As a volunteer, you are helping The Valley of the Kings save the lives of abused, abandoned, and unwanted animals. We are a multi-species sanctuary focused on providing these animals the opportunity to feel loved, cared for, and safe! Your contribution of time and effort is greatly appreciated. Thank you for being a part of this important effort on behalf of all animals. You are making a difference!
We welcome volunteers of all ages to join our team and be part of a rewarding experience.
Volunteer Requirements
Volunteers are needed 7-days a week/365 days a year. Volunteers experience the profound joy of making a difference in their lives. We would love to see fresh faces of all ages bring new energy to our sanctuary.
Volunteer hours are flexible, and you can commit to a few hours or a full day, once a month or weekly, on one or multiple days a week/monthly.
Our main ask is for you to learn from our residents, experience unconditional love, and be committed to ensuring consistent quality care and caretaker coverage for the happiness, health, and support of the residents.
Having multiple volunteers to ensure caretaker coverage daily, even if only for a couple of hours on one day, would be a huge blessing.
Volunteers under 16 must be accompanied by a guardian. Volunteers over 16 years old can work without a guardian present but must be supervised.
ONSITE, REGULAR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Please note that these volunteer roles require a dedication and commitment to planned volunteer hours, dates, learning for the best care for the residents and open communication regarding scheduling
Ideally we would like regular schedule with at least one shift at the same time each week or a regular rotation be it weekly or monthly. *
- Farm Caretaker: These volunteers are taught how to feed, water, clean and organize enclosures for hoof stock, small mammals, and birds (Geese, Chickens, Peacocks). Learn all about each residents behavior in order to improve the lives of our resident while ensuring each of our animals receive special care.
- Tinies/ Street Kitten Caretaker: A favorite of the animals, These volunteers are taught how to do the feeding, watering, and cleaning of their living spaces and litter. All while learning all about behavior in order to improve the lives of our resident cats while ensuring each of our felines receive special care.
- Socializer Street Kittens/Dogs: A favorite, brush the felines, play, organize room, provide treats in moderation, comfort the felines to help the street kittens become more friendly and use to people, learning appropriate friendly play. Walk the dogs to provide exercise and enrichment.
- Exotic Caretaker: These volunteers are taught how to feed, water, clean and organize enclosures, provide enrichment, follow all safety protocols, for small and large exotic felines, foxes, wolf hybrids, and bears. This volunteer opportunity is not open to all volunteers. The volunteer must learn about each residents behavior in order to improve the lives of our resident while ensuring each of our animals receive special care.
- Gardener: If you like getting dirty and earthing, consider being a gardener. This volunteer tends to the two cemetary memorial gardens, weeding, planting, mulching, watering, spring through fall.
- Educational Tour Guide: If you area extrovert or like meeting new people, consider being a tour guide. This volunteer will be taught how to greet members, sign members in and educate the members about the sanctuary while providing a facility tour to learn about the residents and the plight of captive born exotics, farm, small mammals, and domestic animals in the pet trade, mills, and photo with a baby animal.
OTHER ONSITE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
- Handyperson: We have continuous projects at the sanctuary in need of skilled laborers. This could include general maintenance, installations, plumbing, electrical and much more. All contractors are welcome.
- Photographer/videographer: Professional photographers and videographers are needed to help us create impactful media content to feature our animals and promote the shelter
- Project Assistant: Enjoy doing “spring cleaning”? We have areas in the sanctuary often in need of reorganizing, sorting and cleaning.
OFFSITE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
- Fundraising Volunteer/Event Coordinator: Like to have a good time and help the animals? The fundraising committee is for you! This group puts the FUN in FUNdraising by planning not just our major events, but exciting activities throughout the year to help raise funds for the animals. Our fundraising team helps advertise our events, asks area establishments to consider placing a donation QR Code box at their counters, looks into locations for future events and more.
- Grant Writers: Experienced grant writers are always needed to help raise funds for special projects and services at the shelter.
- Reseller: If you know your way around eBay, Craigslist and/or Facebook marketplace, we have gift shop items in need of posting for sale to benefit the animals.
- Transporter: Don’t mind some extra time on the road? We often have donations in need of transport throughout the Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois area! We receive donations of textiles, cleaning supplies, dog/cat food, litter, food for the other residents, and other needed supplies. Being able to accept and transport these generous donations and is crucial for the animals in ensuring the most dollars go into care, housing, and enrichment. Transport volunteers help keep the funds going to the residents.
- Access Database Admin: We need professional Access Admin to help us create and maintain our data such as mailing lists, membership lists, etc.
* We are flexible with hours and rotations. It is critical to help ensure caretaker coverage that planned volunteer days are communicated and coverage is sought if planned/notification of delays or unable to come on planned day to ensure we have caretaker coverage.
Valley of the Kings Sanctuary & Retreat 