Give your time, and get so much in return.
Catskill Animal Sanctuary operates with a small full-time staff, so we rely on caring and dedicated volunteers for much of what we do. If you love animals and want to help create a more compassionate world for all beings, volunteer at the Sanctuary.
Our volunteers assist with animal care, weekend tours, buildings & grounds, special projects, and more.
To Volunteer:
- View our volunteer opportunities below.
- If you are a group looking to schedule a time to volunteer, please email us at volunteer@casanctuary.org with a time-frame, indicating your area of interest.
- If you are an individual, please email volunteer@casanctuary.org to learn about our volunteer requirements.
- Remember to check back often, since we’re always working on something new!
If you want to stay in-the-loop about all our volunteer opportunities, like us on Facebook!
Volunteer Tours Greeter
We are seeking seasonal part time volunteers to serve as front-facing greeters, who will assist with welcoming our guests, checking in for tours and general program assistance. (Please note: this is an unpaid volunteer position).
- Hours: 9:45am-3pm (5.25 hours per day), weekends only
- Ideal commitment: 2-4 days per month, April through November (can be a mix of Saturdays and Sundays)
- Responsibilities include:
- Helping visitors to experience the sanctuary as a welcoming, educational, safe and unique environment.
- Checking in guests using a simple phone app
- Orienting visitors by providing information on tour prices, schedules, where to purchase tickets, location of restrooms, where tours begin and assisting early arriving guests.
- Escorting late-arriving guests to their tours.
- Making sure that all visitor guidelines are followed in a friendly and firm manner.
- Ensuring the safety of our animals including facilitating human-animal interactions.
- Maintaining ongoing communication with the tour staff
- The ideal candidate will have excellent communication and customer service skills and a commitment to our mission.
- The candidate will also be able to fulfill their responsibilities in an outdoor environment in various weather conditions and manage their tasks without consistent supervision.
Interested candidates should email us at tourstaff@casanctuary.org including a resume and/or any relevant experience.
Our Animal Care department is responsible for the overall health and wellbeing of our 150+ animal residents. Typical volunteer activities include:
- Mucking barns and coops
- Pasture cleaning
- Cleaning and filling water dishes and troughs
- Restocking hay/straw/shavings
- Washing dishes, chopping produce and other kitchen tasks
Please email volunteer@casanctuary.org with your interest and relevant experience.
Individuals with an interest in volunteering professional skills (e.g., carpentry, engineering, inventory management, data processing, marketing, landscaping, mechanics, etc.) on or off-site are encouraged to apply.
Offsite opportunities vary throughout the year and may include assisting with the promotion of special projects, event support, identifying and procuring donations of money and/or supplies, and more.
We will post offsite and special project opportunities when they are available, so please check back, sign up for our newsletter to receive updates or email volunteer@casanctuary.org with your idea for how you want to help!
Important Information
For your safety, as well as the safety of our animal residents, the minimum age to volunteer is 15 years old. (All minors will need a parent or guardian to sign our volunteer waiver on their first visit)
To operate any Sanctuary vehicles or equipment, all volunteers (of any age) must have a valid license and be trained and approved by staff.
Please email your request to volunteer@casanctuary.org! We look forward to having you at the Sanctuary soon!
If you have volunteered at the Sanctuary before, please email us at volunteer@casanctuary.org to get on our calendar, ideally at least seven days prior to your requested shift to allow us to schedule accordingly. After submission, a Sanctuary staff member will contact you to confirm.
Please Note: When you commit to a volunteer shift, you become a valuable member of our team and play an important role in the success of the Sanctuary’s mission. Our staff scheduling and task assignments are based on the assumption requested and confirmed volunteer shifts will be filled. For that reason, we ask that you please refrain from making a commitment that you may not be able to fulfill. If you are not available to complete your confirmed volunteer shift(s), please send an email to volunteer@casanctuary.org as far in advance as possible. By doing so, the Sanctuary may be able to fill the shift with another volunteer or staff member.
If there are more than four members in your group, please email volunteer@casanctuar.org to schedule your volunteer shift.
If you have any special needs or service animals, please contact us directly at volunteer@casanctuary.org so we can plan volunteer activities for you ahead of time.
1. Check the weather forecast for zip code 12477, and dress/pack accordingly.
2. Wear weatherproof clothes and boots that you wouldn’t mind getting muddy.
3. Bring work gloves, if you have them.
4. Bring sunscreen and rain gear, as needed.
5. Pack a vegan ‘brown bag’ lunch*.
*In accordance with our mission, all facilities owned or operated by CAS are vegan. This means that animal
products may not be used or consumed on premises. Vegan means no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, honey, leather, wool, silk, bone(gelatin) and any products made with these items. Management can answer questions about whether a particular item is acceptable for use onsite and can offer suggestions or support for replacing non-vegan items with vegan alternatives. Storage or
consumption of non-vegan food items is not permitted.
