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No More Homeless Pets Forum
August 16, 2004 Volunteer Programs that Really Work |
This week you are the forum guest: What is your top tip for finding and keeping the very best volunteers? Share your successful recruitment strategies or how you keep volunteers involved. What about heading off problems before they start? E-mail your successful volunteer programs into the forum this week.
Ideas
Tips from a volunteer on how to keep volunteers
Placing help wanted ads for volunteers
Volunteer meetings and volunteermatch.org
Attracting new volunteers and keeping them!
How we find volunteers
Empowering volunteers
Communication, recognition, and identifying as a team
Pairing up new volunteers with veterans and feeding them
Getting businesses to have their employees volunteer
On-line volunteer calendar
Sewing circle to make bandanas leads to more projects
Having clients help at spay/neuter clinic leads to letter to editor encouraging others
Keeping volunteers informed of the impact they are making prevents burnout
Don't make volunteers feel guilty for what they aren't doing
Community outreach
Honoring volunteers for all they do for your organization
Tips from a volunteer on how to keep volunteers
Comment from Marilyn:
I do a lot of volunteering and see other volunteers come and go. From my personal experiences, I've learned a few things.1. Give volunteers something to do. People who give of their time and energy want to accomplish something and feel useful, or they will move on to something that will allow them feel that they are contributing. Don't just give them busy work -- they will know if they are truly being helpful or not.
2. Don't underestimate the gifts, attributes and talents of your volunteers. Give them a chance to be creative.
3. Listen to what volunteers have to say. They have insight and interest in the causes for which they volunteer, and some are downright passionate. That passion can be a wonderful thing!!!
4. I know it's hard for staff to do this, but try to weed out volunteers who are difficult, energy draining, or just plain trying. They can make the other volunteers miserable, and you can end up losing good volunteers by keeping the troublemaker.
5. Offer educational and training opportunities. Volunteers love opportunities to learn.
6. Some kind of reward occasionally is nice. It doesn't have to be much at all, a special lunch or dinner, a nice note letting volunteers know how valuable they are, maybe a newspaper release letting your community know about your volunteers (this can also bring in more volunteers).
7. Try to be considerate of your volunteers' time and energy. They are volunteering, and I've found that people who want to make a difference are involved in many projects and their time is valuable. If given a chance, they truly do make a difference.
Placing help wanted ads for volunteers
Comment from a member:
Our small cat sanctuary was suffering from a lack of volunteers. We wanted to provide better for the cats in our care and also wanted to increase our outreach and educational activities. We were very successful by creating a brochure of volunteers we needed and treated it much like a list of "help wanted" ads. We sent it to everyone within a 60-mile radius on our mailing list. I think the key is to talk about the skilled professions that can help your organization like banking, legal, public relations, web design, secretarial, etc. Of course we also asked for people to go to special events and tabling, make crafts for sale and help take care of the cats too. We had an excellent response rate and it seems to continue to grow and flow over time as our volunteers network with other professionals.It's also important to include a cover letter with a hook. I used the headline " Wanted bankers or bakers and Miracle Makers."
Volunteer meetings and volunteermatch.org
Comment from Megan:
We're in the process of revamping our volunteer program, and one thing we're including is a monthly volunteer meeting. The purpose of these meetings is to continuously engage our volunteers and update them on our progress, as well as to meet people and have fun. We've found that meeting people face to face makes them a lot more likely to want to continue to volunteer. It also gives us something ongoing to which we can invite new volunteers. We had our first meeting last month, and over 40 people attended.Each month's meeting will have a different theme, and will include food and door prizes (most of which we hope to get donated). One of the main reasons people volunteer with non-profits is to meet people and have fun, so we are trying to make these meetings something they will look forward to every month. Each committee chair also gets up and talks about what kind of help he/she needs, and at the end of the meeting people sign up for where they want to help.
Volunteermatch.org is a wonderful free resource for attracting new volunteers. You fill out a job description for the volunteer positions you want to fill. It can be day-of event volunteers as well as ongoing positions, like committee chairs. People then respond to your needs and you follow up with them. We've found a lot of good volunteers through this site. You can even have a "virtual volunteer" for things that you don't need to be physically present to do -- such as Webmaster. We found a wonderful volunteer graphic artist in Kansas through this site!
Attracting new volunteers and keeping them!
Comment from J.L:
Different things motivate different people, and it may help to understand what these motivators are so they can be included in the groups operations and activities. Motivators are the keys to recruiting, training and retaining volunteers for any non-profit organization.One of the groups I work with is Greyhounds and Love, Inc., a Greyhound rescue and adoption group in upstate South Carolina http://www.greyhoundsandlove.com. This is a 100% volunteer-run group and it requires a fairly large number of volunteer hours to keep things operating. We pull racing Greyhounds off tracks in Florida, at the end of their racing usefulness, transport them to South Carolina, rehabilitate them and find adoptive families for them.
Our first challenge is attracting volunteers; for this we use a variety of methods. We try to engage each adopter as a volunteer, educating them about the organization and mission through the adoption process and including volunteer-recruiting materials in each adoption packet. We follow up on every adoption for several months and have about a 35 -40% volunteerism rate amongst adopters.
One method that has been successful is an open house at our receiving kennel, promoted through the media with a combination of public service announcements (PSAs) and paid advertising. In addition to PSAs on local radio, cable TV and local newspapers, we run a simple two-line advertisement in the "Pets" column of the classified section of the three major newspapers in our region. People will come to an open house to meet retired canine athletes and eat free food. Then we can educate them about our mission and volunteer opportunities.
We make sure that all events are well stocked with volunteer recruiting brochures ("Can't Adopt But Want To Help?"), sign-up forms, and photo albums of previous events (parade participation, kennel dedication ceremony, picnics, Greyhound play days). Both for our twice-a-year open houses and in between, we encourage current volunteers to ‘bring a guest' to all events such as Meet N Greets, Kennel Klean Up days, volunteer appreciation picnics, etc.
Board members are trained to work every opportunity to recruit. We have a quick 90-second "elevator speech" about what Greyhounds and Love is, our mission, and our need for support from volunteers. And we arm all our members with business cards.
Once we have a new volunteer, we assign a mentor to that person: a "seasoned" volunteer who can answer his/her questions, keep them informed about all the activities going on, and keep the new person feeling like a real member of the group from the beginning. We hold a training session when we have three or more new volunteers. We make it fun: food, hands on with the hounds, lots of laughter. We go over some of the policies and procedures of the organization, and make sure new volunteers understand what their roles are in the greater scheme of things. We keep it fun but impress things like responsibility and reliability on the new folks as well as how their volunteer efforts save lives!
The next challenge is retention of volunteers, and that comes from motivating people and making sure they feel like part of a team. One of the hardest things for a volunteer is to get excited about a group or mission and then never get called or contacted or included once they've signed up; I've seen this too many times with other groups. It seems like the administration knows they need volunteers, but they're unsure what to do next once someone says, "Yes." to volunteering. In some cases there's poor communication with the new volunteer. It's also discouraging if the volunteers don't feel like the group is doing something worthwhile. We break large projects into small components so we all feel that the group is making real progress. We crow about even small successes, and include volunteers in the celebration of those.
Here's a sort of checklist that we try to follow:
- Offer volunteers a choice of doing some things they enjoy and find satisfying; find out what volunteers enjoy and give it to them.
- Have a range of activities for a range of interests and personalities.
- Offer opportunities for learning through participation; provide opportunities to develop skills and knowledge.
- Make sure they have a sense of contribution and being needed.
- Always keep them informed of upcoming events, adoption successes -- "the good news" of the organization.
- We stress that volunteering is a good way of making professional contacts and meeting others with similar views/interests.
- Provide workshops and seminars -- something as simple as having a qualified person, such as a vet tech from your vet's clinic, provide a couple of hours of animal first-aid training, or have a nutrition expert come to talk about feeding for health and special needs.
Look at the motivations (reasons) people have for volunteering and then find ways to meet those needs. People volunteer in order to:
- Give something back to the community.
- Achieve goals.
- Be part of a group of people who care about the same things they care about.
- Have an opportunity to be actively involved at their level of interest.
- lHave fun; develop a social network.
- Be involved in positive outcomes.
- Get appropriate acknowledgment and plenty of feedback.
- lBe in an environment in which work is enjoyable, people have the opportunity to voice their input and where work is meaningful.
- Have strong leadership to guide them, someone dedicated to making the program happen.
If possible, a group needs a Volunteer Coordinator or Manager whose function is care and feeding of volunteers. This, in itself, can be a volunteer position, and the person top filling the role needs to be carefully selected. In the business world there is a management style known as "MBWA" -- manage by walking around. Face to face, personal contact is what motivates a social species such as humans. Even in a non-profit business, the "staff" can get to know the "manager" by having a volunteer coordinator (or you) adapt MBWA to your situation. It is much more difficult "walking around" with volunteers because they are not just down the hall, but it can be done.
How we find volunteers
Comment from Doreen:
We find our volunteers in many different ways (they see us from the highway, internet volunteer search engines, word of mouth, etc.). Most of our very dedicated volunteers have found us on their own because of a desire to make a difference for the homeless animals. As far as problems, they are addressed immediately and politely to avoid future problems.Empowering volunteers
Comment from Russ:
One technique that works for volunteer retention is empowerment. Take a good solid volunteer and put them in charge of some aspect of a program. (Or an entire small project) Really do let them run with it. Then recognize them for the effort and ask them to do it next year. Over time they not only get good at the tasks, but it becomes part of the way they define themselves. I have found that even if interest in the organization fades, interest in doing this one project does not. You keep good people involved a couple of years longer with this technique.Communication, recognition, and identifying as a team
Additional comments from J.L:
Here's what I consider the top three suggestions that you or a Volunteer Coordinator can use to encourage and keep your volunteers.1. Communication.
Volunteer coordinators depend on the phone -- NOT the answering machine. Volunteer coordinators need to spend a lot of time on the phone. When you talk to people personally and encourage them, they will respond. In a "real" job you could leave a voice-mail or e-mail message; the motivation is, at least partially, in the paycheck. Hi-tech communication can be a last resort in a volunteer organization. However, leaving a message is not as effective, because when you spend time talking with volunteers you can listen to their concerns and discuss ways to work with them. One big caution needs to be noted -- not all volunteers love the phone. In your job, you have or had employees who loved to visit with you. They would spend each morning visiting with all of their team members before they started their workday. After each break, they would visit with everyone before they settled down to their desks again. They are talkers, socially motivated. These employees needed this constant conversation to feel connected.
These are the people who keep candy on their desk: to get a piece of candy, it would cost you ten minutes of conversation. Some employees, however, DON'T like to visit. They get to work immediately and would rather you drop them an e-mail message than to drop by and visit. The same is true for volunteers. Some volunteers love to visit on the phone and need that constant contact to feel that their role is important to the team. Others don't like the phone and will be turned off by too many phone calls. As a volunteer administrator you must figure out which kind of volunteers you have and communicate with them in a way that will help them feel plugged in.
2. Recognition.
It would be wonderful if people who volunteer didn't need tangible incentives. But, sorry to say, that's just not true. We all need constant encouragement. One of the most neglected tasks of the volunteer coordinator is the task of affirmation and recognition. As I look back on my career, both professional and volunteer work, I am struck by the fact that I am the product of a chain of people who recognized me and the contributions I could make, and then took time to communicate to me their confidence that I could make a difference. I can think of multiple instances when I would have quit if it hadn't been for some key person who believed in me.
One simple yet very effective way to affirm the value of volunteers is by writing thank you notes and telling them how much you appreciate them. Even though people are not volunteering to get paid financially, the volunteer does want to get a pay off. The volunteer reaps rewards other than money and often the volunteer manager is the one to create these rewards. Volunteers want to know how they are doing; they want to know if they are really making a difference with all of this free work. It's our job, as administrators and volunteer managers to be sure each volunteer is getting paid for what they do: that payment is recognition. Volunteers receive the payment they need to continue when you recognize that they are on your team and value them enough to send a hand written note.
3. Identification as a TEAM.
If you set yourself apart from your staff, paid or volunteer, you break the identification with them as a TEAM member. It is so important for volunteers to feel that they belong, that they are with you and you with them. I once worked as a program manager for a home health care program. My staff was required to wear uniforms -- some the blue uniform of a habilitation (household) aide, others the white of health aide, and others the mauve and teal uniforms of the recreational aides. I did not have to adhere to the uniform code, but I did. Depending on where I was going and what I was doing on any given day, I would wear one of the staff uniforms, as my way of saying, "I'm part of the team. I understand your place in this organization." And I was never better dressed than any of the other staff.
I think it's important to do this with our volunteer teams. We don't have to dress in uniforms to identify with our volunteers. We can identify with our volunteers through fun, laughter and food. Volunteers love food. Make sure to let people know there's free food at a work party day and you'll have at least 40% more volunteers than if it's "just" a work day. Food is a great social stimulator for humans; sharing food is a primary function of the social structure. It also works with staff -- paid or volunteer. Arrange special outings, retreats, and work projects to provide the opportunity for camaraderie. It's been my experience that volunteer teams that laugh often and enjoy each other's company stay together and stay committed to the task.
Summary:
In my opinion and experience, the keys to keeping volunteers are 1) constant communication, 2) recognition, and 3) Identification. We don't see our volunteers more than once a week, often more like once a month or less, and in those times we are so busy doing *our* volunteer work that we don't take the time to take the three keys to heart and practice them. This is why volunteer management takes EFFORT outside of the times when we see the volunteers, but the benefit is worth that effort.
Comment from Carole:
Why do volunteers stay? At our last meeting I asked our group of volunteers, "Why do you come out in the heat, and the bugs and the cold and the rain, day after day to pick up poop and left over cat food?" I got a lot of response and most of it was very similar. The most common reason stated was the personal relationship that the volunteers have developed with the animals and that the volunteers know they are making a difference. Other, interwoven factors included that they are the voice for all of the animals who cannot speak for themselves, that they like supporting a place where the animals' needs come first and that they share a common bond with others of like mind who have become their extended family.Our volunteers are the heart and soul of our operation and I am always looking for ways to ensure their happiness. What I found interesting, and comforting, is that these most dedicated of individuals are here because they find the giving of themselves to be the reward. They are doing the right thing because it is the right thing and not because they are looking for a fat paycheck, status nor any other self-serving purpose. They are giving up their weekends and evenings to take care of the animals who have been unwanted, abandoned and abused. They don't act like it is work, nor a sense of obligation at all, but rather refer to their time volunteering here as being the most rewarding thing they have ever done. I thank God daily for the wonderful people He has brought to our cause.
Pairing up new volunteers with veterans and feeding them
Comment from a member:
I think one of our successes is that our current volunteers love our organization. Therefore, promoting it is easier, even for the introverts. We try to match the new "wanna be" volunteer up with a seasoned volunteer that is easy going and maybe started out wanting to do the same things for the organization. The seasoned volunteer stays in touch via e-mail or phone with the newbie to help him/her learn the ropes.It doesn't make sense to us to throw a new person into fostering, because it can be so overwhelming. We encourage potential foster parents to start getting their feet wet by baby-sitting puppies or kittens whose foster parents will be out of town for a weekend.
We eat. I know that sounds funny but it works. We have food at almost every meeting. It lifts the moral of the volunteers. We also bring in pizza to our adoption center at least once or twice a month. Our adoption center is ALL volunteer run so this is the least we can do.
We encourage people that adopt from us to volunteer. 75% of our volunteers do not foster even though we are an in-home foster care organization. Those volunteers help at adoption events, special events, pet therapy, cleaning our adoption center that is open to the public 3 days a week, etc... We use every event we attend or participate in as a venue to recruit two things -- donations and volunteers.
I think portraying a fun atmosphere and a strong camaraderie sends a positive message out to the public also.
Getting businesses to have their employees volunteer
Comment from a member:
We have found that a lot of businesses have opportunities for their workers to get involved as volunteers for non-profits. A local bank has a "helping the community day" where they offer up volunteers to help do different tasks for the day. We had 25 employees and had them weed and clean up our outside dog play area, stuff goodie bags for our Walk, answer phones, and walk dogs.We also found that our local cable system allows each employee to designate $100 to a charity of his/her choice. To get the funds for the organization, the employees must volunteer a set amount of hours with the organization.
Lastly, we found that our local garden clubs and Junior Leagues also have similar programs, where they help do different tasks for a day. RSVP, which is a local retired seniors group, was so willing to stuff envelopes and do mailings for us for free! So check with local businesses and service groups to see what they offer!
On-line volunteer calendar
Comment from Celeste:
Scheduling events and everyday operations has been so simple ever since our volunteer Webmistress posted an on-line volunteer calendar! Current and prospective volunteers can see what's happening in our organization and sign up for shifts.This also makes tracking volunteer hours a breeze. The calendar can be viewed at our website, www.poppainc.org. Right now we don't have a designated volunteer coordinator, making the calendar even more important. So, they can find out if we need help on a given day, without nagging or having to call someone to ask.
Sewing circle to make bandanas leads to more projects
Comment from Cathy:
Our group was having trouble getting people started as volunteers. We had lots of people who were interested in doing "anything" to help, but it was hard to find specific projects for them when they knew next to nothing about our group. We were having trouble finding time for regular orientations.We needed to make some bandannas to sell for Christmas. So we had a sewing circle. We sent out a mass e-mail asking for donated fabric scraps, as well as people who might be interested in sewing. They didn't even have to know how to sew, because we needed people to match fabrics, cut out the pattern and iron the finished product. We asked people to bring snacks and beverages. We had a great turnout. After a couple of sewing circles, our die-hard seamstresses formed our merchandising committee, and our sewing-challenged volunteers now get involved in our other projects. It was just a matter of getting people to come together to do something fun, and it evolved from there.
Having clients help at spay/neuter clinic leads to letter to editor encouraging others
Comment from Celeste:
We have a mobile spay/neuter program, where clients are welcome to stay and volunteer while their animals visit us for surgery. We post laminated signs in the check-in area, letting people know their help is wanted and needed.Many stay just to comfort their own pet (once they realize that's an option), and then get hooked into the contagious excitement, catch Spay/Neuter Fever, and end up helping ALL the animals and coming back repeatedly. To get around the fact that they haven't had a chance to attend one of our intensive training workshops, we give them a specific job, outlined in writing, that they read about and sign off on before starting.
One of those 'surprise' volunteers was published in the paper when they sent in this charmingly hometown letter:
From the East Oregonian
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Look for opportunities to volunteer efforts
My wife and I are from Hermiston and we took two of our dogs to the Pioneer Humane Society's Neutermobile last weekend in Pendleton. We were surprised when they were short on volunteers and instantly we offered to help. It was a real neat experience to be part of this truly important event.
Many times that day I said you learn something new every day. USA Subs even donated lunch to us all.
Everyone should try to do more volunteer work, it really makes you feel good, and these days that feeling can't be taken for granted.
I understand this coming weekend is the last for the Oregon Neutermobile to offer their help in our area. Take advantage of it.
Tony and Becky Loveday
Hermiston
Now, we forward this letter to new Neutermobile hosts, so that they can, with the Lovedays' permission, alter to suit their community and submit to THEIR newspapers. It just seems even more compelling when it comes from a community member other than the non-profit or an already-established animal advocate.
Keeping volunteers informed of the impact they are making prevents burnout
Comment from Julie:
What has worked for us is keeping our volunteers informed of the changes and impacts they are making. Volunteers are the success behind many of the projects, and we always make sure our volunteers know that they are the ones that are making the difference.In keeping our volunteers we make sure that we have various types of volunteer opportunities, one that fits every personality style. Some volunteers like to work behind the scenes while others enjoy being out with the public. By having different types of events, we are able to pull different volunteers for the events, which also helps reduce burnout.
Comment from Laura:
I wanted to share my experiences as a volunteer with a small shelter group as a cautionary tale of what not to do in a volunteer program. The first time I volunteered, I got involved with a group who really has a lot of energy and heart for the rescuing end, but is terrible on the follow through. So the care of the animals, once rescued, was haphazard and seemed to fall on whomever happened to come in that day. My first week there, I ended up working 40 hours as a volunteer, feeling like if I didn't do it, it wouldn't get done (and it was my fault) and the animals would suffer even more.I quit after the second week, after being yelled at because a sick kitten had died over night because of inadequate care. I couldn't handle the completely out-of-control feeling I got when I was there. I felt that to make it work I would have to give over all my time. In this case, there was no volunteer coordinator, and most importantly, no set of boundaries between staff and volunteers. Volunteers need to feel like their work matters, and they are helping. This experience really put me off volunteering at another place for a long, long time because it was so emotionally draining.
Don't make volunteers feel guilty for what they aren't doing
Comment from Kathi:
I think it's important that a volunteer is never made to feel guilty because you're devoting a lot of time to the cause, and they're not. That's a hard line to walk when you're busting your butt with long hours and really wanting more volunteer help. But people avoid people who make them feel bad. So accept it (gracefully) when a volunteer is only able to do a little bit. Know what they're capable of and willing to do and use them when you can.Community outreach
Comment from Tammy:
Having arrived here just over a year ago, the organization is vastly different than when I first landed. While I'd love to take credit for that, it really must go to the community.As an organization plagued with difficulties over the years, a parade of directors all trying their best to no avail and a horrible reputation in the community, clearly changes were in order.
To start with we focused all attention internally. We had to get our act together. Once satisfied that the animals were being cared for and about, as they should be, we began to develop outreach efforts.
Having a community outreach person on staff is not a luxury; it is as much a necessity as animal care, adoption and tech. staff. This is the person who helps volunteers give their time, energy and expertise to the organization. None of us can afford to be without this position. It is pivotal in the success of any shelter.
We recently started to establish volunteer committees with volunteer committee heads as we do not have the option of adding more staff, and the volunteer program is quickly becoming too big for one person to manage. The hope is to have the small group of really dedicated volunteers, we have them, manage various specific efforts, such as a single event, a recurring offsite venue, etc. We unofficially started this several months ago, and it has been working well.
Another tool we employed a few months back was the use of an e-group expressly for volunteers. This works on two fronts, the volunteers are kept informed, can chat about specifics, ask and answer questions, and the staff, who we encourage to be part of this list, can see the many ways in which the volunteers help. Without this tool, it is not always clear to all of the staff the benefits of having a volunteer program. This has helped tremendously in smoothing what could have been difficult relationships.
I am often given to quote people far wiser and do so when I say, the homeless pet problem was not created in a vacuum. It was not created at this or any shelter. It exists in a community, created by the community and will only be solved there. It is folly to think that a shelter or humane organization will solve the problem of pet homelessness. We will lead the community in the charge, but ultimately it is up to them.
If I had to pick the single most vital bit of information to pass on, it is to listen. People who volunteer to help animals, generally really want to help. How they are directed and managed within the organization is the difference between whether the relationship is good or bad.
We developed programs as we saw the need, almost literally by the seat of our pants. We view them as a continually evolving process with the flexibility to change and grow. Because of this, we invite comment. We ask the volunteers and the community for feedback. We see complaints as opportunities to grow and change and meet needs.
The toughest challenges I have found have been when a volunteer's views are vastly different from the mission of the organization. Even then, an amicable outcome is possible. Rather than allowing them to become more frustrated with our organization, we direct them to one better suited to their ideals and views. Acknowledging differences between organizations and working with commonalities, even if that commonality is a single volunteer can bridge a gap.
We are all in this to help the animals, but to really do so, often means helping people to help animals.
Honoring volunteers for all they do for your organization
Comment from Aimee:
I read a really great article in "Animal Sheltering" about a shelter in Michigan that honored their volunteers at a volunteer reception, and thought it was wonderful."Paying Homage to Will and Grace"
At the St. Clair County Humane Society in Port Huron, Michigan, volunteers have helped make all the difference for Will the poodle, Grace the calico, and so many other animals who come through shelter doors. At a volunteer recognition dinner, the organization's treasurer, Cynthia Bostwick, paid tribute to their efforts with this speech:
"I want to tell you two shelter stories. I want to tell you about Will and Grace.
"Will was found wandering along the highway by one of our board members. He was a white poodle with huge black eyes, a fine leather nose, tons of fleas, and a neck that was rotting from his ingrown collar despite severe undernourishment. Unaltered, of course, Will was probably someone's puppy mill stud.
"The person who found Will instantly decided to take him to the shelter. At the shelter, Will was welcomed, washed, and treated thanks to each of you seated here; as you know, we raise all of our operating funds through volunteer activities and contributions. Will received his vaccines because you worked at the Pawzaar and raised the money to pay for them. He was housetrained by staff because you worked the art fair and encouraged a passerby to purchase a sweatshirt. He was neutered and his wounds were treated because you stood smiling in the rain to raise $8,800 at the Mutt March. He was able to stay at the shelter because you took him out of his cage regularly to socialize him, walk him, and help him get some fresh air.
"And finally, Will's adoptive family found him on Petfinder because you helped us pay for the electricity that keeps the computer running. Now Will lives in comfort with two adults and a child.
"Grace was also found outside; she was one of a colony of abandoned cats. She is a domestic shorthaired, lush, bright calico with a pumpkin face: a black triangle outlines her prominent nose. Her original human was a misguided man who kept her and her unaltered progeny in his small apartment in Port Huron. By the time he'd been evicted by his landlord after fleas and the smell of urine had driven a neighboring tenant away, there were three generations of cats living in the apartment, and Grace was pregnant again.
"A volunteer first spotted the cats -- seven of them, ranging in age from 6 to 18 months -- on a bike ride downtown. You see, the owner had left them behind, and the landlord had shooed all the cats outside. They were hanging around the rooftop entrance to their former home, lying on the fire escape, and scrounging in the downtown dumpsters for food.
"The volunteer came back to the site with some food and water. She contacted the owner of the building, who had placed an unattended live trap under the fire escape. She found out that his plan was to "trap the cats, take them out to the country, and let them go."
"The volunteer patiently tried to educate the landlord. She offered to help trap and take the cats to the Humane Society.
"They just kill them there, don't they?" he asked.
"She patiently explained that dropping them off in the country was a death warrant, and that, yes, sometimes the animals are humanely killed if they can't be placed or if they're injured. The landlord said he hadn't thought about the problems his methods were causing, and agreed to let the cats be trapped and taken to the Humane Society.
"The trapping process began. Grace was easy; she was pretty socialized and not difficult to handle. She and one of her youngest kittens were the first ones to come to the shelter.
"Grace was immediately spayed to prevent the birth of more kittens; the shelter was able to do this because you worked at the garage sale for 10 long hours, setting up and sorting and selling. Grace was vaccinated because you had made knitted items to raise money for shelter programs. And the shelter had enough money to test for feline leukemia because you had brought your better stuff to be sold at the Pawzaar.
"Unfortunately, Grace's kittens tested positive. The next three cats from the colony were also FeLV-positive. Using the accepted protocol for colonies of feral and abandoned cats, we made the decision that the two remaining members were likely to be infected or to be carriers. But because you encouraged our executive director with a kind word or a check for the coffers or a Christmas gift, because you were there when she just needed some help, she was able to keep her spirits up as she did the hardest job of all: euthanizing the kitten and the five remaining cats as they were trapped and brought to her over the next six weeks.
"Neither the landlord nor the tenant ever helped with the cats at all, nor have they made a donation to cover the expenses. All of that -- the moral support, the work of trapping, and the cold cash -- came from your hard work over the past year.
"Grace was adopted from the shelter by a wonderful couple in Avoca, who sent a photo at Christmas time. When she's not sleeping on Mary and Al's bed, Grace sleeps on a pet bed purchased at the Pawzaar.
"The stories of Will and Grace are true. Without your work, these animals would not have survived. Without your aching backs, smiling faces, willing hands and spirits, without your generous donations of time, talent, and cash, Will and Grace would be dead. Eight to ten million animals enter U.S. shelters each year, and only about half of them are lucky enough to be adopted. You directly saved Will and Grace -- and more than 200 others like them this year just in our shelter alone.
"And you multiply that number many times over, because your efforts not only help the shelter directly but also support the incredible education efforts of our volunteer humane educators Tom and Gerry, taking the humane message to thousands of school kids every year. Your efforts support the printing and mailing of our newsletter, which takes humane education to thousands of readers four times a year. And finally, your efforts also tirelessly support the animals who share your own homes. Even though you're dog-tired after standing all day in the hot sun at the art fair for the Humane Society, when those tails wag or those throats purr in friendly greeting, you squat down to pet them and thank them for gracing your lives. And even though your own feet ache, you feed them, play with them, love them. The contribution you make to our community by being compassionate, loving companions to your own animals is pure gold.
"You all share a special bond with the animals of the world. It's a calling to volunteer the way you do. We never can thank you enough. So please accept the stories of Will and Grace as a token of our gratitude, a living testament to your efforts, the proof that your good works bear life in our community. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your determined wills and your passion and your compassionate grace on behalf of all the animals."
Animal Sheltering, July-August 2001 Issue
