Become a Volunteer
Behind Every Shelter Animal is an Army of Caring Volunteers
Thank you for your interest in volunteering! Volunteers allow us to provide great care and varied enrichment to our shelter animals. Without the time, effort, and expertise of each volunteer, we would not be able to run our shelters. Recognizing the valuable role of volunteers, we are committed to providing thorough, hands-on training with ongoing support to every volunteer. The information below provides everything you’ll need to know to get started!
Volunteer Opportunities
- Feline Animal Care – provide a helping hand in the daily care of our cats and kittens, including feeding and cleaning
- Canine Animal Care – keep our dogs and puppies comfy and cozy by meeting their daily needs, including feeding and cleaning
- Jog-a-Dog – help our dogs (and you!) get additional exercise by taking them on 1-2 mile jogs (18 and up)
- Customer Care – greet clients and help to match adoptable animals with their forever families (18 and up)
- Shelter Care – keep the shelter sparkling and welcoming by assisting with sweeping, mopping, dishes, and laundry
- Volunteer Ambassador – raise awareness throughout the East Bay about who we are and the many programs and services we offer by tabling at community outreach events
- Administrative Assistant – broaden our outreach into local communities by assisting our development team with event support and data entry (18 and up)
New volunteers can begin with one or more of the volunteer roles. After learning the foundations of volunteering at our shelter and maintaining a regular shift, volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in additional trainings to further their animal handling, leadership, and/or customer service skills.
Who Can Volunteer
- Adults aged 18 and older may volunteer independently.
- Volunteers aged 16-17 may volunteer independently but must submit a waiver signed by a parent or guardian before beginning to volunteer.
- Children ages 10-15 are welcome to volunteer as part of an adult/child team, under the supervision of a trained parent or guardian. A volunteer team is one child per adult.
- Youth can also volunteer independently through one of our many Humane Education Programs.
How To Become a Volunteer
- Review our East Bay SPCA Overview & Volunteer FAQ to ensure the organization is a good fit for you.
- Read through our list of current volunteer opportunities and the corresponding position description to determine which volunteer position(s) you are interested in.
- Fill out our online volunteer application. Acceptance is based on your availability and interests, as well as our current needs.
- You’ll receive an email within 2 weeks sharing next steps and access to the online Volunteer Orientation.
- Complete the Volunteer Orientation.
- Attend volunteer position specific training.
Please note, volunteer orientations are currently suspended due to COVID-19. We are unable to on-board new volunteers at this time. We will update this page when volunteer activities resume. We appreciate your interest in volunteering and welcome your support once we return to our regular operations!!
Don’t see what you are looking for? If you have specialized skill(s) that you’d like to share with our organization, please fill out our volunteer application and indicate where you’d like to help!
Have Additional Questions?
Contact the Volunteer Services Department at volunteer@eastbayspca.org.
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