Volunteer roles for the Animal sector in europe

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

Our cat admissions volunteers ensure the smooth running of our admissions process, helping our volunteer groups and teams admit cats into our care in the most effective and stress-free way possible for both people and cats. This role is undertaken from your own home. This could be the perfect volunteer role if you have administration experience, a passion for cats, or both!

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.

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

What we need from you

You’ll be:

• Responding to email and telephone enquiries regarding cats coming into care
• Managing the cat waiting list and prioritising accordingly
• Liaising with other volunteers, employees, local vets and members of the public
• Using our administrative systems to record cats coming into care

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

A bit more information about this role and the team

The branch are looking for indoor fosterers so applicants would need to have a suitable spare room.

What we need from you 

• A stable, safe and compassionate environment in your home
• Enrich the cats’ experience in care including play, exercise and appropriate handling/interaction
• A willingness to complete some training in order to provide high standards of cat welfare
• Introduce cats to prospective adopters so they can find their forever home
• You can find out more about being a Fosterer on our website

We have the opportunity for volunteers who have a passion for retail and animals to join the team at our brand new charity shop on George Street in the city centre. This is an exciting time for us and we are looking forward to growing a friendly team in this new retail hub for the charity. There are plenty of roles available to suit your interests and availability. 

The George Street shop is our retail hub as it is also home to our E-Commerce operation. The friendly team working at George Street are happy for potential volunteers to explore the areas that are of interest to them, so if you love researching books or obscure bands, possibly discovering that a donation could raise hundreds for us by being sold online, then perhaps you'd enjoy working within our E-Commerce team!

We are seeking more volunteers to join our bustling George Street team on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturday afternoons and would love to hear from people who are happy to serve customers on the till.

About the Role

Our shop volunteers play an integral role in the day-to-day running of our charity shops and the maximising of sales to support Bath Cats & Dogs Home. Whether you prefer working behind the scenes or on the shop floor in a customer facing role there are plenty of tasks to get involved with.

Your activities could include:

• Assisting and serving customers on the till
• Providing excellent customer service on the shop floor
• Creating attractive displays and assisting with the visual merchandising of the shop
• Receiving donations from the public and promoting our Gift Aid scheme
• Assisting with the processing of donated stock, including sorting, steaming and hanging of items
• Other daily tasks including cleaning, tidying, dusting and hoovering 

About You

You will be a motivated and enthusiastic individual with a love for animals. Good communication and customer care skills are key to a successful charity shop so the ability to work as part of a team and with the general public is desirable. There is a manual handling element to the role so this should be considered on application. The hours are flexible although we ask for a regular commitment of a few hours each week.

Full in person training will be provided for donation sorting and retail guidelines, as well as our waste management and recycling processes.

Are you a people-person looking for a way to use your skills to support your local rescue and rehoming centre? We are looking for friendly faces to add to our brilliant reception team, greeting supporters, handling enquiries and making all visitors to Bath Cats & Dogs Home feel welcome.

This is an exciting new volunteer role for the charity and having taken on two fantastic Volunteer Receptionists earlier this year, we are keen to grow our small but mighty team!

Our volunteer requirement for this role is Tuesdays-Sundays 10am-1pm or 1pm-4pm. We require volunteers to make a weekly commitment of at least 6 months.

About the Role:

Volunteer Receptionists are the first point of contact to all visitors to BCDH. This could be members of the public looking to hand over their pet, add to their family or hoping to pop in to have a look at the animals. They also handle general enquiries via telephone and email. Your tasks may include:

• Greeting volunteers and supporters upon arrival for appointments; handling walk-in enquiries and organising external contractors in a friendly and efficient manner.
• To assist the Customer & Facilities team with any general administration.  
• Processing payments for adoptions, stray dog claims and vet visits.
• Processing donation payments, ensuring to follow Gift Aid processes.
• Receiving and sending post.

About You:

You will be an outgoing and approachable animal lover ideally with experience of front-of-house roles. However, full training will be provided, so an organised people-person would also be an ideal candidate. An interest in how animal welfare charities operate is key as you will often be the first point of contact for supporters who have lots of questions about the rehoming process!

Ability to communicate effectively in person, on the telephone and via email is crucial, as well as being able to manage your emotions and remain calm during difficult situations. 

You will be answering queries from external contacts via email as well as managing post, so it is important that you understand the need for privacy and confidentiality.

We are looking for outgoing and confident volunteers to support our busy Rehoming Team with admin tasks, telephone and email enquiries and keeping our website updated with cats and dogs awaiting their forever homes. An experience of customer-service is a must, as is an ability to navigate various software including Microsoft Outlook, Teams and Excel.

About the Role:

Rehoming Volunteers will be key to delivering a positive experience for supporters who are applying to adopt our cats and dogs. By taking on office admin tasks and handling enquiries, they will streamline the rehoming process and help to reduce the length of stay for our animals. Your tasks may include:

• Answering calls to the Rehoming Office and engaging with supporters interested in adopting or awaiting response from their application
• Dealing with varied email enquiries – every day is different!
• Logging these interactions with supporters on our database Anilog 
• Uploading applications and home visit photos to Anilog 
• Uploading animal profiles to our website and making updates to existing profiles as we learn more about our animals
• Navigating software including Microsoft Excel, Teams and Outlook

Rehoming Office Volunteers will likely be lone working for a period of their shift as the Rehoming Team are busy with multiple appointments per day. Full in-role training of our database Anilog and CMS for the website will be provided.

Due to the training required for this role, we ask volunteers to commit to a weekly 3-hour shift on a set day for a period of at least 6 months.

About You:

You will be an outgoing and tech-savvy individual who thrives on delivering excellent customer service and has a love for animals. You’ll be a fast learner keen to develop your understanding of the rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming process, and confident in explaining this to hopeful adopters.

The Rehoming Team work on a hybrid rota basis, meaning you may work with a different member of the team at each shift. Therefore, Rehoming Office Volunteers will need to be confident self-starters who can get on with anyone but are also able to crack on when alone in the office.

Are you an experienced gallerist or someone with a love of art, photography and animals? If so, you might be the perfect person for this exciting new volunteer opportunity.

Following our recent refurbishment, we have a large area in our reception building which we think is the perfect space to showcase animal welfare related exhibitions. We’re looking for a volunteer to assist in curating these exhibitions and to support with administration.

About the Role:

The Volunteer Curator will help with all aspects of the exhibitions, from generating and developing ideas with our Communications & Marketing team to physically hanging the artwork. Previous experience of having curated exhibitions would be beneficial, however a keen interest in this area would also be desirable.

This is a new volunteer role working with the Communications & Marketing team. It’s an exciting new opportunity for us to engage our supporters with animal welfare in a creative way. We are all learning together, so there may be the opportunity to visit other galleries alongside the team to gain insight into how to create engaging exhibitions.

As we work together to decide the scope of the work, we are happy to be flexible with potential volunteers on the day that they come to site, however this is most likely to be between Monday-Friday. We hope to develop a rolling programme of exhibitions, so the Volunteer Curator role is welcome to commit for as long as they are willing to help us, we hope that this would be for a minimum of 6 months.

About You:

You will be an outgoing and creative person with experience gallery work and understand current animal welfare issues. Bath Cats & Dogs Home’s supporters range from various ages and backgrounds, so sensitivity of this in your ideas for exhibitions would be appreciated.   

You will be computer literate and work well with a varied team. There is a manual handling element to this volunteer role which should be considered upon application.

If you are someone who would like to engage the public with animal welfare through creativity and have the time to help us develop this exciting new project, then we would love to hear from you.

We are looking for friendly and organised volunteers to assist with sorting, washing and drying laundry, as well as keeping our laundry room tidy. This is an important role as the supply of clean bedding, towels and toys is essential for the welfare of our animals. You will be helping us keep them comfortable, warm and entertained.

In addition to making a difference to the animals in our care, you will get to know our friendly team and gain further insight into how the Home runs.

Our volunteer requirement is on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday between the hours of 09:00-16:00. A weekly commitment of 3 hours is preferred. 

Role Profile

As a laundry room assistant, you will support our staff and animals by washing towels, blankets and animal bedding. In addition to this, you will sort through the donated bedding and towels we receive and decide what items we can keep, what can be recycled and what we need to throw away, endeavouring to waste as little as possible. You will also be ensuring that the laundry room is always kept clean and tidy and checking that machines are in proper working order.

Your activities will include:

• Cleaning and drying any laundry that is generated during the daily running of the centre
• Folding and storing clean laundry which will include bedding and towels, toys and vet beds from our recovery suite
• Sorting donated bedding and towels, deciding which can be used, recycled or disposed of
• Keeping the laundry room tidy
• Reporting any issues with the washing machines or tumble dryers to our site maintenance team

About You

This can sometimes be a messy task, so a willingness to get your hands dirty is essential as you will sometimes be cleaning soiled blankets, towels and vet beds used in our recovery suite. There is a manual handling element of the role, so this should be considered upon application.

You don’t need to have any prior experience, you will be given full onsite training on how to use our machines and where everything goes.

All volunteers are required to complete online Health & Safety training prior to their start date. Due to insurance restrictions, all volunteers must be over the age of 18.

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

As a charity we are able to help thousands of cats each year thanks to the generous donations we receive from members of the public. Our fundraising volunteers use their passion for cats and people to raise the vital funds needed to help more cats and kittens in need. As a fundraising volunteer we want to support you to fundraise in whatever way suits you best, whether that’s organising a fundraising event, fundraising online, promoting fundraising activities on social media, completing administration or supporting the development of new fundraising ideas! Whatever your skill set, this could be the role for you! 

What 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

What we need from you

This is a really flexible role – you can choose what you’d like to get involved with, for example:

• face-to-face fundraising. Organising or helping with fundraising events, running supermarket collections and fundraising stands, monitoring collection tins 
• online fundraising. Setting up online appeals and writing impactful cat case studies that maximise donations
• marketing. Spreading the word about our fundraising activities, for example on social media and with the local press
• completing administration. Processing donations, sorting and recording donated goods, completing Gift Aid paperwork
• championing our work. Getting involved with developing new fundraising ideas and increasing community engagement
• photography. Capturing images of cats in care, cats we are helping, events and all things Cats Protection

Time expectation

This is a flexible role that can fit around your other commitments to suit you. You’ll be part of a team raising vital funds while having fun in the process!

You may be just the volunteer we've been looking for!

We are committed to building a diverse, compassionate and inclusive organisation where everyone can be themselves and do their best. We are courageous and compassionate in our purpose of helping people see the world through cats’ eyes. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we are all for cats. Join the UK’s leading cat welfare charity and help make a better life for cats, because life is better with cats.

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.

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

A bit more information about this role and the team

The branch are looking for a transport volunteer to cover weekends

What we need from you

You’ll be:

• Arranging and transporting equipment, litter and cat food
• Transporting cats to and from vets, foster homes and centres
• Transporting equipment to and from events

Time expectation

Our transport volunteers usually spend two to four hours per week in this role, which is flexible and can be shared by more than one volunteer if needed.

You may be just the volunteer we’ve been looking for!

We are committed to building a diverse, compassionate and inclusive organisation where everyone can be themselves and do their best. We are courageous and compassionate in our purpose of helping people see the world through cats’ eyes. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we are all for cats. Join the UK’s leading cat welfare charity and help make a better life for cats, because life is better with cats.

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

What we need from you 

• A stable, safe and compassionate environment in your home or in a purpose-built pen in your garden provided by us
• Enrich the cats’ experience in care including play, exercise and appropriate handling/interaction
• A willingness to complete some training in order to provide high standards of cat welfare
• Introduce cats to prospective adopters so they can find their forever home
• You can find out more about being a Fosterer on our website

Time expectation

Our volunteer fosterers usually spend around one and a half hours per day (around 10 to 13 hours per week) in this role, but this might vary depending on the number of cats or kittens in care.

You may be just the volunteer we've been looking for! 

We are committed to building a diverse, compassionate and inclusive organisation where everyone can be themselves and do their best. We are courageous and compassionate in our purpose of helping people see the world through cats’ eyes. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we are all for cats. Join the UK’s leading cat welfare charity and help make a better life for cats, because life is better with cats.

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

As a charity we receive numerous enquiries on a daily basis from members of the public related to cats and their welfare. Our enquiries volunteers are part of a passionate team of volunteers that help Cats Protection signpost and manage these enquiries. They help our cats by answering questions from members of the public, providing advice and signposting queries to other volunteers and employees if needed.

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

A bit more information about this role and the team

This role will be focused on triaging phone calls received by the branch and passing it on to the relevant volunteers within the team.

What we need from you

You’ll be:

• Responding to enquiries from members of the public 
• Communicating with others and providing information in response to queries
• Signposting queries and requests to other team members

Time expectation 

Our enquiries volunteers usually spend 4 to 6 hours per week in this role, which is flexible and can be shared by more than one volunteer if needed. 

You may be just the volunteer we’ve been looking for!

We are committed to building a diverse, compassionate and inclusive organisation where everyone can be themselves and do their best. We are courageous and compassionate in our purpose of helping people see the world through cats’ eyes. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we are all for cats. Join the UK’s leading cat welfare charity and help make a better life for cats, because life is better with cats.

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

At Cats Protection we help thousands of cats each year thanks to our dedicated and passionate volunteer groups and teams, all of which help our cats in different ways. Our treasurer volunteers maintain the finances of local groups and teams, ensuring they hold the funds needed to continue their vital work. Cats Protection relies solely on donations from generous members of the public, and our treasurer volunteers help make sure these funds are spent in the most effective way. 

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

What we need from you

You’ll be:

•  Preparing budgets
• Keeping accurate financial records
• Reporting financial records via ‘Cashlog’ (Cats Protection supplied software)
• Paying invoices and volunteer expenses
• Being part of a team which ensures there are sufficient funds to meet expenditure
• Updating and advising others on income received, expenditure and available funds
• Managing and monitoring donations made to the group
• Following financial procedures e.g. Gift Aid returns and VAT claims

Time expectation

Our current volunteer treasurers usually spend between 2 to 4 hours per week in this role. More hours may be required at certain times, such as towards the end of the financial year but support is always available. 

You may be just the volunteer we’ve been looking for!

We are committed to building a diverse, compassionate and inclusive organisation where everyone can be themselves and do their best. We are courageous and compassionate in our purpose of helping people see the world through cats’ eyes. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we are all for cats. Join the UK’s leading cat welfare charity and help make a better life for cats, because life is better with cats.

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

A bit more information about this role and the team

The branch are looking for indoor fosterers so applicants would need to have a suitable spare room.

What we need from you 

• A stable, safe and compassionate environment in your home or in a purpose-built pen in your garden provided by us
• Enrich the cats’ experience in care including play, exercise and appropriate handling/interaction
• A willingness to complete some training in order to provide high standards of cat welfare
• Introduce cats to prospective adopters so they can find their forever home
• You can find out more about being a Fosterer on our website

Time expectation

Our volunteer fosterers usually spend around one and a half hours per day (around 10 to 13 hours per week) in this role, but this might vary depending on the number of cats or kittens in care.

You may be just the volunteer we've been looking for! 

We are committed to building a diverse, compassionate and inclusive organisation where everyone can be themselves and do their best. We are courageous and compassionate in our purpose of helping people see the world through cats’ eyes. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we are all for cats. Join the UK’s leading cat welfare charity and help make a better life for cats, because life is better with cats

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

A bit more information about this role and the team

The branch are looking for indoor fosterers so applicants would need to have a suitable spare room.

What we need from you 

• A stable, safe and compassionate environment in your home or in a purpose-built pen in your garden provided by us
• Enrich the cats’ experience in care including play, exercise and appropriate handling/interaction
• A willingness to complete some training in order to provide high standards of cat welfare
• Introduce cats to prospective adopters so they can find their forever home
• You can find out more about being a Fosterer on our website

Time expectation

Our volunteer fosterers usually spend around one and a half hours per day (around 10 to 13 hours per week) in this role, but this might vary depending on the number of cats or kittens in care.

You may be just the volunteer we've been looking for! 

We are committed to building a diverse, compassionate and inclusive organisation where everyone can be themselves and do their best. We are courageous and compassionate in our purpose of helping people see the world through cats’ eyes. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we are all for cats. Join the UK’s leading cat welfare charity and help make a better life for cats, because life is better with cats