Become a Volunteer

Commitment

As a volunteer you will be asked to make a commitment of at least 8 hours per month, for a minimum of 6 months. This is because specialized training is involved in working with shelter animals. After you have completed orientation and job-specific training, you will begin to accrue volunteer hours towards service award pins and/or certificates.

HSPPR expects volunteers to maintain an ongoing commitment to be prompt and dependable, a willingness to abide by the philosophies and policies of HSPPR and a willingness to conduct a job in a professional manner while representing the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region. HSPPR also expects volunteers to commit to a schedule as the animals rely on staff and volunteers to be here each day to provide them with care and meet their basic needs.

Age Requirements

Adults may choose to either work independently, or as an adult partner for up to two youth partners. Children must be at least 12 years old to volunteer.  A child between the ages of 12 and 17 must either provide their own adult partner (either a parent/guardian or another responsible individual 21 years old or older), or become a part of a small group that already has a Youth Team Leader, such as with family friends. Adult partners are not provided by the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region. To be an adult partner, you must be a patient individual with the ability to provide adequate supervision for the animals and your youth partner(s) to maintain their safety at all times.  Usually, a child will enlist his/her own parent/guardian to act as their adult partner. This is an ideal way for an adult to teach the child the responsibilities of a community commitment as well as the rewards and satisfaction of volunteering and humane animal care.

The minimum age for each job is listed in each job description.

Becoming a Volunteer

The first step in becoming a volunteer is to sign up for a volunteer information session. All current sessions are now full. We will not be holding any additional information sessions until July. Please return on June 25 to see the dates of our next information sessions. You may sign up for the sessions at that time. Be aware these sessions typically fill quickly.

At the information session, you will learn about our organization, our mission and our policies. You will also gain more information about our current volunteer needs and the commitment we ask from you. Not all jobs will be open at all times. We make every effort to place volunteers in our areas of greatest need.

After you have been to an information session, you will be asked to fill out an application, read some training materials, and attend an orientation before you start volunteering. Our next orientation will be in early August. Following the orientation, your next step will depend on the job you will be doing. In some cases, you will have a start date and will learn on the job alongside staff and other volunteers. Other jobs will require a more formal training class. Your individual training needs will be discussed with you before Orientation.

Please note:  Preparing for new volunteers takes a good deal of time on our end.  After attending the information session, you should expect to start volunteering 4-5 weeks later.

“To volunteer is to choose to act in recognition of a need, with an attitude of social responsibility and without concern for monetary profit, going beyond one’s basic obligation.”

-Susan Ellis and Katherine Noyes

Questions? Please email Jane Povenmire, Manager of Volunteer Programs, or call (719) 302-8721.