Description: Transport dogs to and from shelters, surrendering owners, kennels, groomers, foster homes and vets. Most transports are during regular business hours.

Skills or Equipment Needed: Requires a secure vehicle with a crate or dog barrier in which to transport dogs. A flexible schedule is important and the willingness to travel is also important. Volunteer should have good dog management skills and be able to handle unfamiliar dogs. Must be able to provide good communication to the Intake Coordinator.

Time Requirements: Transport is on an “on call” basis. You will be contacted when there is a need and you have the option to accept or decline the assignment.

Description: Go to shelter or surrendering owner’s home or a suitable meeting place, meet the dog, determine if the dog is a purebred Golden Retriever and take a few photos for the Intake Coordinator.

Skills or Equipment Needed: Requires the ability to identify whether a dog is a purebred Golden and to get a sense of its temperament (this is sometimes not possible in a shelter environment). It also requires the person to have a digital camera and ability to send pictures via e-mail.

Time Requirements: These visits are scheduled when convenient, and usually take under an hour, plus travel time.

Description: Foster homes provide a safe, clean, nurturing family environment to a Golden who has been abused, abandoned, neglected or surrendered by its owner. As a foster family, you are asked to provide a Golden with indoor living conditions, some basic obedience skills, and of course love.

Skills or Equipment Needed: Foster families must fill out our online adoption application and go through the approval process for adopting from GRRCC. A fenced yard is required, though exceptions may be granted. Refer to the adoption section of this web site for more information. The Adoption and Intake Coordinators are available to support foster families in case of any problems that arise.

Time Requirements: From an hour or two a day to however much time you are able to spend with the dog. For more information, see the foster section of this web site.

Description of Applicant Screening: Screen, by phone, applications for adoption or fostering. This requires contacting references, verifying vet care and checking out other important information on the application. This activity must be completed within one week of receipt of the application and reported back to the Adoption Coordinator.

Description of Home Visits: Conduct on-site home visits for prospective adoptive families. This will require that you provide the family with information about GRRCC, its mission and its policies for adoption. You will also ask questions, make observations and report back to the Adoption Coordinator.

Skills or Equipment Needed: Good communication, observation, and documentation skills are needed for this activity. A gregarious personality and ability to converse easily with people you don’t know is very helpful. Transportation is also required in order to conduct the home visit at the prospective adoptive family’s home.

Time Requirements Applicant Screening: Up to an hour per interview, plus time to document via e-mail.

Time Requirements Home Visits: Home visits take approximately one hour to conduct. The adoption coordinator will attempt to assign visits in your local area, but some visits may require more lengthy travel. Volunteers may accept an assignment or ask that someone else be called.

Description: At the foster home, take 20-30 pictures of the foster dog (inside the house and outside in the yard), and email them to the Adoption Coordinator. This person would travel to the foster home and take 20-30 pictures of the dog (inside the house and outside in the yard).

Skills or Equipment Needed: Requires transportation, a digital camera and the ability to download and e-mail pictures.

Time Requirements: Visits take about 30 minutes and are scheduled when convenient.

Description: Check GRRCC’s voice mailbox twice a day during the one week out of 10 that you are on duty. Coordinate any intake or other actions with the Intake Coordinator or the appropriate board member.

Skills or Equipment Needed: Requires good verbal communication skills, enthusiastic personality, and home or cell phone service. Must have knowledge of intake process and club policies, as well as experience as a GRRCC rescue volunteer.

Time Requirements: Will vary based on the number and nature of the messages.

Description: Work with the Event Coordinator and committee members on event planning and organizing, scouting locations, publicizing the event, sending thank you notes, and doing all the other myriad things that go into making a successful event happen.

Skills or Equipment Needed: Requires computer skills, writing skills, ability to think logistically, project planning skills, PR experience, and negotiation skills.

Time Requirements: Depends on the event.

Description: Man stations at events: registration & check-in, sell tickets, set up and clean up, sell merchandise, attend gates (for off-leash events), take photographs, and wrap holiday gifts at local stores. Volunteer assignments will be made by the Volunteer Coordinator or the Event Coordinator.

Skills or Equipment Needed: Must have transportation to event location.

Time Requirements: Depends on event, but can be as little as a one-time, 2-hour shift.

Description: Sell raffle and event tickets to friends and neighbors. Ask local businesses for donations of goods for silent auctions or raffles. Solicit sponsorships for events like the golf tournament.

Skills or Equipment Needed: Requires a good network and sales skills. Must be able to communicate appropriately with the Event Coordinator or Fundraising Coordinator to ensure that donors and sponsors are thanked and raffle ticket information is recorded.

Time Requirements: Flexible.

Description: Obtain appropriate information and write grant applications, under direction of the Fundraising Coordinator.

Skills or Equipment Needed: Requires previous grant writing experience.

Time Requirements: Varies depending upon the complexity of the grant application.

Description: Photograph club events and e-mail or upload photos to our web site photo album. Maintain communication with the Event Coordinator.

Skills or Equipment Needed: Requires basic photography skills.

Time Requirements: Most events last for about 3 hours.

Description: Design and print materials for publicity and informational purposes. Create images and designs for T-shirts and other merchandise. Work with the Communications Committee and/or Event Coordinator.

Skills or Equipment Needed: Requires graphic design skills and/or a graphics quality printer.

Time Requirements: Varies depending upon the project.

Description: Obtain information and photos from an adoptive family and write their dog’s story, at the request of the Intake or Adoption Coordinator. Send completed story to the newsletter editor.

Skills or Equipment Needed: Requires creative writing skills and access to word processing software and e-mail.

Time Requirements: Varies with the assignment.

Description: At the request of a board member, handle correspondence, maintain records, make phone calls, etc.

Skills or Equipment Needed: Requires knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel, good organizational skills, detail orientation and reliability. Handling correspondence may require knowledge of letter-writing, good grammar and legible handwriting.

Time Requirements: Varies with the assignment.

We would love to hear about other skills you have that may help our organization. If you have a special skill, please tell the volunteer who contacts you.