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The success of our organization depends on the dedication and hard work of our volunteers. As such, a volunteer spotlight appears in every newsletter, and the names of our volunteers are entered into regular prize draws.
The following volunteer opportunities are currently available.
FRES relies on the love and compassion of foster families to care for the ferrets rescued by, or surrendered to, our organization. Potential foster families must go through the same screening process as our potential adopters with the added requirement of becoming a member. Our foster families are varied in their experience with ferrets and FRES will match a foster ferret to your experience. Being a foster family is a 24/7 job. Sometimes it is heartbreaking, but the joy of seeing a ferret recover from an illness, play and "dook" for the first time, or begin to trust humans is the ultimate reward of fostering. At this time, FRES is only able to allow foster homes located in the city of Calgary, Alberta.
Our approved foster families are responsible for:
FRES is responsible for:
If you would like to join the FRES foster team, please email volunteers@ferrets.ca.
Work with experienced volunteers to educate pet store clientele about our Society, ferrets, and care required when owning a ferret. Work at various pet stores throughout the city if desired or those closest to your home. You must be comfortable working and interacting with ferrets and the general public, be able to act in a professional manner, and be attentive to those approaching our booth. Dress is casual.
This is one of our more time intensive volunteer positions. Our hotline assistants are the frontline of FRES. They are responsible for checking our hotline on their assigned days of the week, returning the calls of potential foster families and adopters, completing pre-screen questionnaires with them, and passing the completed forms to the adoption coordinators. They are also responsible for redirecting other calls to the appropriate individuals within the Society. Casual hotline assistants are also required for holiday cover.
Inspect homes of potential adopters to ensure it is ferret proofed, and to provide ferret proofing tips. See the FRES adoption process for more information about in-home assessments. A vehicle is required.
To pull off a smoothly run event FRES has volunteers pre-assigned to cover all the areas for that particular event. Depending on the event, there are volunteer positions at the admission, merchandise, and raffle tables, game judges, photographers, gophers, greeters, and much more!
Do you have a great eye for detail and above average spelling and grammar skills? Perhaps proofing our newsletter is the job for you. Maybe you are an excellent writer and can contribute some exciting articles to our newsletter. Or maybe you have speed and manual dexterity to stuff the envelopes, slap the labels on, and get the newsletters on their way to our awaiting members! Teamwork is the key when it comes to our quarterly newsletter, The Raisin Report!
FRES volunteers have worked diligently to develop their large range of merchandise but new ideas are always welcome. Product Analysts will be responsible for seeking out new and feasible merchandise ideas, corresponding with external liaisons, if necessary, to obtain supplier information, and presenting the ideas to the Board for budget approval. In some cases, the product analysts will also be responsible for finding crafty volunteers to make the merchandise or packaging the merchandise for sale.
A number of graphic design tasks are always available. These tasks include, but are not limited to, the creation of graphics for our website, literature, and events, creating event posters, and bringing the ideas of our product analysts to life.
Ferret owners going on vacation need experienced ferret sitters. Ferret sitting is not a FRES supported venture, but is an agreement between the ferret owner and ferret sitter. FRES' involvement is limited to placing those in need of a sitter with those willing to offer this service. FRES does have a ferret sitting contract available but details need to be negotiated between the participating parties.
As part of a team, you will help to increase member discount locations, event donations, and corporate sponsorship. If you would like to work from home and have access to the Internet, you can be involved in finding and gathering information on different grants for which FRES can apply.
Need some fresh air or a good, long walk? FRES is looking for individuals to distribute flyers in their area. Flyers are provided for distribution. This is a great volunteer opportunity for kids who want to get involved and help FRES with their advertising.
Bingos fund a significant portion of the veterinary costs for our foster ferrets; they bring in thousands of dollars for FRES ferrets every year. But we simply can't continue to do Bingos with the handful of Bingo volunteers that we have. Each afternoon bingo requires 10-12 volunteers and 14-15 volunteers for evening bingos. Without this many volunteers, FRES cannot run the bingo. Without the bingos, our foster program suffers. We need you!
The list below is a brief summary of the duties for each position. These positions can be easily learned by volunteers, and is better done so at the time of the event.