and ensure that your orientation is structured. This orientation should cover safety protocols, the basics of the tasks your volunteers will complete, and shelter-specific procedures. Provide resources for volunteers to reference as they complete shelter volunteer training.

A great way to make your new volunteers feel welcome and reduce their anxiety is to pair them with an experienced volunteer mentor for their first few volunteer sessions. This person can show them the ropes and answer any of their questions as they learn how your shelter works.

Strategy 6: Offer Flexible Scheduling Options

In today’s busy world, an important facet of attracting volunteers to animal shelters is to offer flexible scheduling options that respect the diverse lifestyles and availabilities of potential volunteers.

First off, ensure that volunteers can sign up for shifts online. People may simply choose not to volunteer if they need to call or physically come in to sign up for shifts.

Aside from making it easy to choose shifts, you can offer flexible scheduling options by:

Strategy 7: Recognize and Celebrate Volunteers

Recognize and celebrate your volunteers from day one. If volunteers feel important and appreciated, they’re more likely to recommend your shelter as a good place for others to volunteer.

The following are ideas for volunteer recognition:

Strategy 8: Create a Positive and Inclusive Culture

Volunteering at an animal shelter can be an emotional experience. It’s important not to forget to prioritize volunteer wellness in addition to staff wellness.

You can create a positive and inclusive culture that’s attractive to potential volunteers by:

Strategy 9: Tap Into Corporate and Group Volunteering

Look into offering corporate and group volunteering opportunities, which is a fantastic method to build long-term relationships with local businesses. Some companies have company volunteer days or team service days, and you can leverage these opportunities to get large projects completed.

Examples of projects that could be offered to a group or business include:

Strategy 10: Ask for Referrals and Feedback

Your current volunteers are a great resource for recruiting new volunteers. Encourage them to bring friends or family members to help out at the shelter.

Use surveys to improve the volunteer experience. Importantly, make sure that you tell volunteers how you’re responding to their feedback. Communication should be open and responsive. If volunteers provide feedback and nothing changes, they’ll feel like you do not care about their experiences and that your surveys are simply performative.

Building a Volunteer Community That Lasts

Building a volunteer program that lasts and grows is possible with the strategies we’ve discussed. The lists below summarize the strategies we mentioned, as well as outreach channels you can use to contact volunteers.

Strategies for Volunteer Recruitment

Outreach Channels and Tools

As you search for more volunteers, make sure you’re considering how volunteerism fits into your shelter’s size. Consider the demographics of your community and work to include a volunteer base that’s representative of your community. Regardless of your shelter’s size, you’ll have a stronger volunteer base if you focus on providing a positive experience for volunteers, recognizing their contributions, and responding to feedback.

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