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LCR Volunteer Opportunities
You MUST attend a volunteer orientation before starting your LCR volunteer experience!
Please come to an Orientation & Tour held on the 1st Saturday of every month at 10 am. Orientations start in front of the horse barn. We look forward to seeing you then! If you are not able to make it to a Saturday orientation please email or call to make an appointment for another time. We are all volunteers and there may not always be someone available to show you around. Riding and horse handling is done ONLY through the Direction of the LCR Horsemanship Instructors. Pleasure riding is NOT available.
LCR recognizes and appreciates the valuable contributions it receives from its volunteers. The attainment of LCR’s goals and mission is best achieved by the active involvement of volunteers in the management and implementation of its many programs, activities and opportunities.
You will find that an entry position does not involve working directly with the animals. Dedicated volunteers go on to work with the animals after learning the policies and skills that ensure consistency and safety of the volunteer, the animal, other volunteers and staff, and the visiting public.
You will play a very important role as an LCR volunteer. Take it seriously, but also enjoy it. Ask questions about anything that does not make sense. Your longevity depends on ongoing satisfaction and trust in the mission and staff of LCR participants. Consistent, strong LCR volunteers may advance to working with feeders, techs, managers, trainers and horse handlers; along with, pre-screening and placement assistance/counseling. This will also be dependent on forming a positive relationship with the LCR staff.
Thank you for your time and talents and I hope you find your volunteer work rewarding.
DEFINITION OF A VOLUNTEER
An LCR volunteer is a person who, without expectation of monetary compensation or material reimbursement, performs a task at the direction of and on the behalf of LCR. Without dedicated volunteers, LCR could not exist. LCR volunteers fulfill a number of positions that include, but are not limited to, the following categories:
ON PREMISE OPPORTUNITIES
1. Barn Management
Daily Horse Care-Feeding/Chores
Small Animal Care
Pasture/Lawn Maintenance
Volunteer Training
Community Service Supervision
2. Kennel
Kennel Cleaning
Dog Care-Feeding/Chores/Yard Supervision
Foster Care
3. Office
Receptionist
Data Entry
Record Keeping
4. Farm Tours (LCR)
Orientation tours
Group Visits
Birthday Parties
Guest Speakers and Group Leaders Needed!
ON & OFF PREMISE
6. Fundraisers/Events
Pet Fairs & Various Off Premise Events
Open House
Picnic/Awards party
Promotions/ Marketing /Sponsor Solicitation /Advertising
7. Merchandise Sales
Catalogue of items
Prep take along bins for Events
Track Inventory
OFF PREMISE
8. Public Speaking (Rotaries, 4-H clubs, School Education Clubs)
9. Audit/Manage Placed Horses
Barn Inspections
Reference Checks
Annual Vet Check
10. Research (internet at home)
Grants
Rescue Networking
Fundraising Opportunities
Cash Back Programs Ideas: Acme and Redner’s super markets offer 1% cash back to non-profit organizations. There is no limit to the cash that can be received for the animals. Whether or not you follow through on volunteering on site, the animals benefit if you submit receipts. Blue Acme receipts and white receipts with advertisements printed and bordered in blue on the back are eligible. Redner’s requires you to get a “Sav A Tape” program card from their customer service desk that you must present at the time of your purchase to make tapes eligible to send to us.
The COMMUNITY CASHBACK program sponsored by Fleming Companies, Inc. refunds two cents for each UPC symbol from the products they manufacture under the names Best Yet, Captain’s Cove, Chef’s Cupboard, Exceptional Value, IGA, Marquee, Nature’s Finest, Pets Choice, Piggly Wiggly, Primary Choice, Rainbow, and SuperTru (Prestige) products. These are local grocer’s store brands and will vary from store to store. Acme, Clemens and IGA, among others, carry these brands. Dad’s dog food UPCs earn cash for the animals. Cutting the UPCs from the label saves on postage. When you do, enclose a note that the UPCs are from Fleming Food Group or Dad’s Dog Food.
Heinz (Homeless Homer, Morris the Cat) discontinued their emblem and UPC program in January 2001. Totaling the sum of your submission saves other volunteers’ valuable time.
As of August 30, 2002, Genuardi’s discontinued their receipt program. They have joined the eScrip program. Many national stores in our area such as Payless Shoes and The Sharper Image participate in the eScrip program. By registering and using your existing grocery loyalty card (Genuardi’s club card), debit or credit card, from 1 to 10% of your monthly total in purchases can be requested for LCR. For more information on the program and registering, go to escrip.com on the internet.
To ensure we track ideas and they go through the proper channels, submit suggestions and recommendations in writing to the Volunteer or Managing Director, or send to pets@lastchanceranch.org . Your initiative and willingness to take responsibility for new projects or duties congruent with the philosophy and practices of Last Chance Ranch would be greatly appreciated. We are aware that more can be done and you could be the one with the knowledge, perseverance, and time needed to do it.
We do not often have the time to explore each and every opportunity. We rely on our volunteers and coordinators to weed through the possibilities and recommend the ones that would be the most beneficial to LCR both financially and educationally. Fundraisers that take hours of work with minimal return are not reasonable for LCR to undertake and may be submitted to the Junior Volunteer Program for project ideas.
Gardeners Wanted – The tender loving care of plant enthusiasts would be greatly appreciated. There is room and plenty of fertilizer for a flourishing vegetable garden also. We can sell the produce or distribute it among volunteers. No one will need to purchase carrots again!
Farm Tours
Volunteers provide tours to the public, through pre-scheduled appointments to ensure the safety of the animals and visitors. Tour guides must be able to answer basic questions about the rescue and rehabilitation of the residents, placement process and LCR philosophies, rules, volunteering and more. Guides play an important role in finding homes for homeless equines along with promoting the various programs of the organization. Tour guides improve public relations, bring in or lose potential guardians, sponsors, volunteers, etc. and prevent people from interrupting counselors in the middle of a placement process, training session, or other duties to answer questions. *If you notice empty tubs, have barn chore personnel help you rectify the situation.
Junior Volunteer Program
The Junior Volunteer Program is designed to organize, teach, and supervise young volunteers new to horses and barn chores. Junior Volunteers will be asked to “sign up” for one of the Junior Volunteer Sessions available. Each team will be asked to organize fundraisers. Chores for the horses will expected to be done as well.
We expect every volunteer to promote LCR, its philosophies and policies
A) Word of mouth is one of the best ways.
B) Pass out Newsletters to Vets, stores, and feed mills etc.
C) Hang flyers and posters about our upcoming events on bulletin boards, in stores or anywhere available.
D) Sell tickets to events when applicable.
E) Gather addresses of anyone who wishes to be on our mailing list.
Every donation, no matter how small, allows us to continue to exist. But Placement fees and donations alone fail to cover the expense of caring for unwanted animals. So additional fundraising is necessary.
A) Pet Fairs / Horse Expos & Shows, etc.; various dates and locations. Information and merchandise is made available to the general public. Knowledgeable personnel must attend to be able to correctly answer questions or direct the public on where to find answers. This is a great way to learn more about LCR for the beginner volunteer.
B) Open House Expo annually in September is the largest LCR event per year. Food, music, clowns, games, and entertainment set the Fair atmosphere while clinics, seminars, and demonstrations attract the horse lovers. There is a separate committee list available for all who are interested in helping with this huge yearly project/fundraiser.
C) Picnic/Awards party- organizing, advertising, and having fun!
A few words on your Volunteering Experience
Managers and Board members are here to help develop an educational, fun, lifetime experience through the various Programs available. Rules MUST be followed for the safety of all. We are here to answer questions and assist in furthering your experiences with LCR and its equines.
Please do not expect to come here and receive undivided attention from Board members, managers, instructors, trainers or medical personnel. They have a job to do and limited time to do it. We are ALL volunteers and have dedicated a certain number of hours per week to help the mission of LCR. Most of us have full time jobs elsewhere and we are giving our spare time to help. Although we make friends along the way, there is a job to be done and the health, welfare and safety of all are of the utmost importance. Please do not take offence to a respectful request to “stand back, or wait until we are finished” We realize everyone is here to help, but policies and procedures must be met before anyone is allowed to participate.
If you have questions about a policies, procedures, or treatments… ASK. There are reasons for things that we do and we are very willing to share them with you, but we won’t know what your concerns are if you do not ask.
Some situations you encounter may be emotional painful to witness. You will see horses with problems that you never thought could happen at the hands of human beings. We do our best to help the horses work through these issues through our trained staff and advisors.
Sometimes behavior modification through Horsemanship or even medical treatments may seem confusing or may not be the way you learned. When this happens we need you to discuss your concerns with us. We, as a Board of Directors, make the final decisions. We cannot stress enough the importance of your views being consistent with or tolerant of the practices of LCR. Inconsistencies can damage a horses’ recovery and result in questionable morale.
Euthanasia and death may occur and makes all of us uncomfortable; we should not be here if we do not want to help and save animals. You will grieve, in varying degrees, the loss of certain animals. No one will promise you that there won't come a time when an animal is euthanized that you believe could have been saved or not euthanized when it appears to be their time. A panel of experts is consulted for such situations. Come to us with questions or concerns and point out any strength or weakness that you see in an animal to a Supervisor.
These horses may have been abused or mistreated and can be unpredictable. Consistency and delicate handling is a key part of their recovery. This is not a park or a playground, wandering visitors or unauthorized volunteers can get hurt. Children must be supervised at all times and please don’t bring other pets.