Becoming A Volunteer:SafeHaven Humane Society began as a small network of volunteer foster care providers, dedicated to the mission of helping homeless pets. Today, SafeHaven depends on hundreds of volunteers annually to help care for all the homeless pets housed at the shelter. On this page you will learn:
How to Become a Volunteer:
- Must be 16 years of age or older (if under 16 see Youth Volunteer Page)
- Able to commit to scheduled volunteer shifts
- Able to bend, twist, lift, squat, or stand for long periods of time when working directly with the animals.
- Possess a positive attitude, as volunteer positions work directly with staff, visitors, and other volunteers.
- Attend Volunteer Orientation
Becoming a volunteer at SafeHaven is easy! You just need to follow these simple steps. If you are interested in getting a group or an organization involoved in volunteering at SafeHaven, please see Volunteering as a Group.
Step 1: Volunteer Application
The first thing you need to do in order to become an active SafeHaven volunteer is to fill out our volunteer application. You can return your application to the shelter at any time, or bring it with you to the volunteer orientation.Step 2: Orientation
SafeHaven offers two scheduled volunteer orientations every month, and individual orientations are available if you are unable to attend the scheduled orientations. The orientations are to give you a tour of our shelter, tell you a little more about SafeHaven, and get you acquainted with our volunteer program. This is a great opportunity to come and see if SafeHaven would be a place you would like to be a part of. The orientation lasts about half an hour. To set up an individual orientation contact the volunteer manager at 541-928-2789 or email volunteer@safehavenhumane.com.Step 3: Scheduling
SafeHaven has a very small staff, and we depend on volunteers to help us care for all the animals at the shelter. Because of this, we ask that volunteers commit to a once a week two-hour shift, for a three-month duration. At the end of the volunteer orientation, you sit down with our Volunteer Manager, and schedule your first shift. SafeHaven schedules all volunteer shifts, because we have such a small staff we depend on volunteers each day. If you are unable to make a shift, we ask you call and let us know at (541) 928-2789.Step 4: Training
SafeHaven offers different training sessions for different volunteer positions. The training sessions are designed to prepare volunteers with the skills and confidence necessary to perform the task in which they have signed up for. For volunteer positions involving animal care, you will receive a training session during your first scheduled shift.Morning Cleaning Assistant:
SafeHaven prides itself on providing a clean, sanitary kennel for each animal each day! Every morning our staff, with the help of volunteers, clean every animals’ kennel, and provide them with clean blankets, food, water, and toys. This process is very time consuming, and we depend on volunteers to be able to get everything done in time to open the shelter to the public. Volunteers can sign up to help with morning cleaning duties for either dogs or cats.Dog Socialization:
SafeHaven understands how stressful the shelter environment may be on an animal. To help overcome this stress, the shelter depends on volunteers to come to the shelter and help give the animals the extra attention needed to feel happy! We have 5 play yards at the shelter for dogs to get out and exercise in. Our goal at SafeHaven is to get each dog out of its kennel and into a play yard a minimum of three times a day. Volunteers play a vital role in accomplishing this goal. Volunteers are encouraged to take dogs into yards to play, work on commands, be brushed, and just loved on! The human interaction that the dogs get through this volunteer socialization helps prevent aggressive behavior, as well depression in the animals.Cat Socialization:
SafeHaven understands that cats have specific needs that must be met in order for them to be successful in a shelter environment. SafeHaven has a cat room filled with toys, treats, brushes, and windows to help meet these needs. Our goal at SafeHaven is to get every cat out of its kennel a minimum of three times a day. Volunteers are encouraged to let cats out to play, be brushed, given treats, and cuddled!Photographer:
The internet has become a great resource to communicate with the public. We try to keep pictures of all our adoptable animals on our website, so people are able to view them from the comfort of their own home. We need volunteers to come in and help photograph our adoptable animals for our website. This is a great way to volunteer, and have a flexible schedule. To view a complete job description please click here. To apply for this position please download the photographer application here.Community Outreach:
SafeHaven believes that the humane treatment of animals applies to the community level. We try to get animals in the shelter out into the community, and educate the community on what we do! Volunteers are always need to help with taking animals into nursing homes, Petco, and other outreach events. If you are interested in getting involved with community outreach projects please contact the Community Outreach Coordinator.Fundraising and Events:
SafeHaven is a non-profit organization that receives no public funding. We run solely on donations and fundraising efforts. SafeHaven depends heavily on volunteers to make fundraising events a success! At the events volunteers can perform a variety of tasks including handling animals, talking with the public, event logistics, and setup/takedown. Being a fundraising and events volunteer is a great way to get involved without committing to set weekly schedule. If you are interested in getting involved with our fundraising events please contact our Community Outreach Coordinator.Front Office Volunteer:
The front desk is the first thing people see when they enter SafeHaven. It is often very busy, and volunteers are needed to help with office tasks such as filing, data entry, returning phone messages, making copies, and assembling adoption packets. This position will also entail greeting customers and answering customer questions. To view the job description, please click here.
