Is there a minimum age to volunteer?
You must be 16 or older to volunteer. Individuals ages 16 and 17 will be required to obtain and turn in a completed MA Youth Work Permit prior to volunteering.
What’s the time commitment?
Commitment will vary by role. We have commitment details listed within the full description of each volunteer role. Most require an on-property commitment once a week on a set day and time, ranging from 2-4 hours.
Can I bring my child/sibling/friend with me when I volunteer?
We are not able to have volunteers bring children or any other visitors that have not been onboarded into the volunteer program.
Can I drop in to volunteer or walk a dog?
We cannot accommodate requests for drop-in volunteering. All volunteers must go through our full onboarding process, which can take a month or more. We do not currently have a drop-in dog day out program.
I need community service hours for court or school.
Thank you for considering us as your service location!
In limited circumstances, we may be able to fulfill requests for community service hours assigned by court. Verification to courts will not be provided unless your volunteering for us as court-ordered community service was approved in advance. To apply for approval, email bostonvolunteer@mspca.org with the number of hours needed, the date the service is due by, the offense you were assigned community service for, your full name, and the contact number of someone at the court who assigned your service. Include “Court Community Service” in your email title. If approved, you will be eligible for the Shelter Care volunteer role. Depending on hour many hours you are assigned, it may take 3 months to 1 year to complete your hours.
We have enrolled many students seeking community service hours for National Honor Society or college applications. To best meet our needs, our volunteer program is aimed at volunteers able to make an extended commitment. If you are seeking only a small amount of hours for your community service, our program will not be a match. You must be able to complete the minimum required commitment in the role you are applying for. Shelter Care is typically the most convenient role for students seeking service hours!
Whatever the reason you are seeking community service hours, we cannot accommodate requests to complete hours in a short turnaround time. All accepted volunteers must go through our full onboarding process, which can take a month or more after you are accepted.
Can I just volunteer to pet/read to/play with animals?
While socialization is important, it is part of a larger volunteer role. You must be willing to do everything involved in volunteering, not just the “fun” stuff! Emptying litterboxes, picking up after a dog you walked in the rain or snow, scrubbing dirty food bowls, and washing loads (and loads) of soiled bedding are all part of volunteer life here at Boston.
I would like to volunteer with a scout troop/school group/group of coworkers or friends.
Our ability to accommodate volunteer groups is limited to those able to participate in our Corporate Volunteer Program. We encourage school groups and civic organizations to hold a supply drive benefiting our Community Outreach pet food pantry. These are hugely helpful! Our most common needs are wet and dry cat food, wet and dry dog food, dog and cat toys, and cat litter. Any donations collected can be dropped off at our Adoption Center at 350 South Huntington Avenue in Jamaica Plain during our open hours (12pm-3pm every day except Monday).
I would like to observe surgeries.
Observation of surgeries is not allowed.
Can I foster a puppy/kitten?
Many animals in need of foster homes are adults who are pregnant, sick, under socialized, or not thriving in a shelter environment. Some may be hospice cases. If you apply to be a foster volunteer, you must be willing to take on more than young, healthy animals. We do not typically place animals in foster as a “trial adoption” except under special circumstances where foster-to-adopt is appropriate. All animals are placed in foster on a case-by-case basis with those decisions being made by staff. To be eligible to foster an animal, you must be onboarded into our foster care program. Apply here.
I work/go to school, and can only volunteer on weekends and holidays. Is that possible?
Yes! Staff and volunteers are here 7 days a week. Weekend opportunities tend to be in high demand and are filled quickly. Please review each role description to see what our current needs are.
All volunteer shifts end by 4:30pm; we do not have evening hours.
I’d like a remote data entry volunteer role or to volunteer to fix computers, help with marketing, or another unlisted role.
If it is not listed on our webpage, we do not have a need for help in that area. Please review the openings on our webpage.
My friend and I want to sign up to volunteer together.
Every applicant is evaluated for acceptance as an individual. Should you apply, it cannot be dependent upon someone else being accepted into our volunteer program, or being able to volunteer on the same shift. You should have your own transportation which does not rely on another person being able to volunteer at the same time.
I am trying to submit my application for [role] but it says you are no longer accepting applications.
Due to the high level of interest in our volunteer program, we accept a maximum number of applications per role each month. This is so each application can be thoroughly reviewed and assessed for fit by the Volunteer Coordinator. If you are not able to submit your application, please check back next month! Please note that all applications are assessed for fit based on the role of interest on the application. If you are not interested in a role or do not meet the listed requirements, your application may not be accepted.
I’m looking to place a student or client in a volunteer role.
After having reviewed the detailed volunteer role descriptions, please email bostonvolunteer@mspca.org to discuss if volunteering at Boston will be an appropriate match for the role in which there is an interest. We are lucky to have students and clients from several school transition programs and organizations volunteering with us, and are extremely limited in our ability to serve as a placement site for additional individuals at this time.
Please note, we cannot accommodate exceptions to skills, qualities, or experience required. The safety and wellbeing of our animals, staff, and volunteers must always be considered. We are unable to adjust shift times to match shared or public transportation methods.
Our volunteer program is not structured to support those seeking experiences with animals for therapeutic purposes. Those in our program will be exposed to emotionally challenging situations. Our animals are not trained therapy animals, and have strict guidelines and limitations surrounding interaction. If you or the individual you are attempting to place with us are seeking a therapeutic experience, we recommend pursuing an opportunity designed for that purpose.
Applicants who are unable to independently complete volunteer responsibilities due to differing physical or mental abilities will be required to provide their own coach/teacher/family member for support. The Adoption Center does not have the staffing capacity or training to provide ongoing 1:1 support for differently-abled volunteers.
I already know how to handle (insert animal type here). Why do I need to wait for training to begin?
As an MSPCA volunteer, you’ll need to do things the way we do them! This might be different from the way you interact with animals in a home environment. While animals are at our shelter, we have protocols that must be followed for the safety of staff, volunteers, and the animals themselves. When onboarding into our volunteer program, you are making a commitment to follow our protocols and methods, even if they differ from the way you train or interact with your pets at home.
I would like to work at the MSPCA. Are you hiring?
Please review our job board. All applications are handled by Human Resources. Volunteer Coordinators are not involved in the staff hiring process.
Return to the Boston Adoption Center Volunteer landing page by clicking here.
