Volunteer Opportunities
Foster Support Team
This group will consist of 2 teams. The Meet and Greet Team will assist with the introduction of dogs to potential foster families, including their dogs and children prior to placement. The Foster Support Team will work with the foster family after the foster dog is placed in their home to ensure a successful transition.
Meet & Greet Team: Dog savvy volunteers will help with meet and greets between dogs ready for fostering and potential foster families. These volunteers will introduce foster dogs to other dogs and children in a safe manner and assure the dog will be a good fit for the family.
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Skills or Equipment Needed for Meet & Greet Team Member:
These volunteers must be 18 + years of age and should have some experience with dogs and their behavior around other dogs and children. Training will be provided. Transportation to GRRAND's kennel will be required. - Time Requirements: Flexible availability is preferred. Each meet and greet occurs at GRRAND Central Station (GCS), in Lyndon, KY, and typically the duration is 30-60 minutes per session.
Foster Support Team:
Volunteers will serve as the foster family’s main point of contact once the foster dog has been placed in their home – answering questions and providing guidance as necessary. Volunteers on the Foster Support Team will check in periodically with foster families to ensure that the foster dog is transitioning well into the home and to receive updates for GRRAND’s website and social media pages.
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Skills or Equipment Needed for Foster Support Team:
Must be 18+ yeas of age and have the ability to contact fosters or answer calls, email or texts from families and provide assistance. GRRAND’s Foster Coordinator is available for questions or assistance for this team. - Time Requirements: Location is flexible, as this can be done remotely. Timing is flexible and depends on the number of foster families assigned to the volunteer. Average of 1-2 hours/month broken into increments depending on availability.
Socialization Team
Socialize and exercise dogs housed at the Louisville GRRAND facility
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Skills or Equipment Needed:
Must be 18+ years of age with a solid understanding of dog behavior, good leash management skills, and a constant concern for the safety of our dogs and the other volunteers. Reliable transportation is required to volunteer at GRRAND’s kennel, The Pet Station Country Club (7924 Vine Crest Avenue, Louisville, KY 40222) - Time Requirements: Time commitment is flexible. We need volunteers throughout the day, 7 days a week, so you can choose times that work best with your schedule.
Grooming Team
Bathe and groom incoming rescue dogs prior to transferring them to foster or adoptive homes
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Skills or Equipment Needed:
We have a hydraulic grooming tub at our kennel, a blow dryer, grooming tools, and a grooming table. Grooming experience is not essential but welcomed. We're looking for peopl who love dogs, - Time Requirements: Team will work in pairs to accomplish this task. Some of these dogs just need a little fluffing and buffing while others need help with heavy matting or years of dirt buildup and poor skin condition. GRRAND’s grooming coordinator will work with you to meet your scheduling needs.
Telephone Assistance
Respond to or forward messages to an appropriate GRRAND volunteer to answer questions from the public. Involves speaking with folks to help them better understand GRRAND’s policies and operations.
- Skills or Equipment Needed: Good verbal communication skills, enthusiastic personality, and home or cell phone service.
- Time Requirements: Varies based on the number of phone calls and assignment. Check GRRAND’s hotline voice mailbox at regular intervals during a specific day of the week (between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.) and inform other committee members if their assistance is needed.
Transportation
Transport dogs to and from shelters, kennels, foster homes, and vet offices.
- Skills or Equipment Needed: A secure vehicle with a crate or dog barrier in which to transport dogs, a flexible schedule, and willingness to travel. Good communication and dog management skills.
- Time Requirements: On-call basis (with option to accept or decline an assignment).
Applicant Screening
Make calls to process GRRAND adoption and foster applications. Contact vet offices, personal references, or applicants to verify application information.
- Skills or Equipment Needed: Attention to detail, access to email and phone texting. Good written, verbal, and computer skills are needed for this activity. Training will be provided.
- Time Requirements: About 30 minutes to an hour per application review. We will work with your schedule availability!
Home Visits
Conduct on-site home visits for prospective adoptive families. Share information about adoption policies, ask questions, make observations, and complete a home visit checklist.
- Skills or Equipment Needed: Good communication, observation, and documentation skills along with an expressive personality. Must have your own transportation.
- Time Requirements: About 1 hour per visit, plus travel time. An effort is made to make assignments near your local area.
Foster a Dog
Provide a loving foster home for a GRRAND dog waiting to be adopted. Provide general care of the dog while assessing behavior, providing basic training skills, and being available to show the dog to prospective adopters.
- Skills or Equipment Needed: Knowledge of dogs and behavioral needs, securely fenced yard if children under 16 in household, ability to communicate effectively with GRRAND representatives and prospective adopters, and ability to assess the suitability of a family to adopt the foster dog. Knowledge of GRRAND’s policies and procedures (training for volunteers is provided).
- Time Requirements: Foster dogs will live with you until an adoptive family is found, typically from a few days to several months.
Vet Care Assistance
Provide assistance to GRRAND’s Vet Care Coordinator in the management of medications dispersed to foster families and kennel managers for dogs awaiting adoption.
- Skills or Equipment Needed: Good organizational skills and commitment to getting medicine to dogs in a timely manner. A general understanding of the medications dispersed, and medical needs of dogs is helpful; however, this is easily learned. Computer skills needed for data entry.
- Time Requirements: Approximately four hours per week.
Public Events
Represent GRRAND at public events to market GRRAND’s mission, dogs, and volunteer recruitment. Many of these are “meet and greet” events at various pet stores and organizations to provide the public with information about GRRAND.
- Skills and Equipment Needed: Outgoing personality, reliability, knowledge of GRRAND’s policies and procedures, good communication skills, and a good understanding of Golden Retrievers is helpful. Your own transportation to events.
- Time Requirements: Two to four events per month. Each event requires set-up, several hours working the event, and packing up information materials. Preparation of handout materials.
Marketing and Publicity
Assist GRRAND in organizing and planning marketing and publicity initiatives.
- Skills and Equipment Needed: Professional experience in marketing, public relations, or graphic design. Creativity and organizational skills.
- Time Requirements: Varies.
Fundraising
Participate in GRRAND fundraising initiatives, activities, and events as well as research and write grant proposals.
- Skills and Equipment Needed: Experience in fundraising or grant writing, excellent communication skills, as well as enthusiasm, creativity, and ability to work well with others. Must be self-motivated, enthusiastic and goal oriented.
- Time Requirements: Ongoing. Grant writing is flexible, depending on application deadlines.
GRRAND Affair Auction Event
Assist with collection and preparation of auction items, preparation of displays at event, and auction activities (including set-up and take-down at event).
- Skills and Equipment Needed: Decorating skills, transportation for pick-up and delivery of auction items, people skills and enthusiasm.
- Time Requirements: Preparations begin in July for the November event. Vigorous activity begins in September.
Writers or Graphic Designers for GRRAND Publications
Write articles and/or create graphics for GRRAND publications.
- Skills and Equipment Needed: Experience in writing, editing, and graphic design.
- Time Requirements: Varies depending on publication schedules.
- Skills and Equipment Needed: Excellent knowledge and experience with WordPress. Personal computer or laptop required.
- Time Requirements: Ongoing; frequent attention for content changes and updates
Intake
Volunteers work with shelters, owners, and the community to obtain specific information before bringing a dog into our program.
- Skills and Equipment Needed: Intake Volunteers work closely with several GRRAND teams to facilitate the dog coming into a program. Those teams include the Foster team, the Transportation team, a few Board Members, the trainers GRRAND works with, and our Adoption team. Computer skills needed for data entry.
- Time Requirements: An intake can take as little as an hour or up to a few weeks from start to finish.
Follow-Up Committee
Committee provides important follow-up support to adoptive households to facilitate a smooth transition for everyone. With timely and helpful follow-up, we help make the adoption a successful one, provide resources as needed and ensure that appropriate vet care continues.
- Skills and Equipment Needed: Most communications between volunteers and GRRAND adopters occur via email or telephone.
- Time Requirements: Team members take turns monthly and are asked to be responsible for 1-2 months each year.