Volunteer Management
How to Get, Keep and Release Volunteers
Rachel Avilla
Wildlife Rehabilitation Volunteer Manager
Lindsay Wildlife Museum
About Me
 Graduated from Saint
Mary’s College with a B.S.
in Environmental Sciences
 Wildlife Rehabilitation 11
years
 Started as an Intern at
Santa Rosa Bird Rescue
 Intern and volunteer at
Lindsay Wildlife Museum
 Staff at Lindsay Wildlife
Museum for 8 years
More About
Me
 Six years volunteer
manager at Lindsay
Wildlife Museum
 Specialize in Volunteer
Management, Swifts and
Passerine Care particularly
House Finches and Corvids
About Lindsay Wildlife
Museum
 Officially established
rehabilitation hospital in
1970’s
 In 1980’s 10,000 animals a
year
 1990’s




new building
introduced species policy
8,000 animals a year
developed the current
training system
 Currently Museum Wide
 500+ volunteers
 80,000 hours of volunteer
service each year
 20,000 students a year
 75,000 visitors a year
 Rehabilitation Hospital
 350 rehabilitation
volunteers
 Average of 5400 native
animals a year
 10’s of thousands of phone
calls a year
Why
Volunteer
Management?
 Without volunteers
wildlife rehabilitation
would not exist (no $$$$$)
 Quality care requires well
trained, managed and
dedicated volunteers
 Volunteers are a facilities
greatest resource
Most
Important
Points to
Remember
 Be honest
 Training
 Structure
 Easy, simple and clear
information
 Acknowledgement and
appreciation
 Volunteers can do volunteer
management
 Volunteering is a
privilege, not a favor
Recruitment
Who
 People that bring in animals
 Local medical facilities,
Nurses!!!
 Local retirement
communities
 Other local animal rescue
organizations
 Community Service (schools
and courts)
Recruitment
How
 Fliers
 Local volunteer centers
 Website!
 Word of mouth
 Easily accessible
information
 Effort
Training
 Must have a pre-training program
 Better the training
 better the volunteers
 Longer the training
→ more committed the volunteers

More organized the training
→ more comfortable the volunteers

More prepared the volunteer
→ happier the volunteer
Happy Volunteer = Better Animal Care
Pre-Training
 Mandatory Introduction
Class
 This is what you are
getting yourself into
 Laundry, dishes, poop and
food prep… Any ?’s
 Beginning Volunteer
Training
 Charge small fee for class
 This is what you need to
know before volunteering
Pre-training Priorities
 Health and Safety
 Rules and Regulations
 Basic Anatomy and
Physiology
 Handling
 Basic bird and or mammal
care
 What ever your facility
specializes in
Pre-Training Tips
 No more that 2 hours
 Lectures and Labs combined in 2 hours
 Lots of cool pictures in presentations
 Handouts to compliment training
 Homework
 Videos of class
 Bring in animals halfway through
training
 No preferential treatment
Lindsay Wildlife
Museum’s Method
 Introduction to Wildlife Class 3
times a year in Oct. and Jan.,
charge $65 for class
 Core Curriculum Training
Program 1 time a year Feb.-Mar.
 There are 7, two hour classes
totaling 14 hours of pre-training.
 Provide 3 different sections to
maximize flexibility in schedules
for new volunteers
 Been doing it this way for 25
years, it works!
Continuing
Education
 Natural History and Care
of Species
 Advanced handling and
restraint classes
 Medications
 Nutrition
 Husbandry and
enrichment
Have a system of what new
volunteers can do and what
they can achieve with time
Without potential for
advancement…
What’s the point?
 Releases
 Rescue training
 Be creative and use your
strengths
 Laundry
On-shift
Trainings
Make sure all volunteers are
on the same page for all
house keeping needs
 Dishes
 Cage Cleaning
 Enclosure set-ups
 Medications
 Diet preparation
 Pool cleaning
 Almost all skills
Volunteer Maintenance
 Avoid Burnouts
 Shift Unity
 Shift Structure
 Special Opportunities
 Recognition of Years
Volunteering
 Keep Updated and
Involved
 Appreciation Events
Lindsay Wildlife
Museum’s Method
 Short frequent shifts
 Shift leaders and mentors on
every shift
 Before and end of season
meetings
 Involve them when something
cool is happening
 Check up on them and get to
know them
Release of Volunteers
They Leave Because
 Life happens
 Bored
 Not a good fit
 Confusion and frustration
 Lack of supervision
 Staff or other volunteers
We Release Because
 Blatant disregard of
policies or protocols
 Inappropriate injury to
themselves, an animal or
another volunteer
 Inappropriate interaction
with another volunteer or
staff.
Before Our Volunteers
Start
 Committed to 9 meetings
 A grand total of 18 hours of training
 Completed all necessary paperwork
They are worthy of becoming a
volunteer
Volunteering is a privilege, not a favor
Other
Requirements
There should be requirements
for maintaining an active
volunteer status
 Yearly membership
 Minimum hour
completion
 Continuing education
Thank You