Volunteer Spotlight | Candy Barnes, Humane Educator/Volunteer Coordinator
The Mission of the Rockingham/Harrisonburg SPCA is to promote respect, compassion, education and advocacy resulting in a humane and sustainable environment for all animals. They accomplish this through temporary refuge and humane care for animals in
need; adoption of companion animals into a loving,
responsible environment; reduction of local pet overpopulation via a proactive
spay/neuter program; humane education programs and shelter tours; promotion of responsible pet care; and preventing cruelty to and removing animals from
abusive situations.
Today, our Volunteer Spotlight shines on Candy Barnes, Humane Educator/Volunteer Coordinator for the Rockingham/Harrisonburg SPCA. Candy uses Volunteerspot's online signup sheets to coordinate volunteers who work at the shelter.
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Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs.
We are a not-for-profit animal shelter, and I train between 500 & 1,000 volunteers annually, most of them college students. Our volunteers walk dogs and socialize cats and small mammals to help make them more adoptable. We also use volunteers for showcase events at local Petsmart and Petco stores and at special events in the area.
Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.
Our volunteers are asked to volunteer for specific shifts, 6 days a week, preferably in advance. Since many of them have complicated schedules and some have some distance to travel, VolunteerSpot makes it easier for them to sign up. From experience, I know that having an electronic way to sign up for shifts helps with volunteer retention.
What’s one piece of advice you have for volunteers or their leaders out there?
Use VolunteerSpot!
Why did you decide to use Volunteer Spot?
I had been using another free site for awhile, and had begun having a lot of trouble with it. The site was also not nearly as user-friendly for the administrator as Volunteer Spot is. Some volunteers were also reluctant to use the other site because it required setting up an account, and their personal information wasn’t as secure as we would have liked. When I started having technical trouble with the other site, I began the search for a new one. As a non-profit, we don’t have the luxury of paying for this service, so when I found your site, I was thrilled, and even more so when I actually started using it. Thanks for all you do to make my life easier.
Anything else you’d like our readers to know?
Search us at www.rhspca.org, and find your next best friend! If you live too far away to adopt a pet from us, please choose a local shelter or rescue group when looking for your next pet!
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We salute Candy and all the other volunteer coordinators out there making a difference in our world. If you're using VolunteerSpot, write and tell us about what you're doing and give us a chance to shine our Volunteer Spotlight on you!! Just email us at [email protected]
