When you talk about “volunteering in an animal protection center”, the first thing that comes to mind is the person who goes on a free Saturday to walk dogs or bathe them happily while we play with a hose on a hot spring day. As always, the human being and his “mania” to idealize our relationship with other living beings.
First of all, volunteering requires COMMITMENT . It is not enough to go the day you feel like it or stay home the day you have a hangover. The day you are taking the step to be a volunteer, you are voluntarily assuming the responsibility of carrying out a job that you will agree with the entity, which will have repercussions on the health and well-being of LIVING BEINGS.
So yes. You will also have to go the day it rains and the paths you have to walk on are full of mud or to clean the litter boxes in the cat area, even if the night before your football team won and you have been celebrating until “late.”
Maybe it’s not your thing. Or you don’t have enough energy or time. Or you don’t want to have the strong bond that many volunteers create with the animals they care for… But you still want to continue helping.
The work of an animal protection entity goes much further than caring for animals. In fact, those that only care about this are generally doomed to failure. Like a “company”, it has its administrative, legal, fiscal obligations , being essential the communication of its work, the search for funds, the follow-up of adoptions and foster care…
In this article, we are going to talk about some types of volunteering that are essential for the operation of a shelter and that nobody wants to do, but with which you can learn new knowledge or improve the development of your professional career:
- Administrative
My main advice when someone tells me that they have or are going to set up an animal protection association is to have a specialized agency. But, equally, there is a lot of administrative work to do. If spreadsheets are your thing and/or you’re organized, you’re worth your weight in gold.
Your knowledge can save a lot of time and serve to make forecasts that escape most human beings: keep track of income and expenses, payments, animal information records, invoice management, attend to email…
- Social media management
The communication of the social work carried out by the center is ESSENTIAL. Upload the images of the animals they have, of the events they carry out, the requests for help… Having continuity and programming in the publications that are made is a fundamental way today for people to get involved with the project and, thus, , help seek adoption or foster care for the animals they house, increase donations and publicize the principles of the entity and promote education, respect and responsible ownership in society.
- Graphic and video designer
Put a photo in the right size depending on where it is going to be published, use one font or another in the texts, the colors of the logo, make thumbnails for the videos…
Everything enters through the eyes. And it is not only about giving a careful and beautiful image of the entity, but it will also motivate the attention of the people who see it.
- Legal advice
Apart from the obvious need for legal defense in certain cases of abandonment or mistreatment with which the protectors deal assiduously; In some cases, due to the lack of legal knowledge that a large part of the population has, certain errors are made in some agreements that may sooner or later harm the entity or its animals.
For example, it is very valuable to review the adoption or foster contract models so that they comply with the law and protect the interests of animals, help to understand certain “conditions” to comply with the administration if enter a public contest…
- Search for financing
Nobody likes to ask… But if it is to improve the lives of animals waiting for a home, every effort is worth it.
An outgoing profile that gets in touch with companies in the sector to get donations of food or material, stores that can put up a charity piggy bank, involve companies to sponsor charity events… That gives free rein to their imagination in order to raise funds for the entity.
