Volunteer Program Coordinator

Description

Who We Are

As an open admissions shelter, we are committed to being here for families and their pets in Jefferson County, Colorado. We identify as a socially conscious shelter, caring for over 8,000 dogs, cats, and small animals every year with a compassionate team of staff and volunteers who are committed to the physical and emotional wellbeing of every pet and person we serve.

What You Bring

• You are a people person. You enjoy working with individuals of all ages, backgrounds, personalities, and abilities and you enjoy working with them on their best days as well as their worst. You are friendly, outgoing, and have a way of putting people at ease.
• You enjoy a fast-paced, physical work environment. Sitting at a desk is not for you! You like to be on your feet, and you are constantly on the move. You believe there is no such thing as downtime there is always something that you can do to improve the volunteer or animal experience.
• You are reliable. You are on-time or early for your commitments, and the volunteer team knows they can count on you.
• You are detail-oriented. You recognize that every person and animal's situation is unique, and you are hyper-aware of the importance of capturing every relevant piece of information so that nothing is over-looked.
• You enjoy leading people. You know how to inspire and motivate others to show up as their best version of themselves.
• You are accountable. You know that leading a team means adapting to the unexpected, resolving conflict while minimizing drama, and taking ultimate accountability for the work of the team.
• You believe in our mission. You recognize the significance of the human-animal bond, and you are proud to support the formation and continuation of these powerful relationships.

What You'll Do

• Provide daily management and coordination of volunteers while serving as a liaison between shelter staff and volunteers.
• Support the Shelter's goals to strengthen its volunteer program by maintaining a positive and supportive environment for volunteers, in addition to increasing engagement and the effective placement of volunteers into high need positions.
• Lead and manage the community service program including responding to inquiries and applications, requesting and screening background checks, leading intake meetings, scheduling and managing community service volunteers, and maintaining timesheets and files.
• Assist with volunteer orientations and trainings including scheduling, set-up and presentations as required, in addition to developing, preparing, and distributing training and policy materials for the volunteer program.
• Be the point-person for situational problem-solving and minor escalations with the volunteers and staff, as well as co-facilitate meetings with volunteers regarding grievances, ideas for improvement, volunteer/staff relationship building, breach of volunteer agreement, and a variety of other volunteer-related topics.
• Actively contribute to a supportive team and environment by demonstrating resilience and optimism while undertaking challenging tasks to accomplish our mission.

What We Offer

• Let's start with the obvious: we offer truly meaningful work that positively impacts the lives of thousands of animals and people each year.
• You will work with a team of animal welfare professionals who work hard, care deeply, and are 100% dedicated to the well-being of our shelter animals.
• We strive for a healthy work-life balance, offering a compressed work-week (four ten-hour shifts) plus generous time off including six paid holidays, additional floating holidays (awarded annually on your employment anniversary), three weeks of accrued vacation, and paid sick leave.
• We offer a full spectrum of employee benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, and a retirement plan with up to 4% employer match and immediate vesting. Currently, two of our medical plans and our dental and vision plans are offered at no cost for employee-only coverage.
• The pay rate for this position will be $22.00 $24.00 per hour, depending on the depth and breadth of relevant experience. Bilingual (Spanish/English) coordinators who regularly support our weekly vaccine clinic receive an additional $1.00 per hour upon passing a Spanish language oral proficiency exam.

JOB DESCRIPTION

DEPARTMENT: Administration
REPORTS TO: Volunteer Program Manager
DIRECT REPORTS: 0
STATUS: Full-time, hourly, non-exempt
SCHEDULE: 40 hours, Wednesday-Saturday, 7:00 am - 5:30 pm

MISSION

Foothills Animal Shelters mission is: Providing support to our surrounding community through education, services that strengthen the human-pet bond, and humane care for the animals we serve.

VALUES

All employees and volunteers are expected to embody the Shelters Values which are to have honesty and integrity in all that we do, with the following values as our guide:

• Stewardship: Assume responsibility and ownership for our actions within our shelter and our community.
• Positive Culture: Create a safe, supportive environment for the health, wellbeing, and development of staff and volunteers.
• Openness: Nurture an innovative, inclusive, and creative environment that cultivates conversations and relationships that actively work towards the future.
• Team Oriented: Build relationships, embrace teamwork, and foster collaboration in pursuit of our Mission.

POSITION SUMMARY

The volunteer coordinator assists with all aspects of the volunteer program including communications, retention, recognition, recruitment and placement, as well as a range of administrative duties. Foothills Animal Shelter has more than 250 active volunteers who donate their time in almost every department at the Shelter and receives more than 100 volunteer applications per year. The volunteer coordinator will be directly responsible for placing, scheduling and managing volunteers who serve in a variety of roles at the Shelter and will also take the lead in running the community service program. The coordinator will work with the volunteer program manager to support all volunteer orientations, trainings, and recognition events, as well as facilitate effective communication with volunteers via email, in-person and by phone. The coordinator also provides effective data base management, data collection, and analysis to support departmental goals.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Report to and support the Shelters volunteer program manager.
• Serve as a liaison between shelter staff and volunteers.
• Assist in communicating with individuals and groups who wish to volunteer for the Shelter as well as with current volunteers.
• Support the Shelters goals to strengthen its volunteer program by increasing engagement and the effective placement of volunteers into high need positions.
• Strive to maintain a positive and supportive environment for volunteers.
• Provide daily management and coordination of volunteers.
• Recruit, train and lead one-time event volunteers to support shelter fundraising events, as necessary.
• Plan and coordinate volunteer recognition efforts.
• Professionally represent the mission, philosophies, and goals of the Shelter.

SPECIFIC DUTIES

At the direction of Foothills Animal Shelters volunteer program manager:

• Recruit, place, train, schedule, and coordinate volunteers serving in a variety of roles at the Shelter.
• Serve as the point person for volunteers on a daily basis, as well as at adoption specials and other Shelter events, and fill in when extra support is needed.
• Lead and manage the community service program including responding to inquiries and applications, requesting and screening background checks, leading intake meetings, scheduling and managing community service volunteers, and maintaining timesheets and files.
• Support weekly vaccine clinics.
• Respond to inquiries about the volunteer program.
• Assist with volunteer orientations and trainings including scheduling, set-up and presentations as required.
• Develop, prepare, and distribute training and policy materials for the volunteer program.
• Co-facilitate meetings with volunteers regarding grievances, concerns, breech of volunteer agreement, etc.
• Maintain the volunteer database.
• Help plan and implement volunteer recognition events and volunteer/staff gatherings.
• Be available to coordinate volunteers to support shelter staff during emergencies (i.e. evacuations, seizure/mass intake cases, etc.), as needed.
• Recruit volunteers for fundraising and special events.
• Perform other administrative tasks as required (developing program reports, administer record keeping systems, conduct needs assessment, etc.).

Qualifications

Required

• Ability to complete work without close supervision.
• High attention to detail, highly organized, resourceful, proactive, and flexible. Ability to thoughtfully prioritize and execute a variety of tasks.
• Positive attitude and professional demeanor.
• Strong interpersonal and verbal/written communication skills, including the ability to communicate with staff, volunteers, and the public in a professional, credible, respectful, and personable manner.
• Actively contributes to a supportive team and environment by demonstrating resilience and optimism while undertaking challenging tasks to accomplish our mission.
• Ability to maintain the highest levels of confidentiality when dealing with proprietary information and sensitive situations.
• Computer proficiency in Microsoft office including word processing, spread sheets, meeting software, and email.
• Demonstrated ability to work closely with volunteers and communicate in a respectful, appreciative manner.
• Must possess a valid driver license with an insurable driving record.
• Ability to lift and carry 40 pounds.

Desired

• Program management, public speaking, training, and event planning experience.
• Experience using volunteer management and/or animal management software, or comparable data management software. Experience maintaining, reporting, and analyzing data.
• Experience working in an animal welfare organization, including animal handling experience.
• Fear Free Shelter certified or willing to become Fear Free Shelter certified within 60 days of employment.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Ability to work 8 to 10-hour shifts.
• Availability to work Saturdays.
• Noise, odors, chemical fumes, animal hair and dander are encountered due to equipment and animals.
• Subject to animal bites and scratches.
• Must be able to manage the emotional aspect of end-of-life services and humane euthanasia, and support employees in high-emotion circumstances.
• Frequent standing on concrete floors, walking, bending, kneeling, and stooping.
• Occasional local travel for events.

About Foothills Animal Shelter:As an open admission shelter, our doors are always open to pets in Jefferson County, and we are committed to serving our community as a socially conscious shelter. We care for 9,000 dogs, cats, and small animals every year with a compassionate team of staff and volunteers. We are a community resource and offer a variety of services including pet adoption, Jefferson County pet licensing, vaccinations, microchipping, and lost and found pets. The Shelter is established under an intergovernmental agreement between Jefferson County, the City of Arvada, the City of Lakewood, the City of Wheat Ridge, the City of Golden, the City of Westminster and the City of Edgewater.

Benefits: Foothills Animal Shelter offers a competitive total compensation package. Full-time employees become eligible for medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability insurance, and an array of supplemental benefits after 60 days of employment. Foothills offers coverage of the premiums for employee-only medical plans, dental, vision, and long-term disability. Full-time employees earn sick and vacation time each pay period, plus six recognized holidays. After six months of employment and completion of eligiblity requirements, employees are eligible for a 401K retirement plan that we will match up to 4%.

Application closing date: March 27, 2024