Animal volunteer volunteer roles in Taunton, somerset

Role Summary

Education Outreach Volunteers support the Reptile Centre by assisting with community education sessions, school visits, events, and public engagement activities. Volunteers help promote reptile welfare, conservation awareness, and responsible pet ownership. This role is ideal for people who enjoy working with the public, have an interest in animals, and want to make a positive impact in the community.

Key Responsibilities

Support Educational Sessions

• Assist staff during school visits, workshops, and community outreach events.

• Help set up and pack away educational materials, displays, and activity stations.

• Support the delivery of interactive demonstrations (with or without live animals, depending on training).

• Engage with visitors, answer basic questions, and help create a welcoming learning environment.

Animal Handling (Optional Based on Training)

• Handle reptiles safely during sessions once trained and approved by senior staff.

• Support welfare checks and ensure animals are comfortable during events.

• Help maintain safe handling practices with the public.

Community Engagement

• Represent the Reptile Centre positively at fairs, open days, fundraising events, and exhibitions.

• Share information about the centre’s conservation work, rescue stories, and how people can get involved.

• Encourage visitors to support fundraising campaigns and ongoing community initiatives.

Event Support

• Assist with coordinating groups during onsite and offsite sessions.

• Help manage queues, guide groups, and provide general visitor support.

• Prepare craft materials, activity sheets, or demonstration equipment.

Practical Support

• Help maintain the cleanliness and organisation of education and outreach equipment.

• Support the preparation of educational resources and displays.

• Assist with basic administrative tasks such as feedback collection or session records.

Skills & Qualities Needed

Essential

• Friendly, reliable, and comfortable speaking with the public.

• Enthusiastic about reptiles, wildlife, conservation, or animal education.

• Willingness to learn and follow safety and welfare guidelines.

• Good teamwork skills and a positive, helpful attitude.

Desirable

• Experience working with animals, children, or in an educational setting.

• Confidence handling reptiles (training will be provided).

• Knowledge of reptile care, conservation, or science communication.

What We Provide

• Full training in reptile handling, welfare, and safe educational practice.

• Safeguarding and health & safety guidance.

• Support from staff and fellow volunteers.

• Opportunities to develop skills in public speaking, education, and animal care.

• Experience that can support future employment or studies in animal care, conservation, or education.

Time Commitment

• Flexible volunteer shifts available (weekdays, weekends, or event-based).

• Volunteers can offer as much or as little time as they are comfortably able to.

• Outreach events may require occasional travel with staff.

Additional Requirements

• Minimum age (centre-specific, often 16+ or 18+).

• Willingness to undergo basic training and follow centre policies.

• Some roles may require a DBS check (depending on involvement with children).

Benefits of Volunteering

• Make a meaningful contribution to reptile welfare and conservation education.

• Gain confidence and skills in presenting and public engagement.

• Work closely with a variety of reptiles and learn from experienced handlers.

• Join a supportive team and become part of the centre’s community.

• Opportunities to assist in fundraising that supports vital veterinary and rescue work.

Our vision for volunteering

Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.

The difference you will make to cats and people

If you enjoy driving and would love to use those skills to help our cats, this could be the role for you. Our transport volunteers provide vital assistance to our teams and volunteer groups in the local area by transporting equipment, litter, food – and even cats! They have the essential role of connecting our network of volunteers, sites, vets and supporters.

Without the passionate and committed teams of volunteers across Cats Protection, we wouldn’t be able to help the thousands of cats and kittens each year that rely on us for help.

About Lucas Helps Dogs
Lucas Helps Dogs is a volunteer run  charity working in Sri Lanka to reduce the suffering of street and community dogs and cats. We run spay and neuter clinics, provide rabies vaccinations, emergency treatment, and daily meals to street dogs and cats. We also deliver educational programmes in schools to teach kindness to animals and responsible pet care.

We’re currently looking for a Volunteer Grant Writer to help us secure vital funding so we can continue and expand our work for animals in need.

About the Role
As our Grant Writer, you’ll help identify suitable grant opportunities and prepare well-researched funding applications to support our animal welfare projects. You’ll work closely with our founder to understand the charity’s goals, gather information, and develop strong proposals that demonstrate our impact and vision.

This role is perfect for someone who enjoys writing and research, wants to gain experience in fundraising, or is passionate about improving the lives of animals.

Key Responsibilities

• Research potential grants, trusts, and foundations that align with our mission

• Write clear, compelling funding proposals and supporting documents

• Maintain a calendar of grant deadlines and track submissions

• Help develop a case for support and collect information for applications

• Review feedback from funders to improve future submissions

• Collaborate remotely with our small, friendly team

What We’re Looking For

• Strong writing, research, and communication skills

• Attention to detail and good organisational skills

• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines

• Interest in animal welfare and compassion for dogs

• Experience in grant writing or charity fundraising 

What We Offer

• The chance to make a direct impact for animals in need

• Experience in grant writing and charity fundraising

• A flexible, supportive, and friendly volunteer team

• A reference after 3 months of volunteering

• The opportunity to use your skills for meaningful change

Time Commitment: 2–5 hours per week, flexible schedule
Location: Remote – you can volunteer from anywhere
Commitment: Ideally 3 months or more

How to Apply
If you’d like to use your writing skills to make a real difference for dogs and cats in Sri Lanka, we’d love to hear from you!
Please send a short email outlining your interest and any relevant experience

Voluntary Dog Rehoming Coordinator & additional Volunteers wanted

We're looking for a dedicated Dog Rehoming Coordinator to help match dogs with loving, responsible forever homes. About the Role as our Dog Rehoming Coordinator, you will play a vital part in the journey of each dog in our care. You'll work closely with adopters, volunteers, and our kennel partners to ensure every dog receives the support they need before finding their perfect home.

Key Responsibilities assess incoming dogs and oversee their care and welfare. Manage the adoption process from application to handover. Interview and support potential adopters to ensure suitable matches .Maintain accurate records and documentation. Work with our volunteer home checkers to monitor the dog progress. Promote adoptable dogs through social media and outreach events as required. Provide post-adoption support as needed.

About You - We're looking for someone who is compassionate, patient, and committed to animal welfare. Someone that is confident working with dogs of all ages and temperaments. A strong communicator with excellent people skills. Organised, proactive, and able to manage multiple tasks. They must be comfortable making informed decisions in sometimes emotional situations. Be experienced in animal care, rescue work, or similar roles (preferred).

Labrador Welfare are also looking for Volunteers to help us with daily tasks as detailed below;

* Fundraising

* Sending emails/receiving emails

* Creating social media posts and replying to comments

* Liaising with other volunteers, adopters, kennels, potential adopters and trustees (via the phone or on email)

* Updating records

* Help with content for newsletters

We are looking for people who are caring, compassionate, team player, animal lover, trustworthy, have the ability to work on their own, enthusiastic and ultimately want to help a worth while cause.

If this is something you're interested in then please contact me telling me a bit about yourself and why you would make a good volunteer to Labrador Welfare.

Job Type: Volunteer

A bit about this role

At Cats Protection we passionately believe that neutering cats before they can breed is an essential part of cat ownership, and without neutering the UK’s cat population would quickly get out of control. Our neutering volunteers help spread positive neutering messages and make it easier for owners on low incomes to get their cats neutered. They help raise awareness of the benefits of neutering, promote our neutering schemes and respond to enquiries from members of the public.

What can you expect to be doing?

• Promoting the benefits of neutering and our neutering schemes
• Responding to enquiries about neutering
• Completing relevant neutering paperwork and distributing neutering vouchers
• Following up with cat owners to make sure that vouchers are used
• Ensuring all cats and kittens are neutered in line with Cats Protection policies and procedures

Our vision for volunteering

Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.

The difference you will make to cats and people

From elderly moggies to energic kittens, every day across the UK cats and kittens are in need of a temporary place to stay, and lots of love and TLC! We need more fosterers like you to provide a safe, temporary haven for cats and kittens and provide them with everything they need before they get their chance to land on their four paws and make a house a home.

You can expect us to 

• Make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours
• Support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection
• Ensure you have all you need in place to foster the cat(s) in your care, for example equipment and food
• Cover all your foster cats’ expenses and agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy
• Provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunities

Our vision for volunteering

Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.

The difference you will make to cats and people

Unfortunately cats can occasionally stray or get lost, which can be extremely distressing for their owners. Our lost and found volunteers are passionate about reuniting lost cats and bringing families back together. They help cats and their owners by advertising lost cats and providing support, advice and guidance to people searching for their cats.

You can expect us to

• Make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours
• Support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection
• Cover agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy
• Provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunities

Our vision for volunteering

Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.

The difference you will make to cats and people

From elderly moggies to energic kittens, every day across the UK cats and kittens are in need of a temporary place to stay, and lots of love and TLC! We need more fosterers like you to provide a safe, temporary haven for cats and kittens and provide them with everything they need before they get their chance to land on their four paws and make a house a home.

You can expect us to 

• Make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours
• Support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection
• Ensure you have all you need in place to foster the cat(s) in your care, for example equipment and food
• Cover all your foster cats’ expenses and agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy
• Provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunitie

Education Volunteer Role Description 

Are you passionate about changing the way we treat animals? Do you want to help reduce environmental damage? Do you want to inspire people to enjoy healthy vegan food that both looks good and tastes great? 

The Vegan Society aims to make veganism more accessible. We help people to adopt a vegan lifestyle by supporting individuals, policy- and decision-makers, caterers, manufacturers, healthcare professionals and the media. 

Why do we need you? 

Laura Chepner is our Education Officer, and she is looking for a volunteer to support her in her role. Laura has a background in education, with a degree in Primary Education which preceded a decade of teaching and a short stint in the role of SENco (Special Educational Needs Coordinator). Shortly after that, Laura theorised vegan-inclusive teaching, published An Educator’s Guide for Vegan-Inclusive Teaching and worked as the UK’s first vegan-inclusion education specialist until joining The Vegan Society. 

At The Vegan Society, Laura supports vegan learners in education who have been discriminated against by acting as an intermediary between their families and the institution. Additionally, Laura supports educators by creating resources and delivering training sessions on what it means to be vegan-inclusive in their practice. Furthermore, Laura empowers parents/guardians to ask for vegan-inclusion by creating documents, with the help of The Education Network, that they can present and highlight their rights. 

What does this role involve? 

We support vegan learners and their families by offering practical resources, including tips for discussing veganism with schools, understanding legal protections and addressing concerns like catering and inclusivity. Our resources aim to help create an educational environment where vegan families feel respected and valued. This role will involve creating resources for families and educators. For example, template letters, guidance on legal protections, policy review requests, learning materials for children and much more.

What training and support is available? 

The ideal candidate for this role will have a background in Primary Education and be comfortable working independently. However, we are always willing to invite volunteers along to staff training when possible and to deliver training on specific skills in-house, as identified throughout the volunteering period. This role is remote, so support from the Education Officer will be available through email and phone calls as required. Monthly reviews with the Volunteering and Engagement Officer will also be conducted to ensure the volunteer is happy in their role. 

What skills would be useful in doing this role? 

• Qualified teacher

• Good written English

• Competent using Microsoft Office

• A strong understanding of the aims, campaigns and tone of voice of The Vegan Society 

• The ability to work independently. 

What does my availability need to be?  

This is an ongoing role and tasks will be requested by Laura on an ad hoc basis, volunteers can accept or decline each task. Volunteering can be done outside traditional working hours and in any time zone, although meetings and staff support will only be available between 9am and 5pm UK time. We ask volunteers to commit to a minimum of six months to make the best use of recruitment and induction time and to get the best out of their volunteering experience.

Who does this role report to?

Laura Chepner, Education Officer and Kaya Gromocki, Senior Volunteering and Engagement Officer.

Our vision for volunteering

Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.

The difference you will make to cats and people

Unfortunately cats can occasionally stray or get lost, which can be extremely distressing for their owners. Our lost and found volunteers are passionate about reuniting lost cats and bringing families back together. They help cats and their owners by advertising lost cats and providing support, advice and guidance to people searching for their cats.

You can expect us to

• Make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours
• Support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection
• Cover agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy
• Provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunities

Are you a dog lover? Do you have the time to help raise a life-changing puppy? Would you like to make a difference to someone's life? If you've answered yes to these questions, then this role could be perfect for you! 

As a Puppy Raiser, you'll provide a 6-8 week-old puppy with the vital foundation for its future role as a guide dog. You'll be looking after a puppy for 12-16 months and will guide him or her through training, socialisation, the introduction of new environments and experiences while providing a loving home.

There might be the odd chewed slipper along the way, but nothing beats the rewarding feeling of loving and raising a puppy who will go on to make an enormous difference to someone living with sight loss.

What you'll be doing:

• Engaging with our world-class training programme to prepare your puppy for the next stages of becoming a guide dog.
• Providing care and support for your puppy at home e.g., loving, grooming and feeding him or her. 
• Socialising your puppy and introducing him or her to a variety of environments to increase confidence – this can be as simple as taking your puppy with you to the shops, office or park as you go about your everyday life.
• Teaching your puppy to be comfortable alone - gradually building up from a few minutes to a maximum of four hours.
• Taking your puppy to monthly puppy classes, and interacting with other puppy raisers in your community whilst refreshing your training and sharing tips.
• Meeting with your volunteer manager as frequently as needed to discuss any changes or issues with your puppy.
• Completing short questionnaires about your puppy’s development.

You'll ideally have:

• A loving home with enough time to invest in raising a puppy and attending to their needs (e.g. toilet training). If you work from home or have hobbies, you'll need to be available to give the puppy regular attention alongside these.
• Someone at home who is physically able to handle large breed dogs (around 25-40kg).
• Access to a car, so that you can get your puppy used to travelling.
• The agreement of your landlord to have a dog in the property if you rent your home. 
• A safe secure area outside for your puppy to go to the toilet.

What you'll get:

• The satisfaction of knowing you're supporting people with sight loss to live actively, independently, and well.
• The rewarding feeling of watching a mischievous puppy learn new training techniques to help them develop into a guide dog.
• The opportunity to participate in our bespoke world-class training programme – this can help you train your own dogs or advance a future career in dog handling.
• The opportunity to have a loveable, canine companion, proven to reduce feelings of stress and improve fitness – you’ll be out walking rain or shine!
• The chance to be part of the inspirational Guide Dogs community, meeting like-minded people and interacting with a community of puppy raisers in your area.
• A dedicated volunteer manager and fellow peers who will help support you throughout your role.

s a volunteer you'll have access to our world-class training programme, to implement with your puppy in training, a great bonus for any dog owner! This is delivered in an interactive and engaging manner, using a mixture of different learning techniques virtually e.g., videos, documents and e-learning modules. Examples of the modules you'll have access to include:

• Food manners
• Greeting new visitors
• Being home alone
• Settling in new environments

You'll receive plenty of support from your volunteer manager who will help you work through these training modules with your puppy. We also offer puppy classes for puppy raisers in the local area to get together, share stories and provide refreshers on training techniques. 

Volunteering for Guide Dogs should never leave you out of pocket. We’ll make sure we pay any pre-agreed expenses related to volunteering with us, including veterinary costs, food costs for the puppy and other materials needed for the puppy’s training. We will also pay an optional allowance of up to £100 a year to offset additional costs, and we have working agreements with certain bus and train operating companies, letting you take your puppy on short training journeys free of charge.

Minimum age of applicant: 18.

To find out if this role is available in your area, please click 'Redirect to recruiter' at the top of the page, and use the postcode search function on the Guide Dogs website to explore local opportunities. 

Volunteer Social Media Managers

Company Description

The Wisdom Trust is a UK-registered charity (Charity No. 1112323) dedicated to building a global network of people and organisations who share knowledge and resources to tackle poverty, healthcare challenges, environmental protection, human rights, and community development.

Role Description

We're on a mission to inspire people everywhere to take action on the issues that matter most: ending poverty, protecting our planet, improving global healthcare, and defending human rights for all. Social media is one of our most powerful tools for creating awareness, sparking conversation, and mobilising communities worldwide.

We’re looking for volunteers who can help us share stories, craft compelling messages, grow our audience, and engage supporters across all platforms. If you’re passionate, creative, and eager to be part of a global movement for positive change, we’d love you to join us. Together, we can turn inspiration into action.

Currently we use facebook, instagram, X, Linkedin and youtube, but we're keen to expand our reach and do more. Within our website, we even have our own social network and community and without doubt we can make better use of that too.

There's so much we can do and we firmly believe social media, when used correctly, could allow us to grow an army of members on every continent who can help us on both a local and an international level so we can make communities everywhere safer, happier, healthier, better aware and more sustainable places to live.

So now we are seeking a dynamic and creative Volunteer Social Media Manager to oversee our organisation’s online presence across various digital platforms. The successful candidate will be responsible for developing engaging content, managing social media campaigns, and fostering positive relationships with our online community. This role offers an exciting opportunity to shape our brand image and connect with audiences in innovative ways. The ideal applicant will possess strong communication skills, a keen eye for trends, and experience in public relations and social media management.

Duties

• Develop and implement comprehensive social media strategies aligned with the charity's goals.
• Create, curate, and schedule engaging content across platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and others.
• Monitor social media channels for customer interactions, comments, and messages; respond promptly to foster community engagement.
• Analyse performance metrics to assess the effectiveness of campaigns and optimise content accordingly.
• Collaborate with marketing and PR teams to ensure brand consistency and maximise outreach efforts.
• Manage online reputation by addressing feedback and managing crisis communications when necessary.
• Stay informed on the latest social media trends, tools, and best practices to keep the organisation at the forefront of digital engagement.

Skills & Experience

• Social Media Management, Content Creation, and Strategy Development skills
• Knowledge of Analytics, Social Media Metrics, and trend analysis
• Creativity and ability to design engaging campaigns for diverse platforms
• Strong organizational and time-management skills
• Understanding of online activism or passion for creating positive social change is a plus
• Access to a reliable internet connection and ability to work remotely
• Prior experience with social media platforms, tools, and scheduling software is beneficial
• Proven experience in social media management with a strong portfolio of successful campaigns.
• Excellent written communication skills with an ability to craft compelling content tailored to different audiences.
• Strong understanding of public relations principles and how they apply within digital environments.
• Proficiency in social media management tools such as Hootsuite, Buffer, or Sprout Social.
• Ability to analyse data analytics to inform strategic decisions and demonstrate campaign success.
• Organisational skills with the capacity to manage multiple projects simultaneously under tight deadlines.
• Creative flair combined with strategic thinking to develop innovative approaches that enhance brand visibility. This position offers an engaging environment where creativity meets strategic communication, providing opportunities for professional growth within a supportive team.

Benefits:

• Flexitime
• Work from home

This role is advertised as part of TPP's Free Giving Back Services. This volunteer advertisement copy has been supplied to TPP and applicants apply direct to the organisation. Please contact the organisation directly if you have any questions about this volunteer role.

Are you a dog lover with room in your home to look after a dog during evenings and weekends? This could be the perfect role for you!

As a Training Dog Fosterer, you’ll provide a loving temporary home to a dog in training, typically for a period of 12 to 20 weeks, as they begin their journey to become a guide dog. You’ll get to see the progress your furry companion is making in their training and be a vital part of their journey, without the commitment of looking after a dog full time.

What you’ll be doing:

In this rewarding role, your support for a guide dog in training will include:

• Doing the school run for your dog in training! This will typically involve dropping them off and picking them up at an agreed time Monday to Friday at one of our regional centres or community teams, however, some sites may vary. There are some locations where we will be able to collect and return the training dog from your home. 
• Caring for your dog in your home such as feeding, grooming, free running and playing, following the advice of our expert staff.
• Helping your dog keep up with their training by reinforcing the techniques at home from our first-class training programme.
• Making sure your dog is not left alone for more than four hours in a 24-hour period. If you’re planning on going on holiday, let us know at your initial phone call so we can plan alternative cover for your future life changer.

Can I foster a dog?

If you’re hoping to foster a guide dog in training, here’s what we ideally look for:

• Being close to one of our regional centres or community teams so that your dog can get to their training. 
• The agreement of your landlord to have a dog in your home if you rent your home.
• A safe and secure area outside for the dog to go to the toilet.

However, we try to be flexible – for example, you’ll still be able to foster a dog if you live in London, even if you don’t have access to outside space. 

What you’ll get:

• The opportunity to have a lovable canine companion!
• The satisfaction in knowing you’re supporting people with sight loss to live actively, independently, and well.
• The rewarding feeling of seeing your dog learn new training techniques to help them develop into a guide dog.
• An insight into our bespoke world-class training programme so that your dog’s training stays consistent at home, which can also help you train your own dogs or advance in a future career in dog handling.
• The opportunity to be part of the Guide Dogs community, meeting like-minded people in your area.
• A dedicated volunteer manager and fellow peers who will help support you throughout your role.

Training and support

You’ll attend a training workshop to understand the basics of our bespoke training techniques so you can confidently support your dog’s training at home. You’ll also receive ongoing guidance from your volunteer manager. If you have questions about the training requirements, we can answer these at your initial phone call along with any other support or accessibility needs you may have.

Volunteering for Guide Dogs should never leave you out of pocket. We’ll make sure we pay any pre-agreed expenses related to volunteering with us, including veterinary costs, dog food costs and other materials needed for your dog’s training.

Minimum age for volunteer is 18.

We also have a respite fosterer role available in some areas, where a dog would stay with you full time before moving on to the next stage of its journey.

Please check out our website to see what roles are available where you live.

Join the pack. Lend a hand. Change lives. Join your local fundraising group as a volunteer.

Are you looking for a volunteering opportunity where you can meet new people and raise funds that will change lives?  Join a Guide Dogs group near you for fun, fundraising and four-legged friends.

Did you know it costs £102,000 to raise, train, and support a guide dog from birth to retirement.

We have a range of roles from being a group member, to taking on a lead role such as Group Coordinator, Deputy Coordinator, Treasurer, Merchandise Coordinator or Collection Box Coordinator.

Why become a fundraising volunteer:

As well as making a huge difference to people’s lives, volunteering with your local Guide Dogs fundraising group is a great way to spend some of your free time and give back.

• Inspire people to support Guide Dogs and make a difference to someone with sight loss.
• Have fun finding new events and places to volunteer at.
• You’ll meet lots of special dogs – from young puppies in training to incredible guide dogs in partnership.
• You’ll empower others to get involved with Guide Dogs.
• You’ll learn new skills and we’ll provide all the training you need for your role.
• You can take on as much or as little as you want, and you can fit the role around your other commitments.

Who you are:

We appreciate our volunteers’ passion and energy, but we also value your unique skills, perspectives and personalities.

• Inspire others: Do you have lots of ideas that could motivate others? We need more inspirational volunteer leaders and fundraisers who can bring their energy and unique perspective to our local fundraising groups.

• Bring your skills: Could you help organise a calendar of events, take care of ordering merchandise, or count the funds raised by your local team? We need more volunteer treasurers, secretaries, and merchandise coordinators to support our fundraising groups.

• Help take Guide Dogs into your community: Are you well connected or do you love going to new places and meeting new people? We need more volunteer fundraisers to help at our events and spread the word about our work.

Training and pre-agreed expenses available.

Visit our webiste to see what roles are available where you live.