Application Volunteers
HEROS TO THE RESCUE
Superheroes don’t always wear capes, fly through the air or have superhuman powers. Sometimes they’re people who simply care about others and work tirelessly to help make the world a better place.
The application team volunteers are our superheroes. Working behind the scenes, their job is critical to the success of GRRMF. These dedicated volunteers strive to be thorough and meticulous ensuring our dogs are placed in the best homes possible, which was twice as hard during the pandemic. While many other rescues stopped accepting and placing dogs during the pandemic, our team leaders knew that was not an option. They re-engineered the processes and reworked procedures to make sure GRRMF could still save lives and operate ensuring the highest level of care for our rescues. Sarah Davis, Director of Application says, “Our goal is to place our dogs in the best home possible and be sure they have found their fur-ever home where they can attain their full potential and live the life every dog deserves.”
The multi-step process begins when prospective adopters submit their on-line application. About eighty percent of applicants move on to the next step of vet check. Here we confer with the candidate’s veterinarian for a routine check on the care their current (or past) dog receives, including preventative care and screenings. Next is a phone interview to discuss what the new owners are interested in adopting and ensuring family dynamics meet their request. Because of the pandemic, we had to find new, creative ways to learn more about prospective adopters in 2020. All in-person interviews had to change and the team implemented longer, more detailed phone interviews and virtual home visits. Once through all these steps, applications get a second review encompassing all aspects of the process, making sure nothing is overlooked. From first clicking that apply button to getting final approval can sometimes take as long as 6 weeks. “We want to make sure we get it right; there is a loving family and a deserving golden depending on us,” says Donna Auger, one of the application coordinators. Everyone on the application team understood what was at stake and put in the time and effort to keep GRRMF running.
No, they may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but for a dog in need and a loving family, the application team are true superheroes!
Roles supporting this area:
- Applications committee
- Application coordinators
- Application admin support
- Vet check support
- Phone screen support
- Home visit support
Time/Frequency needed to support:
Support roles – approximately 2 hours per week.
Coordinator roles – approximately 6 hours a week
General Skills needed:
Strong verbal and interpersonal skills to support positive and supportive conversations with contacts
Work well with teams
Familiar and comfortable with form data entry
Familiar with Gmail for email communications
Complete your volunteer application today and our coordinator will be in touch with you ASAP.