Summary: The Foster and Volunteer Coordinator facilitates deep engagement in the mission of the ASPCA through recruitment, support and celebration of dedicated foster caregivers, volunteers and responders at the Cruelty Recovery Center (CRC) in Columbus, Ohio. At the CRC, a dedicated team of sheltering, veterinary and animal behavior staff work together to serve animals rescued in ASPCA national cruelty cases and disaster responses. This team works closely with the ASPCA's National Field Response (NFR), Veterinary Forensics, Legal Advocacy & Investigations (LAI), Behavioral Sciences (BST) and Shelter Medicine Services (SMS) teams to ensure well-coordinated operations and high-quality care for animal victims of neglect, abuse and natural disasters. The CRC team also provides care for animals housed in ASPCA temporary field shelters.
The Foster and Volunteer Coordinator works under the direction of the Senior Manager, Volunteers and Fosters. Using best practices and innovative programs, the Coordinator will play a key role in ensuring the health and well-being of the foster population by providing administrative and client care support for our foster volunteers. In addition to supporting the work of the foster program, the Coordinator will also be responsible for providing support to the CRC's Volunteer Program. Perhaps the most critical function of the Coordinator will be to serve as part of a harmonious, united team of shelter operations, veterinary, and animal behavior experts, all dedicated to collaborating to provide balanced, integrated care.
To succeed in this role, the Coordinator will possess excellent people skills and time management skills in addition to paying meticulous attention to detail. The Coordinator will champion all animal populations enthusiastically and realistically to foster families and be fluent in major aspects of their well-being. The Coordinator will actively build and support volunteer, foster, and responder relationships, ensuring positive experiences for participants of the program.
Responsibilities: Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:
Program Support and Maintenance (85%) - Under the direction of the Senior Manager, Volunteers and Fosters, follow strategy, program plans and tactics to realize key results for both the foster and volunteer programs.
- Assist with actively recruiting, training and retaining fosters, volunteers and responders
- Update robust foster and volunteer manuals reflecting best practices and priorities of the animal population
- Establish and maintain regular communications with fosters, volunteers and responders to increase engagement and provide training
- Ensure all volunteer and foster applications, documentation and credentials are managed, updated and organized.
- Monitor and maintain foster and volunteer databases
- Communicate with foster caregivers and volunteers via phone and email to provide general updates and respond to inquiries
- Establish and maintain regular communications with fosters, volunteers and responders, in conjunction with Senior Managers, to increase engagement and provide training
- Monitor and support volunteer and responder scheduling
- Approve volunteer responder itineraries, book travel arrangements, and review timecards to ensure accuracy
- Procure foster placements, schedule medical checkup appointments and organize animal returns from foster homes
- Work closely with operations, medical and behavior to assign appropriate foster volunteers to specific animals
- Develop innovative methods to market animals for foster placement
- Regularly monitor the metrics, volume and animal flow into and out of foster care; adjust operations as needed to improve service and efficiency
- Ensure all foster volunteers receive comprehensive training in disease control and prevention in their home, animal handling and safety techniques
- Ensure all foster families are provided direct, transparent communication about the purpose of their foster assignment and that those fostering animals with medical and/or behavioral risks understand that humane euthanasia may be the appropriate outcome for the animal
- Manage a robust cache of supplies utilized by foster families in home and by volunteers in shelter
- Provide a safe and compassionate environment for animals in our care, our staff and for our clients by using low-stress handling techniques
- Ensure needed animal follow-up tests and procedures are completed in a timely manner, in conjunction with Legal Advocacy & Investigations, Forensics and Medical
- Seek out, learn and implement best practices in the fields related to foster and volunteer programs
- Attend workshops for animal welfare professionals to expand the sheltering, rehabilitation and recovery work of the ASPCA; share learning with the entire team upon return
- Collaborate consistently with other ASPCA departments, prioritizing alignment in operations and practices across departments
- Maintain strict confidentiality when dealing with criminal cases
- Support the work of the Placement Team as directed
- Perform other duties as assigned by the Senior Managers
Temporary Sheltering (15%): - Assist with planning and arrangements for placement/foster for temporary sheltering operations in the field
- When appropriate, work with local communities affected by disasters to return rescued animals to their owners and find placement for unclaimed animals
Exemplifies the ASPCA's Core Values: - Has Commitment and dedication to improving the lives of animals
- Demonstrates Ownership and feels responsible for outcomes
- Believes in Team - that we are stronger together
- Seeks to Elevate others and reimagine what is possible
- Focuses on Impact, specifically making change for animals
Qualifications: - Demonstrated exceptional client services skills; solution-focused problem-solver
- Demonstrated exceptional skills in supporting programs
- Excellent people-management skills
- Ability to work well with foster families, volunteers and responders
- Always treats people and animals with care and respect; must be a compassionate caregiver for animals and have a genuine interest in leading others
- Maintains a consistently positive attitude; must enjoy working directly with people; respects team members at all levels
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Flexible communicator; ability to interact with diverse personalities and groups
- Meticulous organizational skills; pays close attention to detail
- Works efficiently and calmly in a quick-paced changing environment
- Works well under pressure; willing to work long hours
- Adapts to a flexible work schedule and willingness to be on-call for last-minute deployments
- Relishes troubleshooting and problem solving
- Ability to work independently as well as part of a team
- Ability to work closely with behaviorally and medically compromised animals in an environment where euthanasia is performed
- Low stress animal handling and restraint skills preferred
- Administrative and computer skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint required
- Ability to walk, bend, stand and reach constantly during a minimum 8-hour day
- Ability to drive a vehicle
- Provide a safe and compassionate environment for animals in our care, our staff, and for our clients by using low-stress handling techniques
- Must provide a valid driver's license upon hire and pass a motor vehicle history check demonstrating a safe driving history
- Ability and willingness to travel up to 20% of the time as needed
Education & Work Experience: - B.S. or B.A. preferred, High School Diploma or GED required
- At least one year of work/volunteer experience in an animal welfare setting (i.e. animal shelter, clinic, rescue, etc.) is required; 2+ years of experience is preferred.
- Experience working with medically or behaviorally compromised animals preferred
- Animal first aid skills preferred
- Fear Free Shelter certification in required within 60 days of hire
- Low Stress Handling University Silver-Level certification is required within six months of hire
- Knowledge of and experience working within Incident Command System (ICS) structure preferred; completion of IS-700.b, IS-800.d, IS-100.c, and IS-200.c training courses within 3 months of employment required
Compensation and Benefits: Starting pay for the successful applicant will depend on a variety of factors, including but not limited to education, training, experience, location, business needs, internal equity . click apply for full job details