Volunteer
Sep 2nd, 2023 in
Every person can help – any amount of time is a blessing
Do you have a few hours a week or even a few hours a month? Are you looking for a worthy cause where you can spend that time? Whether you are married or single, want a family project or an individual endeavor, there is something for everyone to do to help the animals at Cat Matchers!
Helping in animal rescue involves more than fostering and working adoptions. There are many volunteer opportunities available and we want to help you find a match that provides a satisfying volunteer experience.
At Cat Matchers we try to match a volunteer’s strengths, interests, and time available to the needs of our organization and the opportunities available. We have programs that require differing amounts of skill and time commitments. You can use your unique talents to help make a big difference in the lives of the animals in our care.
There are many diverse ways to get involved. We have listed them below. If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer, please Click here to get started.
Foster Program: This is by far the greatest need, the biggest time commitment and the most rewarding volunteer opportunity. We need homes where the adoptable cats can stay until they are either ready for adoption or they have found a home. We have all types of cats: adults, moms with nursing kittens, kittens too young to be adopted, bottle-fed kittens and sick cats/kittens. We will supply any needed medications and vet care and we also provide food and litter if needed. (download packet)
Adoption Events: This involves helping with adoptions at various locations; setting up, talking with potential adopters, TLC with cats/kittens, doing adoption paperwork, and cleanup/break down. Mobile adoption events are held weekly (usually on Saturday) and generally last 4 hours.
Adoption Center Cleaning & TLC: This will involve scooping litter boxes, filling food and water, general clean-up of the cages/room and TLC for the cats (at local pet stores).
Adoption Follow-up: This will involve checking with adopters by phone and/or email to check in on the new adoptive pet to make sure everything is running smoothly and answer any questions they may have.
Adoption Screening: This will involve speaking to prospective adopters to verify if they are ready to adopt and to help match the correct cat/kitten to their home.
Special Events: We participate in animal friendly special events around the Metroplex to raise money and awareness for rescue animals. We sell merchandise.
Laundry: We usually need help once a week with washing linens after adoption events or every 2 weeks from store cages.
PR/Marketing/Outreach, Social Media: This involves social media posting and/or writing newsletters
Communications: This involves checking/responding to phone line and email submissions. This also involves writing thank you notes to donors.
Fundraising: We are looking for “fund-finders” and “grant-getters” and special event organizing to help raise money for the cats.
Animal Transportation, Rescue/Retrieval: This involves transporting cats to vet appointments, mobile adoptions, and foster homes as well as going to local animal control facilities/shelters and picking up adoptable animals to transport to foster homes/vet.
Donations: This involves pick up and transport of any donations (i.e. food, litter, etc) to a storage area or other designated locations.
General Volunteer: This involves any general needs or helping with volunteer coordination, internal communications, training, special recognition, events, or birthdays.
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)/Colony care: This involves helping to do TNR in feral colonies and can also involve helping to maintain these colonies by feeding/monitoring.
Steps to Becoming a Volunteer:
- Complete and return the Volunteer Application
- Complete and return the Volunteer Agreement, Release & Waiver
- Complete and return the Cat Matchers Permission and Release Form for Youth Volunteer if under 18
- You will be contacted by a volunteer(s) to set up orientation in the activity in which you would like to participate.
- Attend additional training classes as required for specific activities.
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