Model Volunteering Program: “Animals for Over-Achievement” Program at Butler County Humane Society in Renfrew, Penn.

We’re proud to announce our first Model Volunteering Program (MVP) winner – The Butler County Humane Society in Renfrew, Penn. We selected the Butler County Humane Society’s “Animals for Over=Achievement” program as the inaugural MVP winner because it demonstrates a smart way to:

• Address the annual influx of high school “senior project” requests to benefit the student and the agency
• Free up staff and volunteers from those tasks so that they can address other agency needs
• Manage the students’ requests in a way that encourages future volunteering Read more … then consider if this solution will work for your agency too!

The Challenge

Every year, many high school seniors request permission to complete their mandatory student volunteer projects at the Butler County Humane Society. In the past, it has been difficult for shelter staff and volunteers to organize and supervise appropriate student projects without sacrificing time away from their own duties and responsibilities. The resulting projects have often fulfilled the minimum school requirements without providing exceptional value to the humane society. In addition, students were not engaged enough to continue their interest with the shelter’s work.

The Solution

The staff at Butler County Humane Society created a proactive program that:

• Offers a variety of pre-approved service projects, ready for students to select and complete
• Provides real, practical value to the shelter
• Fulfills school project requirements and engages students’ interest and skills
• Encourages future volunteer involvement
• Provides positive public exposure for the shelter

The Results?

• Student volunteers coordinate food and supply drives, spaghetti dinners, coin jar collections and other small, short-term fundraising projects;
• Supervision is minimal because the “how-to’s” have already been decided and written;
• Results provide direct value for the homeless pets in their community;
• Shelter staff and regular shelter volunteers are free to work on larger scale projects;
• Students meet their school requirements, know that they are providing a real benefit to the shelter and learn more through their projects while going beyond the minimum hourly commitment.

Many animal organizations are regularly approached by students and adults seeking short-term or one-day service projects. The Butler County Humane Society has found a way to harness that volunteer time and energy, bringing benefits to students, staff and pets.