GRRAND’s intake is growing faster than it ever has before, and we are now faced with the challenges of (1) being out of room to take in needy dogs and (2) outgrowing our current volunteer base. If we don’t find more fosters or volunteers soon, we won’t be able to keep up! See below for more information on how you can help today.
Don’t have time to foster/volunteer but still want to help? Help by spreading the word – share this information with others and use social media to interest others.
The simple facts:
More and more dogs need to be rescued and rehomed.
GRRAND’s intake is growing very quickly.
Goldens always come first per our mission.
We’ve outgrown our current volunteer base.
Without new volunteers, we cannot keep up with the rescue growth rate, and dogs will suffer.
Here’s a list of the position descriptions for volunteers we need:
ADOPTION FOLLOW-UP COORDINATOR FOR OHIO/NORTHERN KENTUCKY (one volunteer)
Have you ever been called a “fixer?” That’s a compliment!
The follow-up group, coordinated by this volunteer, provides important follow-up support to adoptive households to facilitate a smooth transition for everyone. With timely and helpful follow-up, they will assist in (1) creating a successful adoption, (2) providing resources as needed to adoptive families and (3) ensuring that appropriate vet care continues.
Skills and Equipment Needed: Most communications between volunteers and GRRAND adopters occur via email or telephone. Good verbal communication skills, enthusiastic personality. Training provided by GRRAND.
Time Requirements: Team members take turns monthly and are asked to be responsible for 1-2 months each year.
Location: Since all work is completed using a phone and computer (email) these volunteers may be in any of our geographic areas.
VOLUNTEER APPLICATION
CONTACT CLAIRE FOR MORE INFORMATION
APPLICATION PROCESSING TEAM (multiple volunteers needed)
Do you speak “dog?”
If you are a dog-lover who enjoys talking about dogs, this could be the perfect opportunity for you to help GRRAND dogs! These volunteers are the first verbal contacts with applicants. They make phone calls to applicants, check references, along with other contacts to obtain information needed to identify foster and adoptive homes for GRRAND dogs. Training is provided via phone, email and zoom. Flexibility with your schedule is provided.
Skills or Equipment Needed: Must be comfortable texting, calling people, and using email. Attention to detail, responding with a “sense of urgency” and providing a written summary of your conversations is critical for this volunteer role. Applicants must have good verbal communication skills and an enthusiastic personality. The volunteer must be willing to listen to applicants share about their current or previous dogs.
Time Requirements: Team members provide their availability. Time to make calls for each application varies between 20 and 30 minutes.
Location: Since all work is completed using a phone and computer (email), volunteers may be located in any of our geographic areas.
VOLUNTEER APPLICATION
EMAIL PAM FOR MORE INFORMATION
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.
GRRAND AFFAIR AUCTION SHOPPERS (multiple volunteers needed)
Can you shop till you drop?
Visit stores, boutiques, and other novelty places from March through May to request donations or gift certificates for the GRRAND Affair silent auction.
Skills and Equipment Needed: We’re looking for people who are confident in asking for donations for our GRRAND Affair fundraiser. Good communication skills and some knowledge about our event are needed. The ability to maintain a list of locations visited along with addresses, manager’s name, etc., is important. Notes are important for each auction item acquired. GRRAND will provide packets to each volunteer with request letters, donation forms, and thank you letters. We will also provide volunteers with a list of last year’s donors. Training will be required and completed through Zoom or some other means of communication.
Time Requirements: Depends on the approach. It will take upwards of a couple weeks’ worth of time during the March-May period. You can schedule your time around your schedule.
Location: Proximity to your neighborhoods within the following locations: Louisville, Lexington, Cincinnati, Dayton, Southern Indiana, and Northern Kentucky.
INTAKE TEAM (multiple volunteers needed)
Able to drop everything to save a dog?
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 will work closely with several GRRAND teams to facilitate the intake of a GRRAND dog. Those teams include the foster team, transportation team, GRRAND trainers, and our adoption team. Computer skills needed for data entry into a web-based software called Petstablished (training provided by GRRAND). Access to a phone and email is also required. The GRRAND Intake coordinator will provide training and be available to help with any issues or questions as you process these applications.
Time Requirements: An intake can take as little as an hour or up to a few weeks from start to finish. For the most part it will take 4-6 hours per week during large intakes, just a few hours a week during normal intake periods, and there will be some weeks with no work to be completed.
Location: Any of GRRAND’s geographic placement areas.
PUBLIC EVENTS TEAM (Up to 10 volunteers)
Do you have the personality of a Golden Retriever?
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: Looking for outgoing, reliable volunteers to meet and greet event participants. Knowledge of GRRAND is helpful but not a requirement. Smiles are more important! We have brochures about our organization, adopting and fostering. If new to public events, we can pair you with experienced volunteers to help with questions. Good communication skills are desirable, and transportation is a must.
Time Requirements: Two to four events every couple of months. When contacted you can accept or decline the event. Each event requires set-up, several hours working the event, and packing up information materials. You may be asked to help with the preparation of handout materials (folding, sorting, etc.).
Location: Most events are in the Louisville, KY area but we would like to expand to events in our other geographic placement areas. Some events are indoors while others are outdoors.
We have 3 types of social media: Facebook/Instagram, TikTok, and Nextdoor
1. Facebook/Instagram
FACEBOOK VOLUNTEERS (up to 4 or 5 volunteers needed)
Are you a Fervent Facebook Fanatic?
GRRAND is looking for people with social media skills to take pictures (phone/camera) and make Facebook posts about GRRAND dogs located in Louisville, Cincinnati and Lebanon Junction, KY.
Skills and Equipment Needed: Knowledgeable about maintaining a presence on Facebook that will attract viewers and encourage support for GRRAND. Creativity, responsiveness, and writing skills for short posts are important. This person will need a camera or phone to take photographs and a device to post and respond to comments/messages on Facebook. Volunteers will also need to provide their own transportation to GRRAND’s kennel locations on a weekly basis.
Time Requirements: Several hours per week to visit, take photographs, post on Facebook, and respond to Facebook comments and messages. GRRAND will provide contacts to help you with content, policies, and other information you may need.
Locations: We are looking for volunteers to cover the following territories:
- Louisville, KY, GRRAND Central Station
- Lebanon Junction, KY, Pawsitively Professionals
- Cincinnati, OH, Alicia Noschang’s Training Facility
2.TikTok
TIKTOK VOLUNTEERS (up to 3 volunteers)
Are you a true TikTok trooper?
GRRAND is looking for people with social media skills to post TikTok videos of GRRAND dogs looking for homes, those who have found their home and other unique videos. Video will be available through various sources including GRRAND’s Facebook posts, foster families, and facilities where our dogs are maintained. This volunteer will seek out the videos, post them on TikTok on a regular basis and respond to comments.
Skills and Equipment Needed: Knowledgeable about maintaining a presence on TikTok that will attract viewers and encourage support for GRRAND. Creativity, responsiveness, and video captioning, etc., are needed. This person will need a device to post and respond to comments in a clear, concise manner. The position will require the ability to work with others to obtain content, understand policies and any other information required.
Time Requirements: Several hours per week in addition to the time required to respond to comments from viewers.
Location: This volunteer opportunity is open to people in any location.
3. Nextdoor
NEXTDOOR VOLUNTEERS (up to 3 volunteers)
Are you a nimble Nextdoor nut?
GRRAND is looking for someone with social media skills to post on Nextdoor for GRRAND. Content will be GRRAND news and GRRAND dog availability for fostering and adopting. The content will be provided vis Facebook posts and various volunteers in the organization (kennel facilities, fosters, and other key volunteers). This volunteer will seek out the information to post on a regular basis and respond to comments.
Skills and Equipment Needed: Knowledgeable about maintaining a presence on Nextdoor that will attract viewers and encourage support for GRRAND. Creativity, responsiveness, and writing skills are important. This person will need a device to post and respond to comments in a clear, concise manner. It will require the ability to work with others to obtain content.
Time Requirements: Several hours per week to post on Nextdoor in addition to the time required to respond to comments from viewers.
Location: This volunteer opportunity can be done remotely.
SOCIALIZATION TEAM (up to 10 volunteers)
Are you a dog extravert?
Socialize and exercise dogs housed at the Louisville GRRAND Central Station facility.
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, located next to 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. The hours are scheduled between 7:00 am and 9:00 pm., daily.
Location: GRRAND Central Station, 7924 Vine Crest Ave., Louisville, KY 40222
SPECIAL PROJECTS TEAM (up to 4 volunteers)
Do you love change, learning new things and helping rescue dogs behind the scenes?
Volunteers will be working on an on-call basis for special projects. The projects may include clerical activities, data entry, posting on GRRAND’s google drive, sorting, preparing event materials, etc.
Skills and Equipment Needed: Basic skill and desire to learn new and exciting “thingamajigs” to assist GRRAND with general office work, data entry, spreadsheets, etc. Attention to details is important. The ability to work well with others and comfortably communicate with other teams, applicants, etc., is helpful.
Time Requirements: Once the on-call team is built up we will put the word out to the team about our needs and each volunteer can accept or decline the volunteer request. Some projects may be longer lasting than others and volunteers should be able to choose the days/hours they wish to work.
Location: Depends on the project. We are interested in recruiting volunteers for Cincinnati, Louisville, and in the future Lexington.
TRANSPORTATION TEAM – GENERAL (up to 5-7 volunteers)
Has your vehicle ever been spotted without a crate in the back?
Pick up and drop off dogs as needed from surrendering owners, kennels, fosters, GRRAND veterinary offices, etc.
Skills or Equipment Needed: Willingness to transport dogs whose lives are in flux. A reliable vehicle that can hold a crate for a dog, or dogs, to be transported is essential. Sometime routes are short and at other times they may be longer depending on the location. A flexible schedule and willingness to travel is helpful along with good communication and dog management skills.
Time Requirements: Flexible. A general transport request will be sent to all transport volunteers via email. The volunteers can accept or decline an assignment for that run via email.
Location: Transportation routes include a tri-state area (Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana). We are looking for people in all geographic areas.
TRANSPORT FOR OVERSIZED DOGS TEAM (up to 3 volunteers)
Is your body ready for a 100 pound, speeding rocket thrust?
The GRRAND Vet Team is looking for some strong, able-bodied volunteers to assist with transporting large dogs, some over 100 pounds, to and from the vet.
Skills or Equipment Needed: Volunteers must take the 60–90-minute dog socialization training program prior to conducting vet transportation runs. This is a great opportunity to learn more about dogs and their behaviors. Volunteers must have a reliable vehicle for transporting dogs using one or two crates.
Time Requirements: Most vet transportation takes place early in the morning and in the late afternoon for pickups. The veterinary offices are approximately 10 minutes away from the GRRAND Central Station facility located at 7924 Vine Crest Avenue, Louisville, KY 40222. The vet care coordinator will work with you and your schedule.
Location: Transportation need is in Louisville, KY.
WEBSITE ASSISTANCE TEAM (2 volunteers)
Are you a tech geek? In a good way, of course!
Update GRRAND’s website on a regular basis with content and photographs or graphics.
Skills and Equipment Needed: Excellent knowledge and experience with WordPress Elementor Pro. Personal computer or laptop required. Ability to communicate and work well with other GRRAND volunteers and groups to acquire content information. Writing skills and experience with website content is needed.
Time Requirements: Ongoing; frequent attention for content changes and updates.
Location: Any of GRRAND’s geographic placement areas. This can be done remotely.