General Requirements:

• All volunteers are asked to make a minimum six-month commitment to the shelter. If interested in a single-day volunteer opportunity, please click here to learn about our Community Service Volunteer program.
• STUDENTS: Please note, we are unable to onboard student volunteers in the spring unless you can continue volunteering through the summer to fulfill the six-month requirement. We apologize for any inconvenience.
• Most shelter volunteer positions require a minimum of two hours of service per week. Please check the volunteer position descriptions below for age and time requirements. Weld Campus: We require a minimum of 8 hours of service per month. While this is the same number of hours as 2 per week, we can offer a little more flexibility with scheduling in some roles.
• All volunteers 18 years of age and older are required to complete a national criminal background check and sex offender search.

Age Requirements:

• Volunteers between the ages of 10-15 are eligible to join our “Partner-Up” Program. Partner-Up teams consist of at least one adult (parent, guardian or trusted family friend) age 18 years or over and a child/children. Adults and children must volunteer together.
• Beginning at age 16, children may volunteer independently at the shelter in select departments without a parent or guardian.
• We’re sorry, but due to the nature of our services, children under 10 years of age are not allowed to volunteer at the animal shelter. Children may participate by providing foster care to an animal if an adult age 21 years or over joins the Foster Care program.

A $30 orientation fee is required. This fee covers your shirt, name tag, whistle, training, and background check. This payment is non-refundable unless your start of service is denied by NOCO Humane due to the inability to place you. If you are registering as a Partner-Up team, the parent/guardian and children must each have a registration.

Prior to in-shelter orientation, we ask volunteers to complete a few steps:

• Watch our About NOCO Humane video
• Fill out a Volunteer Application
• Fill out a Fire Evacuation Safety Plan acknowledgement form
• Complete a national criminal background check (18+)
• Weld Campus: Review our Animal Handling Training Manual and take a Google Forms quiz

All materials are sent in the confirmation email that you receive upon registration. Background check links are sent in a separate email; please allow a few days to receive an email from Global Verification.

Larimer Campus: Volunteer onboarding is partially self-paced. You can complete initial trainings and online forms at your own pace. After we have received all completed forms, you will receive a sign-up link for a specific orientation date. Please note that space in the volunteer program is limited, and may currently be waitlised. Questions? Please email larimervolunteer@nocohumane.org.

Weld Campus: Volunteer onboarding is entirely self-paced. You can complete initial trainings and paperwork at your own pace. After we have received all completed forms, you will receive an email to schedule a time for orientation and in-shelter training. Questions? Please email weldvolunteer@nocohumane.org.

**Please note: volunteer position availability is based on shelter needs. Much like staffing, we recruit for volunteer positions as-needed, and openings are not always available. If there is a department that you are set on, please email us to confirm position availability prior to registering.

Larimer Campus:

1. Orientation – Following registration and the completion of all required forms, you will attend an in-person orientation at our Larimer Campus to receive a tour of the shelter and animal handling training.
2. Interview – After attending volunteer orientation, you will be invited to interview within your chosen department to discuss personal goals, daily responsibilities, and whether or not the position is a proper fit for you, depending on availability and interests.
3. Training – Each position has specific training requirements that are reviewed with you during your interview. Safety is our top priority, so we want to ensure that volunteers are well-trained and feel comfortable in their chosen roles.

Weld Campus: 

1. Orientation – Following registration and the completion of all required forms, the Volunteer Coordinator will reach out to schedule your orientation day, where you will receive a tour of the shelter and train on cleaning and preparing enrichment.
2. New volunteers will complete their first 8 service hours in Cleaning & Enrichment Prep before training for other roles. This involves helping with laundry, washing dishes, cleaning around the shelter building, restocking rooms, and preparing the enrichment toys that we hand out to the animals every day.
3. Training – Upon completion of your first 8 hours, you will be eligible to train for other roles if you so choose. Each role has specific training requirements which will be reviewed with you: please review position descriptions below for more details.
   Some role trainings have an online portion, which may involve reviewing infographics and videos, taking the Fear Free Shelters course, and taking a Google Forms quiz (requirements vary between roles). Online training can be completed while you are earning your first 8 hours if you know which role you would like to start with. If your chosen role has an online portion, the hands-on portion will be scheduled upon completion of the online training. Safety is our top priority, so we want to ensure that volunteers are well-trained and feel comfortable in their chosen roles.