Volunteer

Volunteer Opportunities Available:

• Foster Team
• Communications Team
• Applications Team
• Home Visit Team
• Adoption Team
• Intake Team
• Transport Team
• Outreach Team
• Fundraising Team

See more below

Are you ready to volunteer your time?

We at Sooner Golden Retriever Rescue are always looking for additional volunteers. Whether you have a lot of time to share or just a little, we can find a way for you to help. Recovering displaced Golden Retrievers and matching them with their perfect forever families is our passion.

Rescue is not a simple process, there are many moving parts and it takes a lot of time and energy to do it right. At the heart of our success is our group of dedicated volunteers who are willing and eager to do everything it takes to see that every Golden entering our program finds the happy home they were meant to complete.

I want to Foster a Golden or Volunteer my Time

If you are interested in Volunteering – fill out the form below and we will get back to you.

Our skill and timeliness in communicating with the public is critical to the success of our mission. Members of the Communications Team monitor our incoming email and telephone message services as well as manage our website and social media accounts. Without the amazing work of these dedicated individuals, our rescue efforts would come to a screeching halt.

Becoming a member of the Communications Team is an excellent way for someone to help who may have only a limited amount of time or a highly variable schedule.

We are in need of individuals who are willing to respond to inbound telephone calls and emails from the public who are requesting information about SGRR and the adoption process. Training is provided and we will assign you to an experienced member of the Communications Team who will be available to assist and mentor as you become more proficient. The more volunteers we have to make these outbound calls, the fewer calls each individual needs to make and the easier the task becomes.

We know that communications work may not seem as important or “sexy” as working directly with the Goldens or some of the other available volunteer opportunities – but this is the job that makes or breaks us as a rescue. Your geographic location is no barrier to helping out on the Communications Team – you can live anywhere and still be a part of this team. You get to specify your level of participation in team activities. Sign up for one call a week, or a hundred, it’s totally your call!

For those individuals who really want to dive down into the inner workings of the rescue, we also have opportunities available for volunteers to learn how to manage and coordinate our communications tools. We use these tools to document our communications and keep all the information flowing. Our GoldenLine Coordinators truly have their finger on the pulse of the organization.

Through your work with the Communications Team, you are only a phone call or email away from ensuring some deserving Golden finds their perfect matching family.

Talk is NOT cheap!

It is the policy of Sooner Golden Retriever Rescue to conduct an in-home visit with every prospective adoptive or foster family prior to approval for adoption or foster. Members of the Home Visit Team volunteer their time to travel and meet with prospective families in their homes. The purpose of the home visit is to discuss the adoption process and to gather specifics about the type of Golden the prospective family may be interested in. This is also an excellent opportunity for us to answer any questions the prospective family might have.

New members of the Home Visit Team are paired with experienced team members who provide direct hands-on training and mentoring. New team members shadow their team mentor during home visits to familiarize themselves with the home visit process and to gain real life experience. We would never expect a new volunteer to jump into the home visit process without first providing adequate training and a robust support system.

Home visits are a key piece of the adoption process and are often one of the most enjoyable stops on the way to a successful adoption. Home visit volunteers often have the pleasure of seeing and interacting with “their” adoptive families at SGRR events for years after the visit – how cool is that?

Home visits are not “assigned.” Team members volunteer for the visits they choose to make and work with the prospective family to schedule the visit for a mutually convenient day and time. Home Visit Team members are needed in all parts of the state. It doesn’t matter where you live, we will eventually have need of a home visit in your area so sign up now!

Home is where the Golden is!

When there is a Golden in need, the Intake Team is on it. Intake Team volunteers are rescue’s first responders and must react quickly when we receive notice of a Golden in need. Team members respond to both individuals and other animal welfare organizations to quickly assess each potential intake situation and to verify the facts. Volunteers contact the individual or organization requesting help to rehome a dog and implement our defined process to verify the dog’s breed status and other intake criteria, obtain Board approval for all potential intakes, and if approved, then make arrangements for the Golden to be released into our care. Intake Volunteers work closely with our veterinary service partners to arrange all necessary initial veterinary care for Goldens entering SGRR’s adoption program. Intake Team members are always needed and geographic location is not a barrier to joining this team – we can use you on the Intake Team no matter where you live! All you need is a telephone, access to the Internet and email, and a desire to bring displaced Goldens into the safety of SGRR.

Shelter from the storm!

One of our primary missions is to educate the public about Golden Retrievers and their needs. SGRR participates in many outreach events every year to both further our mission of “finding good homes for Goldens in need,” but also to provide humane education and promote the benefits of the human-canine bond. Outreach Team members identify events and opportunities where we can showcase our Goldens and promote our missions and then work to organize our participation and arrange for each event to be appropriately staffed by SGRR volunteers. The Outreach Team is critical to getting the word out about SGRR and this team always seems to be having the most fun too!

It’s a PARTY!

Foster families are always in need. Providing a temporary home for a Golden in need is incredibly rewarding. Helping a homeless Golden move along the rescue continuum from confused refugee to happy adoptee is thrilling. Although it is a bit sad to see your last foster Golden go home, somehow they always leave behind a space in your heart ready to be filled by the next Golden in your foster dog chain.

New Foster families are subject to the same screening, application, and home visit process that new prospective adoptive families go through. Once approved as a foster home, you will join the Foster Team and be eligible to foster Goldens whose needs match the capabilities resources of your foster home.

You make the final decision as to which foster dogs come into your home. You are then responsible for the routine daily care, socialization and training of your foster Golden. Foster families usually provide food for their foster dog unless a special diet is required. The goal of fostering a Golden is to provide a structured and loving environment in which the Golden can learn basic house manners and the social skills necessary to easily integrate into a new adoptive family.

You may foster a Golden for a few days, a few weeks or even a few months. The length of time a Golden will be in foster depends on the needs of the Golden and the availability of a matching approved prospective family. SGRR will cover all necessary veterinary care at one of our partner veterinary clinics but requires that such care be preauthorized and scheduled by the Foster Team – unless it is a medical emergency.

Foster families must agree to make their foster Golden available to meet with matching prospective adoptive families until the foster is placed in a new forever home. Fostering a Golden Retriever for SGRR is NOT intended as a “Try it before you buy it” arrangement. If a family is truly interested in adopting a Golden rather than in providing a temporary home and necessary training to make a Golden more adoptable, then that family should proceed down the adoption application path rather than the foster application path.

Foster for the future – Foster for the feeling – Foster for the fun!

The members of the Applications Team manage the application process and work hand-in-hand with the Home Visit Team. The Applications Coordinator ensures that Applications Team members are monitoring the receipt and timely processing of new adoption and foster applications. Applications Team members routinely interface with the Home Visit Team and the Board of Directors. This is a support position that is well suited to volunteers who may have odd, sporadic, or limited hours available but are looking for a way to contribute to the organization. These tasks are mostly self-directed and can be performed at any time of the day or night.

The job is not done until the paperwork is complete!

Are you always trying to “fix up” members of your family and friends with compatible potential mates? Then maybe you have just the right skill set to be a matchmaker for the Goldens in our care! Members of the Adoption Team work with our Adoption Coordinators to match prospective families with available Goldens. Our Adoption Coordinators interface with the Applications and Home Visit Teams to keep track of families who have completed the application and home visit process and have been approved by the Board to adopt. This group contacts prospective adopters and arranges for them to meet Goldens that are judged to be an appropriate potential match. When Cupid’s arrow strikes for a family and their Golden-to-be, Adoption Team members then work to ensure all the appropriate contract paperwork is completed. Team members are available to assist new adopters with integrating the adopted Golden into their family and often help with canine and feline introductions. There is no greater reward in rescue than helping match a deserving Golden with an eager adoptive family and then watching how that simple event transforms the lives of both lucky parties.

Make me a match!

Our Goldens are always on the move – around town, around the state, and even across the country. If you would enjoy an opportunity to work directly with the Goldens in our care, then this may be the place for you to plug into SGRR. When a Golden needs a ride, our Transport Coordinator will send out an email to the Transport Team with the details of the transport. Transport volunteers select their own transports based on the needs of the transport and their availability. Many transports can be flexible to accommodate your availability. For safety reasons, we recommend our Goldens ride in a crate when shuttling between destinations. It’s best if you have a vehicle large enough to fit a large or extra-large crate. Loaner transport crates are available. SGRR does not pay for your gas, however if you track the details of your transport, the expense may be tax deductible. It’s best to consult your tax advisor for details.

It’s Uber for Goldens!

As an all-volunteer, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, Sooner Golden Retriever Rescue is dependent on the generosity of our members and supporters. Rescue work is inherently expensive, and without this continuing support we will not be able to rescue the next 2500 displaced Goldens in need. Our Fundraising Team is constantly looking for opportunities to generate dollars to support our mission. We are always looking for volunteers with experience in event planning and public relations to help us grow our financial base and therefore help even more Goldens. If you are interested in helping identify grant or other financial growth opportunities, or in planning and executing fundraising events, you would be a most welcome addition to our Fundraising Team.

All that is Gold does not glitter!