Is there a minimum age to volunteer?
You must be 16 or older to volunteer. Select roles may have a higher minimum age.
What’s the time commitment?
Commitment varies by role. Details are listed within the description of volunteer positions. Most require an on-property commitment once a week, on a consistent day and time, ranging from 1-4 hours.
To ensure the best possible care of our animals and smooth operation of our facility, we take attendance seriously. An occasional absence due to a planned vacation or illness is of course acceptable! Volunteers who do not meet attendance requirements on a more frequent basis will be removed from the program, and will not be eligible to return.
Can I bring my child or animal with me when I volunteer?
We are not able to have volunteers bring children or animals to their volunteer shift.
Can I drop in to volunteer?
We cannot accommodate requests for drop-in volunteering.
I need community service hours for court.
Thank you for considering us as your service location!
In limited circumstances, we may fulfill requests for community service hours assigned by court. Court-ordered community service must be approved in advance of your volunteer application being submitted. Verification to courts will not be provided unless your service need was disclosed in advance, and approved. To request approval, email nevinsvolunteer@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 we can grant your request, you will be eligible only for our Shelter Care volunteer role. Depending on how many hours you are assigned, it will take 3 months to 1 year to complete your hours.
We cannot accommodate requests to complete hours in a short turnaround time, or to serve more hours than regularly available through the volunteer role.
I need community service hours for school.
Thank you for considering us as your service location!
We have enrolled many students seeking community service hours for graduation requirements and college applications. To meet our needs, our volunteer program is aimed at volunteers able to make an extended commitment. If you are seeking only a small number of hours for your community service (less than 24 hours), our program will not be a match. You must be also able to fulfill our minimum required commitment in the role you are applying for, rather than expecting to stop volunteering when the number of hours you are seeking to obtain have been reached.
We cannot accommodate requests to complete hours in a short turnaround time, or to serve more hours than regularly available through the volunteer role.
If you need community service hours to meet graduation requirements for June 2026, you must apply by January 2026. Do keep in mind application is not a guarantee of acceptance. It is best to look for volunteer opportunities until accepted by us or another organization.
Students volunteering to meet the application requirements of the North Shore Community College Vet Tech program should note that a DVM or CVT will not sign off on any volunteer hours aside from those done in the Clinic Support role. If this role is not a good match, or does not have openings, we will not be able to provide the necessary hours and signature at this location.
Can I 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, mucking stalls, 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 Nevins.
When do you need the most help?
Help is hardest to find weekdays! If you have weekday morning, mid-day, or afternoon availability, please choose one of these shifts.
We do not have evening volunteer opportunities in Methuen. Our latest volunteer shift begins at 3pm.
Where do you need the most help?
As roles involving animal care attract the most applicants, we have a consistent need in other areas.
If you are fully bilingual in Spanish and English, your skills would be especially helpful in Concierge, Community Outreach, or Greeter roles!
The morning barn chore shift is another area always in need of reliable help. Applicants for this should be hard workers who enjoy working outside no matter the weather. Barn volunteering is focused on chores, not socializing or handling animals.
I love dogs and want to volunteer with them!
Great! We love dogs, too! (Well, all animals, but definitely dogs.) We have consistent openings for dog volunteers. Needs in this area are specific and not suited to all who want to volunteer with dogs. Applicants must meet all listed criteria for the role, be willing to put in time to learn our structured handling methods, and understand the role involves all aspects of care rather than just walking dogs. We have a rigorous Behavior program, led by qualified staff. Dog volunteers are expected to follow their guidance in regard to animal handling and interaction.
I’m enrolled in veterinary school, and need an internship with farm animals.
We’re sorry, but we are not able to offer this. We outsource many of our farm animal veterinary needs, and therefore do not complete the procedures needed for large/farm animal internships.
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. Most animals placed in foster are cats or small animals, like rabbits or guinea pigs. We are actively searching for dog foster homes as well! All animals are placed in foster on a case by case basis with those decisions being made by staff. Interested in fostering? We need you! Apply here.
Do you need people to ride or groom your horses?
While many of our volunteers are accomplished equestrians, only staff are able to ride our horses.
Grooming is done by staff on some horses. For horses deemed appropriate for grooming by volunteers, this is a small part of the barn volunteer role, and reserved for volunteers who have been approved to groom. We do not enroll volunteers seeking only to groom horses. You must be willing and able to complete all tasks listed in the barn volunteer description.
I work/go to school, and can only volunteer on weekends. Is that possible?
Yes! Staff and volunteers are here 7 days a week. While not all areas have weekend openings, there is typically at least one accepting applications for a weekend shift. Please review the detailed volunteer role descriptions for current openings here.
Please note, we do not have evening volunteer options available. Our latest volunteer shift begins at 3pm.
I’d like a remote data entry volunteer role.
We do not have remote volunteer needs, aside from fostering animals.
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.
Your transportation cannot rely on another volunteer. This negatively impacts attendance.
I’m looking to place a student or client in a volunteer role.
After having reviewed the detailed volunteer role descriptions, please email nevinsvolunteer@mspca.org to discuss if volunteering at Nevins 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 on an ongoing basis. As such, we are limited in our ability to serve as a placement site for additional individuals or organizations at this time. We are unable to adjust shift times to match shared or public transportation methods. Applicants must be able to be present for the exact duration of a listed weekly shift.
We cannot accommodate exceptions to skills, qualities, or experience required in most areas. Any ability to make accommodations will be clearly noted in the volunteer role description. The safety and wellbeing of our animals, staff, and volunteers must always be considered when evaluating these requests. This includes the safety of your client or student. MSPCA at Nevins Farm is happy to welcome volunteers of differing physical and intellectual abilities when accommodations are possible. Volunteers requiring support or accommodations must be able to provide a supporting co-volunteer for each shift who will be responsible for making sure all shift requirements are done completely, correctly, and safely. Further details specific to the situation will be discussed once you have contacted the Volunteer Coordinator.
My therapist suggested volunteering, or I am a professional seeking to place a patient or client for therapeutic purposes.
Our volunteer program is not structured to support those seeking experiences with animals for therapeutic purposes. Those in our program may 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.
Area programs which can better support these needs:
https://ironstonefarm.org/
https://www.windrushfarm.org/
https://www.petsandpeoplefoundation.org/
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.
I would like to volunteer to fix computers, help with marketing, take photos, or another unlisted role.
While we appreciate your desire to help, we are only seeking volunteers for the roles we have listed.
I would like to work at the MSPCA. Is Nevins hiring?
Open MSPCA staff positions for all locations can be found on our website, under careers. Applications must be submitted via the careers website, and will be reviewed by Human Resources. Staffing needs are not handled by Volunteer Coordinators.
I have a question not addressed here or in the volunteer role descriptions.
Questions regarding our volunteer program for those 16 and older should be sent to nevinsvolunteer@mspca.org. Questions about programs for those 15 and under should be directed to humaneeducation@mspca.org. The two are handled by separate staff.
Return to the Nevins Farm Volunteer Program landing page by clicking here.
