Cleveland APL Home
Volunteers
Return to Cleveland APL Homepage
About the Cleveland APL
Visit or Contact Us
Employment Opportunities
Shop and Help!
ADOPT - PROTECT - LOVE
Adoptions
Donations & Giving
Humane Investigations
Services and Programs
Volunteer
Foster Care
Cleveland APL Events
Media and Links
Partners and Sponsors
Forever Friends
Free Downloads
 
 

Volunteer Opportunity Job Descriptions

<< Back

 

Return to main volunteers page >>

WITH

FOR

WITH

Adoptions Specialist – Floor: Want to help adopters meet their “perfect match” at our shelter?  Adoptions Specialists on the Floor may choose to work in either the Dog Adoption Room or Cat Adoption Room and will use the ASPCA’s Meet Your Match™ tools to help adopters make informed decisions.  Other duties include becoming familiar with the adoptable animals, helping to maintain a presentable workplace, informing guests of the standard medical treatments we provide our animals, and assisting adopters with meeting animals.  This position requires a regular weekly schedule, and you must be age 16 or older. 

Offsite Adoptions Specialist: Want to help adopters meet their “perfect match” at different partner adoption locations and/or at community events?  Offsite Adoptions Specialists help find animals “fur-ever homes” while furthering community education and promotion of the APL.  This position requires about two events per month, primarily on the weekends, and Pet Partner teams are welcome.  This is a great position for those who need a more flexible schedule, as you can select events that fit your availability. 

Dog Enrichment Volunteer: Want to get some outdoor exercise while spending quality time with a canine companion?  DEVs walk, or run if you prefer, with dogs while providing socialization and basic training to help the dogs put their best “paw” forward while waiting for their “perfect match.”  There are three DEV levels available to suit your goals in working with our dogs.  Advancement opportunities are available.  This position requires a regular weekly schedule, even during inclement weather, and Pet Partner teams are welcome. 

Canine Enrichment Specialist (Advanced DEV Opportunity): Want to do more for our dogs by focusing on enrichment?  CES volunteers provide both behavioral and environmental enrichment to our dogs through consistent training methods, play groups, relaxation sessions, and toy rotation. These efforts help to maintain and improve the dogs’ behavior and health during their stay at the Cleveland APL, potentially making them more attractive to adopters. This advanced position requires DEV experience and a regular weekly schedule upon acceptance by supervisor, and you must be age 18 or older. 

Canine Enrichment & Transfer Coordinator Assistant (Limited, Advanced DEV Opportunity): Want to help support the behavioral testing of dogs at our shelter?  CETC Assistants work closely with the Canine Enrichment & Transfer Coordinator to complete necessary evaluations and administrative processes associated with behavioral testing of dogs.  This advanced position requires DEV experience and a regular weekly schedule upon acceptance by supervisor, and you must be age 18 or older. 

Cat Care Volunteer: Want to help provide some TLC and a clean, healthy home for our cats?  Cat Care Volunteers socialize, enrich, groom, feed, water and maintain clean feline kennels at our shelter to help our cats “put their best paw forward” while waiting for their “purr-fect match”.  This position requires a regular weekly schedule, and Pet Partner teams are welcome.    

Cat Captain: Want to make a significant difference in cat overpopulation?  Cat Captains provide support to the Cleveland APL’s spay/neuter initiatives by working in the field as agents of the Cleveland APL’s Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program. They assist clients with humanely trapping feral cats and transporting them to/from the APL for services provided through the Animal Welfare Clinic. This position requires a flexible schedule with the ability to handle one case per month, and you must be age 18 or older. 

Animal Welfare Clinic Support Technician: Want to gain some experience or use your skills to help support high-quality, low-cost spay/neuter surgeries for other shelters/rescues and feral cats?  AWC Support Technicians assist the veterinary staff with patient check-in and/or discharge, preparing animals for spay/neuter surgery, data entry of animal medical records, patient recovery, and other clinic duties. This position requires a regular weekly schedule, and you must be age 18 or older. 

Veterinary Support Associate: Want to gain some experience or use the skills you already have in our veterinary clinic?  Vet Support Associates assist the veterinary staff by preparing necessary equipment, supplies, and animals for surgery or treatment and perform other administrative duties.  This position requires a regular weekly schedule, and you must be age 18 or older.

Animal Photographer: Like to capture photographs of animals that express their personality?  Animal Photographers beautifully photograph shelter animals in teams for marketing and promotional purposes and for our website’s Adoptions page. Using their own digital photography equipment and software, they   take the photos and download, edit, and upload them for distribution.  This position requires a regular weekly commitment in addition to animal handling training upon acceptance by supervisor.  

Top

FOR

Adoptions Specialist – Greeter: Excited to begin volunteering in animal welfare, but want to start in an entry-level position?  Our Adoption Specialists in the Greeter role help to form a bond with shelter visitors and give them a positive experience at the APL!  Greeters perform a variety of duties, including welcoming guests to the shelter, administering and scoring Meet Your Match™ Adopter Surveys, directing potential adopters to the Adoption Floors, and providing guests with information and education about our shelter and other animal services in the city of Cleveland.  This position requires a regular weekly schedule, and Pet Partner teams are welcome. 

Adoptions Specialist – Front Desk: Want to help animals – dogs, cats, and small mammals – find their “fur-ever homes”?  Adoption Specialists at the Front Desk perform a variety of duties, including assisting potential adopters in finalizing their decision to adopt an animal, reviewing adoption information with clients, processing sales, answering phones, and making follow-up calls to continue our relationship with our adopters.  This position requires a regular weekly schedule, and you must be age 16 or older. 

Development Associate:  Have office skills or development experience that you would like to gain or share to help support our animals?  Development Associates provide support for the Development Department and for APL fund-raising events and activities through various administrative tasks, including opening mail, copying, preparing deposits and mailings and filing documents. This position requires a regular weekly schedule during weekday office hours. 

Special Events Associate

Special Events - Radiothon Volunteer:  Want to help support a FUN fund-raising event that generates much community awareness about the APL and money to help care for our animals?  Our annual Pledge for Pets Radiothon with Q104 has a variety of volunteer assignments during the two-day event at the shelter and the Doggy Dollars/Kitty Kash Bash that kicks off the event.  Volunteer assignments for the event include Event Setup, Phone Bank, Greeter, Registration/Sales, Change Counting, Gift Processing, Food Room, Food Solicitation, Food Retrieval, Shuttle Driver, Phone Bank Runner, Photographer, and Event Cleanup. Volunteer assignments at the DD/KK Bash are Greeter, Registration, Bag Counter, Expediter, Tag Recorder, Poster and Photographer.  These positions require pre-event training and adherence to commitment for the event.  This is a great opportunity for those who want to be involved but cannot commit to helping on a regular weekly basis.    

Special Events – Fur Ball Volunteer:  Want to help support a gala fund-raising event that supports our Second Chance medical fund and includes dinner, dancing, silent and live auctions and an appearance by a special animal guest? Our annual Fur Ball might be the right opportunity for you. The Auction Committee works to obtain significant and unique auction items and to package, display and describe those items effectively in order to exceed the auctions’ fund-raising goals. Four sub-committees – Procurement, Operations, Presentation, and Program – support the Auction Committee and work at various times throughout the year. Other committees are Decorations and Public Relations.  Volunteer assignments for the event are Transporter, Event Setup, Photographer, Animal Caretaker, Greeter, Registration, “Key to Your Heart” Sales, Table Monitor-Silent Auction, Bid Spotter-Live Auction and Fund-A-Need, Auction Package Transporter-Silent Auction, Closing Assistant, Runner, Credit Card Processor, Calendar Sales, Auction Package Distributor, and Event Cleanup. You may join any committee or volunteer for the evening event – it’s your choice. Committee members must attend and participate in meetings. Event volunteers must complete pre-event training and adhere to their commitment for the evening of the event.  

Top

Return to main volunteers page >>

---

The Cleveland APL does not necessarily endorse nor dismiss the particular information or viewpoints expressed by the
individual links. sites, or authors listed above. Links are provided as informational resources only and should be seen as such.