Last Chance Ranch Equine Rescue.

1. Barn Management

A) Daily Horse Care

B) Feeds & Hay

C) Health Records

2. Farm Maintenance

A) Construction-Stalls, Sheds, Tack Room, etc.

B) Fencing/ Pastures

C) Vehicles (truck, tractors, trailers)

3. Office

A) Receptionist

B) Mailings (Newsletters, Post cards, Campaigns, Thank yous, etc)

C) Data Entry

D) Accounting

4. Farm Tours (LCR)

5. Junior Volunteer Program

6. Web maintenance

7. Natural Horsemanship Program

ON & OFF PREMISE

8. Fundraisers/Events

A) Pet Fairs Various

B) Vendor Fair

C) Picnic/Awards party

D) Clinics

E) Cash Back Programs

F) Change jars

9. Merchandise Sales

A) Catalogue of items

B) Items at Events

C) E-Bay

D) Tack Shack

OFF PREMISE

10. Sponsor Soliciting /Maintenance

A) Companies

B) Horses

C) Stalls/Barn/Fence boards

11. Promotions/ Marketing and Advertisement

A) Distribution & creation of NL, Brochures, Flyers, etc

B) Email messages

12. Public Speaking (Rotaries, 4-H clubs, School Education Clubs

13. Audit/Manage Placed Horses

A) Barn Inspections

B) Reference Checks

14. Research (internet at home)

15. Grants

The purpose of these opportunity descriptions is to provide overall guidelines and information of available duties. 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 lbenetz@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 brains, power and time needed to do it.

We do not have the time availability to explore each and every opportunity. We rely on our volunteers and coordinators to weed through the possibilities and only 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 projects for the kids to get involved with.

Volunteer Levels

*Please note* Riding and horse handling is done ONLY through the Direction of the LCR Horsemanship Instructors. Lessons and training are always available through LCR’s Horsemanship program. (Understanding Horses Naturally) See curriculum, price and, scheduling forms. Pleasure riding is not available since most equines at LCR are in recovery and need special considerations. Sound, rideable horses are here due to behavior issues and need a qualified LCR Horseman to handle. Volunteering as a teaching assistant is also a great way to learn and develop your knowledge and handling skills.

Each horse is assigned a level that will coincide with the level of experience of the volunteers. We are by no means trying to insult your abilities or to discriminate against your teachings. The levels are created to ensure consistency and safety for volunteers and horses.

LEVEL 1 - PINK: Introductory level

You will find that this 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.

1. Learn about LCR, its mission, policies, rules, and residents

2. Must complete 20 hours of volunteering on the farm and/or at events and pass a hand written and/or oral test before advancing to the next level.

* Everyone must complete Level 1

LEVEL 2 - YELLOW: Complete Supervision

1. Supervised at all times while handling (leading/grooming).

2. Must follow instructions and demonstrate ability and experience

3. Stall mucking and watering.

LEVEL 3 - BLUE: Partial Supervision

1. Must be able to lead up to Level 3 horses.

2. Must receive instructions from an upper level volunteer or board member before performing tasks unsupervised.

3. Groom L-3 horses

LEVEL 4 - GREEN: Unsupervised

1. Must be able to catch and bring in all L-4 horses

2. Groom and pick feet of L-4 horses

3. Assist in feeding, watering, and handling

LEVEL 5 - RED: Experienced

1. Feeders/Trainers

2. Feeders must commit to at least one day per week.

LEVEL PURPLE:

BOD Member or Manager

LEVEL ORANGE: Office or Events only (NO horse handling or physical requirements)

Descriptions of Opportunities

For Policies & Procedures: See LCR-SOP/Training Manual

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.

Barn Management: For details see Feeder & Barn Chore Handbook in LCR-SOP/Training Manual A) Daily Horse Care-Execute daily regime tailored to each individual equine’s needs and behaviors whether it be medical rehabilitation, therapy and treatment to psychological/behavior modification through Natural Horsemanship.

B) Feeds & Hay- maintain ample fresh quality supply and flow of grains and hays- and bedding, picked – up or delivered

C) Health Records- worming, vaccinations, dental, farrier, analyze and evaluate, document and record all treatments, actions, and/or incidents.

Farm Maintenance: While thorough knowledge and training are critical to each volunteer role, they are especially important when it comes to maintaining or repairing buildings, fences, and equipment. While we have a training program in place for horse handling, we do not offer any training on equipment, fencing and building maintenance and/or repair. Our limited budget does not allow for buying extra equipment or supplies due to errors or miscalculations. Only individuals with expertise and successful experience should perform these tasks at the direction of a Board member.

A) Construction-Stalls, Sheds, Tack Room, etc. See “To Do” List Posted on Bulletin board, and discuss your interest and abilities with a staff member. For safety’s sake, do NOT attempt to use power tools without a Board member’s approval.

B) Fencing/ Pastures- Same as above. We have electric running in between boards of most of the pastures. If you need assistance learning how not to get zapped or grounded, please ask.

*Painting fences: Weather permitting. We will have brushes and buckets available. Please wear clothes you can discard, we use oil based paint that will permanently stain.

C) Vehicles (truck, tractors, and trailers) discuss your interest and abilities with the staff

D) Miscellaneous: sweeping barn, organizing grooming buckets, removing cobwebs (empty stalls only), restacking wood piles, picking up rocks in pastures (empty pastures)

Picking up manure piles in riding ring and round pen

Grounds Keeper – neat and orderly, everything in its place

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 or donate it to another charity. No one will need to purchase carrots again.

Office:

A) Receptionist -Answering phones

People may be asking about adoptions/placements, riding program, sponsorship, volunteering, placing a horse with us, etc, so only those who are thoroughly familiar with all programs and activities should answer the phone. See SOP manual to learn specific answers and instructions for questions asked, such as “How do I adopt?”

B) Mailings: Newsletters, Post cards, Campaigns, Thank you notes, etc

C) Writing articles, graphic designing newsletter and flyers

D) Data Entry in access and excel: Must be accurately entered with names, address, phone #, emails, health records, etc,

E) Accounting:

Farm Tours

Volunteers provide tours to the public, through pre-scheduled appointments to ensure the safety of the animals and visitors. Tour guides will 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 Teen volunteers new to horses and barn chores. Junior Volunteers will be asked to “sign up” for one of the two bimonthly Volunteer Programs available (either the first and third Saturday of the month, or the second and fourth Saturday of the month.). Each team will be asked to organize their own fundraiser. Prizes will be awarded to the most successful team at the end of the year.

An experienced horseperson will be on site on Saturdays from 9:00 am – 11:00 am to teach Teen Volunteers such skills as horse handling, grooming, stall cleaning and tack cleaning.

Weekly chores for the horses will expected to be done as well. They will include:

· Sawdust, tub cleaning, pasture maintenance, manure removal from ring/sheds,

· Special projects such as fence painting, barn cleaning/painting, etc

· Store front fundraising and promotion: With the store’s permission and a parent’s help, volunteers may set up a table at a store to hand out information about Last Chance Ranch - Newsletters, flyers, volunteer applications, and sell LCR t-shirts and other merchandise.

· Change jar fundraising, newsletter, and brochure placement at tack shops, pet food stores, etc. We are asking everyone who can to take responsibility for no more than two jars to start. Vets, small merchants, etc. are often willing to display them on their counters. Sign the Jar Sheet in the office so we know where the jars are and who is responsible. You will be expected to pick up and deliver money at regular intervals, at least monthly. Forms are provided for volunteers to fill out when dropping off checks or money orders for change jar collections. A separate instruction sheet will be provided when you sign up. These jars, if maintained and placed in appropriate places have been known to yield $100 + per month along with delivering information to those interested in new homes for our equines.

Circulating Information: We expect every volunteer to promote LCR, its philosophies and policies Ways to do that:

A) Word of mouth is one of the best ways. You may tell people to visit the ranch by Appointment Only. Volunteers who successfully complete Level I training and study the tour guidelines in the SOP/Training Manual may give tours.

C) Hang flyers and posters about our upcoming events on bulletin boards, in stores or anywhere available.

Jobs that require counting, cutting, folding, sorting and other fairly mundane or repetitive tasks often need completion. If you are interested in helping in this area, please approach and ask the Volunteer Director and/or office staff if there is anything to be done.

Web Site Maintenance: See Lori Benetz only. Ideas, information and links are always welcome, please email to lbenetz@lastchanceranch.org for suggestions. Subject “Website idea”

Horsemanship Program: (Understanding Naturally). Instructors, assistants, and students needed. See Horsemanship Curriculum and forms for more details. To become a certified LCR Horsemanship Instructor or Behavior Modifier you will need to be Level 5 (red) and complete LCR’s Horsemanship Curriculum through Level V.

Fundraisers/Events 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) Vendor Fair/Open House Expo annually in September is the largest LCR event per year. Vendors selling wares, clowns 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.

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.

Bulletin Boards – the visiting public and guardians/adopters can benefit from educational information on our bulletin boards. Creative and artistic applicants may work with our office staff to design and implement displays.

Packet Assembly – We have information from a variety of resources for each of the LCR programs to give to the public to take home. Putting this all together takes teamwork and is done on an as needed basis.

Merchandise Sales: LCR wishes to have available at events, on the farm and on line

b) inventoried, priced and tagged (prices can be assessed from local used tack shops or the internet)

E) E-Bay: photos of items emailed to auction coordinator, items boxed and shipped as needed.

A) Companies: seeking out corporate sponsorships to sponsor a building, stall, horse, program, etc.

B) Stalls/Barn/Fence boards: varying degrees of sponsorship equal varying results: plaques, etc.

C) Email messages to groups, other organizations, volunteers, etc for upcoming events, projects, information, updates, etc

Rotaries, 4-H clubs, School Education Clubs, Seminars, Expos, and more: MUST be able to represent LCR in a professional fashion. MUST be able to answer questions on policies and procedures and how they were determined. Know LCR inside and out and speak from the heart. Good people skills with professional representation. You will be what people perceive LCR to be.

A) Barn Inspections: Visiting and checking facilities, you will be trained and have instructions and lists to check

B) Reference checks and interviews: prospective guardians, Vets, farriers, neighbors, etc. MUST be able to read people and look through the cracks.

A) Grants: We have a lot of research done already, ask for list. Find out what the grants are for and how we apply or qualify for that certain grant. Request applications and requirements and present neatly and organized.

C) Information on the web. Example: New materials for surfacing rings, round pens and riding areas.

Certain projects take time, knowledge and skill. Certain projects are made into committees. Committee leaders are chosen and jobs are delegated according to experience and knowledge. If you are a committed and dedicated volunteer with leadership qualities you may be appropriate for a Chairperson Position.

A) Chairperson: Responsible for devising a plan and delegating duties to people in their committee. Making sure project is completed on time. Keeping BOD up to date on status of project. Informing BOD of any problems or delays of project. All projected costs should be given to BOD in advance for review and pre-approval of any purchases necessary. Make Schedule of volunteers needed for the event.

B) Volunteers to work on each committee (chairperson will be responsible for knowing how many people they will need.)

C) A BOD member will work closely with each chairperson to ensure all planning goes smoothly. They are here to answer any questions you may have concerning any aspect of LCR. Do not hesitate to ask any questions or bring new ideas to the table. All new ideas and proposals must be in writing. (they can be informal) Put them in the suggestion box, email to fronto@lastchanceranch.org with subject being “Suggestion”, or call and speak to a Board member. They will be reviewed and answered by the BOD in a timely manner.