If you are interested in volunteering for any of the positions below, please complete our Ongoing Volunteer Application, accessible by clicking on the volunteer position title, and we will be in touch with you soon! Thanks.

Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities:

Spay/Neuter Fund Distribution Coordinator:

At least once every 48 hours, download spay/neuter assistance requests from voice mail system and/or email box. Return calls and/or otherwise reply to potential fund recipients. Determine level of financial need and whether recipient qualifies for other programs or can afford co-pay. Collect contact info and provide referral to local existing program or veterinarian, if appropriate. Phone in or Fax approvals to veterinarian's office.

Follow up with POPPA recipients approximately 3 weeks after initial approval/referral to verify whether the animal(s) were fixed, how the experience went, and if any other animals have surfaced that need spay/neuter. Follow up can be made either via email or phone contact. Maintain records of all contacts in binder or notebook for ease of data transfer to POPPA administrative volunteers.

Need access to email, web and phone.

Time Commitment Requirement: Approximately 5 hrs/wk, or 20 hrs/mth

Community Outreach Coordinator:

Solicit invitations to set up a promo/info table in public places such as grocery and pet supply stores and attend community events such as fairs, festivals and conventions/conferences. Provide opportunity to educate wide audience about POPPA and the need to make animals precious again by reducing their numbers via spay/neuter. Encourage the general public and event attendees to immediately and in the future, a) donate to POPPA, b) join our contact lists, c) take and distribute POPPA materials, d) join POPPA’s team of volunteers.

Store existing tabling kit and make it available to volunteers staffing POPPA tables at community events. Kit consists of 1) cardboard, stand-up, tri-fold display decorated with laminated photos, lettering, media pieces on POPPA, and POPPA logo, 2) donation can/jar, 3) seed money for can/jar, 4) mailing list sign-up sheet with plenty of space for interested party’s name, mailing/physical address, email address, phone number, and whether or not they’re interested in volunteering, 5) volunteer applications, 6) POPPA brochures, 7) POPPA merchandise, 8) money pouch for making change for customers (when items are offered for sale), 9) form for tracking merchandise inventory and donations/sales, 10) pens, 11) scrap paper,12) tablecloth, 13) folding, portable table, 14) blank, disposable name tags for Outreach Assistants, 15) horseshoes, adhesive or clips to secure literature, 16) container to hold most of Outreach Kit, 17) anything else needed for a successful tabling experience.

Time Commitment Requirement: Open: 2-10 hrs/wk and/or approximately 4-8 hours per event (plus 1-2 for setup and teardown).

Volunteer Coordinator:

Actively recruit new volunteers at least once a month, and keep log of such efforts. Prospective volunteers can be solicited by word of mouth, online advertising, friend-finding challenges, placing volunteer literature in businesses, etc.

Respond to prospective volunteers within 48 hours of becoming aware of said volunteer’s interest in POPPA. Furnish volunteers and prospective volunteers with our POPPA volunteer application. Follow up to retrieve completed application. Work with POPPA Board of Directors and Recycled Gardens Director to develop and stay aware of available volunteer positions. Match new and current volunteers with compatible position(s).

Provide volunteer training as needed to ensure new volunteers have the information and education necessary to perform their duties.

Call on volunteers as needed to assist in POPPA functions, and alert volunteers and prospective volunteers to upcoming volunteering opportunities with POPPA.

Personally contact, via email, phone or in person, every volunteer or prospective volunteer at least once every other month (unless they indicate they’d prefer less frequent contact). Thank volunteers and ensure they're well matched to their assignment(s) and have been given every opportunity to work in a satisfying manner with POPPA (a well thought out survey would also be sufficient, if personal contact is impractical, as long as follow-up occurs so we don’t overlook any volunteers).

At least once annually, be in charge of holding an event or making some other special effort to show appreciation for all volunteers.

Time Commitment Requirement: Approximately 10-15 hrs/mth

Veterinary Liaison:

Follow up with vets who perform surgeries for POPPA. Verify the spay/neuter amount, discover if there are any leftover POPPA funds from the surgeries, and ensure that no POPPA leftover funding was used, nor will be used for anything other than s/n. Initially send each clinic we use a POPPA Vet Policy document, which is an introduction to our policies and procedures.

Grant Writer/Manager:

Develop database/spreadsheet listing animal-friendly grantors and their timelines for submissions. Submit grant applications to prospective grantor foundations. Follow up whenever allowed by a foundation, within 1 week of submitting application. Submit at least 1 new application monthly.

Time Commitment Requirement: Approximately 2 hr/wk, or 8 hrs/mth