Volunteer Opportunities

Become the change you want to see in others
-Ghandhi

Indigo Rescue & Adoption is currently looking for volunteers to help with the following programs:

• POP Clinics (Pet Overpopulation Prevention)
• Fund-Raising and Event Planning
• Indigo Anti-Abandonment Campaign Volunteers
• Voicemail Consultants
• Quarterly Newsletter
• A Cause For Alarm

POP Clinics (Pet Overpopulation Prevention)

POP is a joint effort with Washington County Animal Control to spay/neuter ALL animals prior to adoption. It is not functioning quite yet, but it will be the first onsite spay/neuter clinic at a shelter in Oregon. At the onset, two morning clinics are scheduled each week from 7:00 a.m. to noon. Relief veterinarians perform the surgery and are paid an hourly wage. Veterinarian Technicians assist the vet and are paid an hourly wage.

• POP volunteer coordinator: The coordinator schedules all the people needed to participate in POP clinics. There must be one veterinarian, one licensed veterinarian technician, and four caregivers per clinic. This position is estimated to take approximately 15 to 20 hours per week at the onset, and will probably decrease after the program is up and running.
• POP caregivers: Four caregivers are needed for each POP clinic. Caregivers assist the vet and the tech, move the animals from their cages to the surgery preparation area, and move the animals from surgery to the recovery area. They observe the animals recovering from surgery; report any difficulties to the vet tech. When the animals are fully recovered, they move the animals back to their cages.

Note: Attending the Washington County Small Animal Shelter Volunteer Orientation program is required.

Fund-Raising and Event Planning

We need creative people to find ways to fund all of Indigo's efforts. Our bank balance is usually at a very low level, but our financial needs are high. Volunteers will share ideas and coordinate events and efforts.

• Grant writer: Work with our researcher to find ways to fund our programs. If you have experience in grant writing, or want to find out more, we need someone who can take charge.
• Event Planner: Indigo has sponsored several events: jewelry sale, estate sale, garage sale. We need volunteers to plan fundraising events. Ideas are welcome.
• Event Volunteers: LOTS of volunteers are needed when we sponsor an event. On call, as needed. Ideas welcome!!!

Indigo Anti-Abandonment Campaign Volunteers

Indigo has launched a new program to deter abandonment of pets by renters. We have asked property managers to include a paragraph in their rental agreements regarding the law against abandonment and to require micro-chipping of pets to increase probability of prosecution. We need volunteers to make follow-up phone contact with property managers. Find out if they are participating in our program, whether they need additional support or materials etc. Information is available on our Web site in English and Spanish. Additional areas of the campaign include Washington County billboards regarding the law, and trainings with landlords through Washington County Sheriffs Office. We are open to additional ideas to deter animal abandonment in our state.

Voice Mail Consultants

Indigo's voice mail is our link to people who need help. Calls range from owner surrenders, independent rescuers, guardians with pet behavior problems, and many more. We want to offer resources and advice that directly contribute to ending animal abandonment.

Positions needed

• Consultants: Two to four consultants are needed per month, to answer Indigo's voice mail on a daily basis. Ideally, a consultant is on-call for one week. Each call is answered within 24 hours. The consultant uses the Indigo Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) guide to answer and direct the caller. If the call cannot be resolved by using the FAQ guide, the consultant refers the call to Claudia or Heather (or another designated Indigo volunteer.) Answering voice mail can take between 30 minutes to 2 hours per day. Consultants maintain a phone log.

Note: Answering voice mail requires some one-on-one training, as needed.

Quarterly Newsletter

The quarterly newsletter is designed to keep Indigo supporters informed about our recent activities, needs for money, and any other pressing news. Heather and Claudia write most of the articles, but more ideas are welcome. Barbara Haftorson publishes it and distributes the electronic copies to our e-mail subscribers. We also print and distribute a hard copy, which we need help with.

• Newsletter Assemblers: Our newsletter is four pages. It is printed but needs to be folded, have an address label attached, have a stamp attached, be sorted for bulk mailing, and delivered to the post office. It takes two to three people an evening once per quarter to do the work.
• Newsletter distributors: We need people to distribute hard copies of the newsletter to various vet clinics, pet stores, and pet-friendly businesses. We also need people to distribute hard copies or electronic copies within their workplaces, clubs, churches etc.

Cause for Alarm

Indigo produces a live, call-in, cable access show on Tualatin Valley Community Access. It's on the first and third Wednesdays of every month at 8:00 p.m. We need technical support volunteers and a producer for the show. Heather hosts a variety of guests representing animal advocacy groups and animal related services.

• Producer: We need one person to schedule guests, promote the show, and make sure the technical support person and telephone screeners are available.
• Technical support: We need one or two people who can provide support for operating the camera and sound during the show.
• Phone support: We need one or two people who can answer and screen the incoming calls to the show and transfer them.

Note: Tualatin Valley Cable Access requires a four-hour training for the Technical Support position. Training is offered on Saturdays.

Be part of the solution to end animal abandonment!