MaxFund Volunteer - New Volunteer Information

If you are reading this, then you are interested in volunteering with MaxFund. If you are already a volunteer, or aren't interested in volunteering, then you are probably on the wrong page!
Thank you for your interest in volunteering at MaxFund Animal Shelter, we are a no-kill shelter located in Denver, Colorado and rely largely on volunteers in order to operate and ensure animals are receiving the best care possible.

So... you think you want to volunteer at MaxFund?

It's no mystery that MaxFund survives and thrives because of the help from its many great volunteers. Without them we just wouldn't be able to do all the functions the shelter requires with the staff the shelter has budget for. Volunteers allow MaxFund to help more animals find loving homes and to help them enjoy their time at the shelter even better!

If you haven't done so already, you should familiarize yourself with who MaxFund is and what our mission/goals consist of. There are a few pages on the MaxFund website that will help you become more educated about MaxFund. Among others, they are the MaxFund Story (the story of how we began and the basics of the shelter), the MaxFund FAQ (Frequently asked questions about MaxFund), and our Charity Navigator Page (that proves that we are among the best non-profits as far as how we use our money).

What we expect from our volunteers...

The community expects a lot from MaxFund, and MaxFund expects a lot from our volunteers.

We expect our volunteers to be self-motivating, self-starting, and self-driven. Because our volunteer coordinator is a volunteer himself, the time simply is not available to contact volunteers to sign them up for shifts, schedule them for events, etc. Volunteers are expected to take the initiative on their own to get into the shelter on a schedule that works for them and make every attempt to help out when possible.
We expect our volunteers to be committed to the mission of taking in sick/injured animals, making them better and adopting them to loving homes within our adoption guidelines. We will discuss the MaxFund mission and goals during the orientation if you are unfamiliar with them already.
We expect our volunteers to make every effort to volunteer at least four hours a month, with a few months to catch up those hours. (so if you can't volunteer for two months we'd ask you to volunteer 12 hours the third month). Volunteers may contribute as much time as they'd like, but we hope you can find time in your schedule to help at least that often.
We expect our volunteers to seek out ways to help, unless you already have a way of helping in mind. If you are unsure of what to do with your volunteering time after going through the orientation feel free to ask the coordinator (Matt) but specific duties won't be assigned you, we expect you to find something you want to do, and do it!

All of our volunteers must be fully devoted to this mission and always represent MaxFund in a positive light. If you do not feel that you can completely commit and stand behind MaxFund's mission, then MaxFund is probably not the right fit for you. If you feel that you won't be able to fulfill these expectations, perhaps consider contacting Matt at matt@maxfundvolunteers.org for clarification or assistance.

Procedures for getting started as a volunteer...

There are some procedures in getting started as a volunteer, be sure you read these thouroughly to make sure correct procedures are followed.

APPLICATION - The first step to becoming a volunteer is to complete an application. These applications can be found at the shelter or by downloading the application at www.maxfundvolunteers.org/VolunteerApplication.pdf (Adobe Acrobat Required. If you have an older version of Acrobat you may download www.maxfundvolunteers.org/VolunteerApplication2.pdf). Please fill out the application in its entirely, including references and signing the last page.

TURN IN APPLICATION - Once you have completed your application, take it in to the shelter and turn it in to the front office. If you can possibly do this on a weekday, that would be preferred (on weekends the staff is typically overwhelmed with adoptions). If you haven't done so already, we ask that you have a look around the shelter, perhaps even visit with some of the animals to decide if this is the type of place you see yourself volunteering at.

BE CONTACTED & SIGNED UP FOR AN ORIENTATION (Patience is a virtue) We limit the number of volunteers that may attend orientations, so we typically have a backlog. Based on which applications are received first, as we have room available we will contact you to sign you up for the orientation. Because the spots are limited, we ask you to take seriously getting signed up for an orientation. If you aren't really that interested, please don't take a spot from someone else who is.
The orientations are typically scheduled for a full day and you are asked to be able to attend all day. If you are signed up for the orientation and for whatever reason are not able to attend, please let Matt know (matt@maxfundvolunteers.org) so we can allow an alternate to attend!

Please note - at the orientation, we will ask for a donation of at least $10. This is to cover the costs associated with printing your photo badge, lanyard, badge clip, volunteer handbook and other documentation you'll receive at the orientation, and will ensure that no money is diverted from the animals to cover these costs.

INTERVIEW & APPLICATION PROCESSING - Volunteers or staff will check over your application to make sure everything is complete, conduct an interview to make sure you are familiar with what to expect and to ensure you are a good match. These volunteers will also check references and approve you to attend the orientation.

ORIENTATION The orientations are a full day training. They involve approximately 2 1/2 hours of general shelter training and familiarity, 2 hours of dog handling, and approximately an hour regarding cat handling. Even if your interests are specifically related to dogs or cats, we do ask you to attend both dog handling and cat handling in case your interests change and to sure all volunteers have at least a basic understanding of both types of volunteering.

MENTORING/HANDS-ON TRAINING - At each orientation you will be introduced to a volunteer mentor - specifically a cat mentor and a dog mentor. The volunteer mentors are seasoned volunteers who are specifically interested in helping out new volunteers as they become familiar with the procedures and the shelter. You will get their contact information and they will get yours. We do ask that you make an effort to meet with the mentor within a week or so. If you are interested in working with both cats and dogs, we ask that you meet with both a cat and dog mentor (most mentors are specifically one are or the other).

YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN! - After meeting with a mentor at least once (more if you prefer) you are on your own! You are welcome to come in when the shelter is open to volunteers as it works with your schedule. You are asked to commit at least 4 hours per month but are welcome to give more at your convenience.

Once you are a volunteer

There are many things that volunteers can do at the shelter. You can check the Volunteer Board at the shelter for daily tasks that you might be able to lend a hand with. Some of the specific opportunities we are looking for can be found on the Volunteer Opportunities page. The primary role of volunteers at the shelter however is animal comfort and care. Staff's primary role is helping adopt out animals and keeping the shelter clean, whereas the volunteers' primary role is making sure the animals are comfortable and socialized. This might mean playing in the cat rooms, walking dogs, or socializing new litters of puppies.

We do ask that all of our volunteers contribute at least 4 hours every month. This is 1 hour per week or one half day per month. Volunteers have several months to make up these hours, so if you aren't able to come in for a few months you can make up those hours during a later month. We realize not everyone can come in every week and we are as accomodating as possible. Volunteers are welcome at MaxFund seven days a week, 365 days a year from 8am to 5pm. The MaxFund volunteer program is very flexible in that most volunteer duties can be done without having to sign up (with the exception of training classes and lobby greeter) so you can drop in for a few hours here and there when you have the time - the animals and the shelter staff will appreciate it!

Because we are an informal program, once you have gone through the orientation you are able to come in when you want, do what you want while you are there, and leave when you want. No "shifts" are required, and the scheduling is wide open. You are also allowed volunteering freedom with what tasks you perform, so if you feel like walking dogs for a few hours then playing with the cats, that is fine! Because we don't have the staff for it, you do not have a volunteer supervisor or manager while volunteering at the shelter, but resources can be found if you need guidance or assistance through the staff or the other volunteers at the shelter..

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