Volunteer FAQs

At the AWLA, our volunteers do it all! They work directly with our staff across every department as an essential part of our AWLA team. They make a HUGE difference for our animals, our organization, and our community! 

Volunteering at the AWLA is also flexible, with lots of opportunities to volunteer in the shelter, from home and out in the community.

Some of the MANY ways that our volunteers make the AWLA a better place include:

• Helping with laundry, dishes, donation sorting, and enrichment preparation
• Working with our cats, dogs and small animals
• Offering assistance to the community at the front desk
• Assisting our adoptions team with helping our adoptables find families
• Helping our animal care team clean kennels 
• Working with photographers to capture memorable photos of our adoptables
• Taking on administrative roles, both in the shelter and from home
• Writing eye-catching bios for our adoptable animals
• Transporting animals to vet appointments, wildlife to rehabilitation centers and assisting in rescue transport
• Completing special projects, from building benches to assembling adoption folders
• Assisting with our Humane Education and youth programs
• Helping us with community-outreach programs Helping us host community events and spread the word about the AWLA
• And so much more!

AWLA staff members and volunteer mentors train each volunteer and ask that all volunteers spend four regularly scheduled hours per month for a minimum of six months in their roles as volunteers. We ask all volunteers to schedule their shifts in advance so that we know when volunteers will be in the shelter. This helps us to ensure that our animals get consistent care and that you have a positive experience.

We’re working hard to welcome all interested parties into our Volunteer Program! Because of their popularity, Prospective Volunteer Information Sessions fill up quickly, but we add more sessions every month, and we look forward to meeting you! Thank you for your patience!

At the AWLA, we invest a lot of time and training to make sure all of our volunteers feel supported as they take on new volunteer roles. The amount of training required varies by volunteer role and as volunteers progress in their chosen volunteer tracks. Many of our volunteer trainings are led by our experienced Volunteer Mentors and incorporate virtual as well as hand-on learning elements.

We also offer many additional training opportunities and workshops for all of our volunteers. These trainings are optional, but they give volunteers the opportunity to learn about all aspects of animal welfare, sheltering, behavior and other training topics.

Yes! We understand that not everyone is able to volunteer on a regular schedule. We still ask that all of our volunteers contribute four hours a month, but if you aren’t able to volunteer for a month due to travel or personal reasons, all you need to do is let us know. We understand that life happens and appreciate your help!

If this doesn’t work for you, learn about other ways to get involved.

All in-shelter volunteers must be 18 years of age or older. Younger shelter friends can still help our furry residents as part of our Youth Volunteer Program. Click here to learn more.