Volunteer Coordinator - Cat World (Kanab, Utah)
Best Friends Animal Society

Location: Kanab, Utah

Hiring Range: The hiring range for this position starts at $22.50 per hour, plus benefits.

Schedule: Full time, Thursday - Monday (7:45 am-4:45 pm)- weekend days are Tues/Wed.

Interviews for this role will begin the week of November 25th.

Position Summary: The responsibility of the Cat World Volunteer Coordinator is to welcome volunteers in the animal areas and ensure an excellent, safe, and rewarding experience that motivates an ongoing connection with Best Friends as members, donors, outreach volunteers, and advocates. This person provides a superior level of customer service, representing our core values with enthusiastic professionalism. The person in this position works collaboratively with other Best Friends staff to fulfill volunteer needs and deepen volunteer engagement cross-divisionally.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Collaborates with department leadership in the development of volunteer engagement strategies to support organizational needs.
  
• Helps ensure an optimum Sanctuary experience that encourages repeat volunteer visits and motivates word-of-mouth accolades for growing public awareness of Best Friends.
  
• Makes recommendations to department leadership for processes and procedures to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
  
• Works with all staff to deepen volunteer engagement.
  
• Strives to balance the needs of animal area caregivers with the activities of the volunteers.
  
• Greets and checks-in volunteers, demonstrates safety procedures, and assigns volunteers to appropriate areas.
  
• Interacts with volunteers during their work shifts to solicit ideas and feedback, and to facilitate the best possible experience.
  
• Develops volunteer stories for media publication and lunch presentation.
  
• Collaborates with caregivers to ensure that both the volunteers' and caregivers' expectations are being met.
  
• Keeps current records of animals approved for outings and sleepovers and maintains a familiarity with their individual natures in order to make appropriate matches with volunteers.
  
• Checks-out animals for outings and sleepover, collecting appropriate waivers and evaluation documents.
  
• Addresses questions or concerns from volunteers with professionalism, sound judgment, and a positive attitude.
  
• Addresses caregiver concerns about volunteer performance and provides appropriate guidance to the volunteers as necessary.
  
• Collaborates with departmental and Animal Care staff to ensure the safety and well-being of volunteers, staff, and animals.
  
• Cross-trains for coverage in other Sanctuary Volunteer Department operations.
  
• Fosters positive relations with Animal Care staff.
  
• Administers Sanctuary Volunteer social media activities.
  
• Works cooperatively with departmental staff to ensure a positive, team-spirited working environment.
  
• Informs volunteers of Best Friends news, events, and overall message/mission.
  
• Adheres to Best Friends and Sanctuary Volunteer Department policies and procedures.
  
• Other duties as assigned.
  

Skills and Experience:

• Previous experience interacting with the public in a customer service or community focused role is required. Customer-centric, non-judgmental approach to engaging with adopters, partners, visitors, volunteers, and colleagues; familiarity and comfort with an open adoption process.
  
• Ability to professionally speak about Best Friends activities and positions on issues.
  
• Ability to work around cats, including those with health and/or behavior conditions/concerns including shyness, fearfulness, and aggression; basic ability to identify and speak to medical and behavioral characteristics of cats.
  
• Resourceful, get-it-done attitude; ability to adopt to new work areas or processes; problem solving, seeking answers independently and enthusiastically; flexibility to persist until department goals are achieved.
  
• Strong interpersonal skills, positive attitude, a team player, personable, professional, and able to get along with people from different backgrounds.
  
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with well-developed organization skills to juggle multiple competing tasks and demands; with accurate, appropriate, clear and concise written and verbal communication skills; and strong listening skills.
  
• Prior experience and comfortability utilizing Microsoft Office products; familiarity with shelter software (Best Friends uses Shelterluv) or volunteer management software such as Digital Cheetah, or a desire to learn.
  

Physical Requirements:

• Routinely lift 20 pounds and perform daily activities including, but not limited to lifting, carrying, reaching, stooping, squatting, cleaning, and bending.
  
• Perform repetitive tasks for extended periods of time including typing, sitting, walking, arm, and hand motion.
  
• Work indoors and outdoors in a variety of weather conditions including extreme heat and cold.
  
• Daily exposure to dogs, cats and other animals of all sizes, temperaments, and medical status.
  
• Must have a valid driver's license for at least 3 years, ability to qualify to be added to Best Friends insurance, ability to travel, including overnight stays, when needed.
  
• Daily hours and days of the week may vary according to the needs of the department schedule; position includes weekends, nights and holiday work.
  

Thank you for your interest in pursuing a career at Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends Animal Society is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, or domestic partner status.

Applicants for employment in the U.S. must have valid work authorization that does not now and/or will not in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S. by Best Friends Animal Society.

Culture Statement and Responsibility

We value attitude over aptitude, and we treat Kindness as a discipline because it is paramount in our culture along with our other Guiding Principles. Culture is how we talk to and treat ourselves and one another, it's how we generate and respond to change, it's how we plan and make decisions, it's how we do what we do.

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