Free Online Signups Power BFAS Volunteer Efforts
Cheers to Monica Blair, Best Friends Legal Analyst shares her experience organizing volunteers and how VolunteerSpot is her go-to!
1. Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs.
Best Friends is a national animal society that has a sanctuary in Angel Canyon in Southern Utah, but also sponsors fundraising events in several cities around the US.
Strut Your Mutt is an annual fundraiser that not only raises money for the Best Friends sanctuary, but also for local shelters, rescues and animal benefactors, through Best Friend’s partnerships with those local organizations.
This year’s Houston Strut Your Mutt was fortunate to have more than 100 volunteers! The volunteers helped walkers get signed in, handled entertainment, crowd control, event set up and break down – basically every position required to present an event that was attended by more than 1,100 people in Houston.
2. Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.
This was our second year to use VolunteerSpot for Strut Your Mutt in Houston. We recruit and sign up our volunteers through Best Friends.org and then the volunteer information is passed on to a local coordinator. This year in Houston, it was I.
3. Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?
I chose Volunteer Spot because several of last year’s volunteer coordinators, in various cities, used Volunteer Spot and had high praise for the service. It was my first year as a volunteer coordinator and I needed all of the help that I could get!
4. What’s one piece of advice you have for volunteers or their leaders out there?
Using Volunteer Spot was invaluable for me. I always knew our volunteer status was able to move around, change or entirely eliminate or add positions. One piece of advice for volunteers is to sign up early, but be flexible, in case the volunteer needs change. My advice for volunteer coordinators is to really encourage all of your volunteers to sign up via Volunteer Spot!
5. Anything else you’d like our readers to know about your organization or volunteering?
Best Friends is a very compassionate organization with the goal of “Save Them All.” We have incredible volunteers who gave 110 percent to the Houston Strut Your Mutt this year. Best Friends has many fundraisers, initiatives and programs that benefit all types of animals throughout the United States. It is hard not to get involved when you see those beautiful animal faces on the website and read about all of the good that Best Friends does!
We salute Monica and all the other teachers and volunteers making a difference in their communities. Check out how VolunteerSpot’s Volunteer Software can save you time and stress and boost parent involvement in your school. Take a tour today!
