Dallas Cat Rescue

At Cat Matchers, we try to match a volunteer’s strengths, likes, and time available to the needs of our organization and the opportunities available. There are many diverse ways to get involved with our organization. We have programs that require differing amounts of skill and time commitment. To download a printable version of this form to send in, click here: Volunteer application

 

 

Volunteer opportunities at Cat Matchers

This information is from the Cat Matchers Volunteer Brochure/Application

Foster packet This is by far the greatest need, the most time commitment and the most rewarding. We need homes where the adoptable cats that we have brought into our system can stay until they are either ready for adoption or they have found a home. There are different types of cats to foster: adults, moms with nursing kittens, kittens too young to be adopted, bottle-fed kittens and sick cats/kittens. We will supply any needed medications and vet care; we also provide food and litter if needed. (download packet)

Mobile Adoptions Program: This involves helping with adoptions at various locations. Tasks include setting up, talking with potential adopters, TLC with cats/kittens, doing adoption paperwork, and cleanup/break down. There are mobile adoption events weekly. They generally last about 4 hours. Shorter shifts are available.

Volunteers: this involves recruitment, orientation, recognition and get-togethers for volunteers. It may also involve monitoring volunteermatch.com. Includes phone, email and face to face time, but the amount of time varies

Virtual volunteer: help with petfinder, flikr, youtube, ebay, volunteermatch and other sites we are part of; it could also involve blogging if you are interested.

Cat Transportation: This involves transporting cats to vet appointments, mobile adoptions, and foster homes. Occasionally this may also involve helping those in need within our community by assisting with their animal care situations. These tasks can be set up on a schedule if preferred by the volunteer or on an as-needed basis: a flexible schedule or time off during the weekday is helpful for this.

Rescue/Retrieval: This involves going to local animal control facilities/shelters and picking up adoptable animals, or retrieving from harmful situations. This means transporting animals we have agreed to take into our foster system. This is prearranged with the shelter staff, so there should not be any “walking” of the shelter. This is usually done during the week, can be as late as 5-6pm, there are also some pick up times on Saturdays.

PR: involves newsletters, newspaper special adoption pages, local magazines, yahoo group and any other way to get our name out there to get our cats adopted. Most of this can be done from your home

Canister program: This involves placing collection canisters in stores and retrieving the donations 1 or 2 times per month. After donations are collected, the money needs to be counted and turned in for deposit. Takes just a few hours per month.

Communications: This involves helping with newsletters, mailings, and other types of correspondence such as thanks to donors, volunteer birthday recognition, etc. Most of this can be done from your home.

Fundraising: “fund-finders” and “grant-getters”: if you like to look for money in unique (or ordinary) places, this is the spot for you! This involves soliciting donations and grants for the organization.

Adoption Follow-up: This involves checking back with adopters by phone and email after a set period of time to check in on the new adoptive pet: we like to make sure everything is running smoothly, and answer any questions they may have. This is something that can be set up on a schedule or done from home. Time commitment varies according to season, but is flexible.

Adoption Screening: This involves talking to prospective adopters who have been referred by the website or advertising and deciding their suitability to adopt one of our cats/kittens. Also involves helping prospective adopters find the right type of cat for their home.

Foster mentoring: This involves experienced foster volunteers guiding new volunteers through the process of foster care. May include screening potential fosters, checking homes for suitability to foster, and contacting new fosters about their progress. Our goal is for most current experienced foster volunteers to be available to mentor to keep the time commitment for mentors to a minimum.

General Help: Time commitment is flexible. This involves various errands and necessities including:

Laundry: usually once a week after adoption event: can do at your leisure and bring back to us.

Cleaning: need help with cleaning pet store adoption centers. It involves scooping litter boxes, filling food and water, general clean up of the cages and room. You can sign up for one day a week or one day a month; whatever fits into your schedule.

Equipment movement and set up: moving cages and setting up for adoptions: usually weekend time

Donations: pick up and transport any donations of food, litter, etc to a storage area or other designated location: time varies

Phone line: checking voice mail and returning calls

Data entry

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• Just For Our Volunteers