Become a Volunteer
Behind Every Shelter Animal is an Army of Caring Volunteers
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.
Volunteer Opportunities
- Feline Animal Care – assist with daily care of our cats and kittens, including feeding and cleaning
- Canine Animal Care – assist with daily care of our dogs and puppies, including feeding and cleaning
- Jog-a-Dog – help our dogs 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 – help with sweeping, mopping, dishes, laundry, and other shelter tasks
- Facilities Assistant – support with general shelter maintenance, including painting and minor repairs (18 and up)
- Volunteer Ambassador – table at community outreach events representing the East Bay SPCA
- Administrative Assistant – assist our development team with event support and data entry (18 and up)
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 their corresponding position descriptions above to determine which volunteer position(s) you are interested in.
- Complete our online volunteer application and indicate in the application which volunteer position(s) you are applying for.
- The volunteer services team will follow up via email with upcoming Volunteer Orientation dates and next steps.
Animal Handling Volunteer Opportunities & Training Process
Our greatest need at the shelter is for Animal Care Volunteers. All volunteers that would like to handle and interact with the animals begin with an Animal Care Shift. Animal Care volunteers are eligible for our Feline or Canine Companion & Enrichment shift if they maintain their regular Animal Care schedule and complete the corresponding Feline or Canine Companion & Enrichment training.
- Canine or Feline Animal Care: Provide essential care to our animals to keep them happy and healthy. Tasks include feeding dogs and cats, sanitizing and cleaning kennels, and assisting with dishes and laundry. Animal care shifts are scheduled every day of the week from 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM or 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM. We understand these times may not work for all volunteers, but they work really well for our animals, which is why we’ve structured our schedule this way!
- Canine Companion & Enrichment: Provide physical exercise and mental stimulation to our shelter dogs by teaching basic skills, taking dogs for walks, and playtime!
- Feline Companion & Enrichment: Provide attention, socialization, and exercise to our shelter cats through petting and playtime!
Steps for Animal Handling Volunteer Opportunities:
- Review our East Bay SPCA Overview & Volunteer FAQ.
- Complete a volunteer application.
- Attend a Volunteer Orientation.
- Maintain a regular Canine or Feline Animal Care volunteer shift, typically volunteers are in the Animal Care role for 3-5 months until the next available Companionship & Enrichment training.
- Complete a Feline or Canine Companionship & Enrichment training.
- Add a Feline or Canine Companionship & Enrichment shift to your animal care schedule OR switch to a Feline or Canine Socialization shift.
Non-Animal Handling Volunteer Opportunities & Training Process
We also have a variety of non-animal handling opportunities where volunteers are greatly appreciated. These roles do not require the Animal Care Orientation or Animal Care shift. You can make a great impact participating in these volunteer opportunities:
- Shelter Care – help with sweeping, mopping, dishes, laundry, and other shelter tasks
- Facilities Assistant – support with general shelter maintenance, including painting and minor repairs
- Volunteer Ambassador – table at community outreach events representing the East Bay SPCA
- Administrative Assistant – assist our development team with event support and data entry
Steps for Non-Animal Handling Volunteer Opportunities:
- Review our East Bay SPCA Overview & Volunteer FAQ.
- Complete a volunteer application.
- Attend a Volunteer Orientation.
Before applying, please note, all of our weekend animal care shifts are currently completely full in Oakland and Dublin.
There are many more ways to help, check out our other volunteer opportunities if you are only available on the weekends.
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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