Volunteers are an important part of every department at the Humane Society of Charlotte, and opportunities to serve are numerous and varied. Volunteers are asked to commit to a minimum of 8 hours of service per month for a period of 6 months. Please note that new volunteers are often assigned to our most urgently needed jobs, such as cleaning and administrative tasks like filing and phone calls. More experienced volunteers are given opportunities for additional training, which allows for animal interaction, training and care. Thanks!
Special Note to Students and Community Service Applicants:
Due to the overwhelming number of requests, we can no longer accommodate short-term community service hours. If you are required to complete 15 or more hours and at least 18 years old, please click here for instructions and forms.
Volunteer Eligibility
All individuals 18 years of age and older are eligible to volunteer with us. All volunteers must attend one of our monthly volunteer information sessions and complete the Volunteer Profile and Liability Release. These meetings will give you an overview of our organization, relevant guidelines and processes.
We charge a one-time administrative fee to help us cover the cost of our volunteer program. As long as you remain an active volunteer, one fee will cover everything including a T-shirt, your handbook and a name badge! Fees are as follows:
Adults $25.00
Seniors 60 and over $15.00
Foster Care Volunteers - waived fee
If you are between the ages of 10 and 17 and can't volunteer at the shelter, there is still a lot that you can do to help the animals. Check out Junior Volunteers, made especially for you!
Our opportunity directory contains volunteer needs that range from office work to professional services to hands-on animal care and socialization, both in the shelter and in foster homes. Specific training and instruction will be provided as needed for all volunteer tasks.
Getting Started
The first step is to complete a volunteer profile. After the profile is approved, you will receive instructions to attend one of our volunteer orientation sessions. During orientation, an overview of our organization and volunteer needs is provided for potential volunteers, who may then supply information about their skills and interests so that they may be matched with volunteer jobs at the Humane Society of Charlotte.
Please click here to complete the volunteer profile.
If you need student/community service, please check out the section entitled SPECIAL NOTE FOR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY SERVICE APPLICANTS.
Why the long wait? Volunteer orientation sessions fill quickly. Once these sessions are full we usually cannot open them up to additional participants or hold orientation sessions more frequently because each of our new volunteers each month needs to be properly trained and oriented. Time is spent with each new valued volunteer to make sure they are getting the most out of their volunteer experience and are signing up for volunteer jobs that are of value to the organization and to the animals. This process helps to maintain the quality of our volunteer program - thanks for understanding!
Thank you so much for considering the volunteering of your skills, talents, and time. We couldn’t do it without you!
If you have any questions, please contact Cat Belteau, volunteer coordinator, via email: cbelteau@humanesocietyofcharlotte.org or phone: (704) 494-7706.