Volunteer With Us
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” ~Elizabeth Andrew
Volunteer of the Month - Jody
I love that fostering is so flexible and we have such a wide range of experiences with every animal we foster. Some stay for a few days, some stay for a few months – some are already in their golden years by the time they arrive and some have been born under our roof! If you are already part of our FB foster group you will know that taking photos is one of my favourite parts of the gig. A good photo can do wonders in stopping someone from scrolling right on by and I love photo spamming the team!
I joined the dog foster volunteer team in June of 2023 as a coordinator and no two days have been the same in the role. We have a wide range of foster homes with various schedules, needs and preferences along with a wide range of dogs requiring temporary or permanent placement. It’s like being a matchmaker! I love being part of this PMRF team, it is so rewarding watching the animals come out of their shells in our care and seeing them thrive in their forever homes. Thank you for all that you do, PMRF!
Pawsitive Match is volunteer based and we rely on our volunteers to be successful. We greatly appreciate any and all of the help we receive.
You can help by volunteering your time and energy with us by fostering a dog or cat, fundraising, advertising, training, grooming, transporting, helping out the adoption and foster committees, or whatever else your talent may be.
We can always use help from WestJet employees to transport dogs from Los Angeles and various other locations. We would also be grateful for any buddy passes donated. If you are able to help, please send us an email.
We are always looking for flight escorts flying with WestJet, Air Transat or Alaska Airlines to help dogs get to (or across) Canada to begin their new lives. By escorting a dog, you’re not only saving that precious life, but the one who can be saved because of the freed up space at the shelter! Visit our Flight Escort page for more info.
Volunteer Positions
Listed below are the main groups within Pawsitive Match. Volunteers are always needed to care for the dogs and cats at our private shelter facility, to transport animals, or help out at events. There may be more than one person assigned to each position, so you do not necessarily need to commit to all of the duties required to fulfill a position.
Volunteers must be 18 years old to volunteer at our shelter. For our pet store cat cuddling program, minors must be at least 16 years old and must be accompanied by an adult who has been approved to volunteer. Only the adult can fill out the volunteer application where they can make a note of the name and age of the minor volunteering with them.
Foster Application
(currently no vacancies)
- prepare monthly donor reconciliations,
- maintain donor master records,
- prepare tax receipts in accordance with CRA regulations,
- correspond with the donors to sustain Pawsitive relationships (i.e. thank you cards),
- perform monthly financial analysis.
(currently no vacancies)
- review online adoption applications
- communicate via email with potential applicants
- perform phone interviews with potential applicants
- coordinate meet & greets between applicant and foster
(currently no vacancies)
- review online foster applications
- communicate via email with foster applicants
- perform phone interviews with foster applicants
- complete reference checks as required
(currently no vacancies)
- set up medical requisitions for vet visits
- keep track of incoming medical records
- ensure dogs and cats receive required medical attention
- help care for dogs and cats currently being housed at our private shelter facility (NE Calgary off 32nd Ave)
- walk, feed and play with dogs, feed, cuddle and play with cats, and general cleaning tasks
- 3 daily shifts available: 8am, 12pm, 7pm (volunteers must commit to 2 shifts per month)
- Visit our partner retailers
- Refresh living area for adoptable cats in store (linens, food, water)
- Provide love, playtime and break from cat condo
(currently no vacancies)
- communicate with all new volunteer applications
- maintain volunteer spreadsheet (input volunteer info, etc.)
- communicate with volunteers when various committees request a certain need
(currently no vacancies)
- organize supplies and donations on a regular basis at the shelter facility
- possibly store some supplies
- request donations when needed
- transport dogs and/or cats to the vet from our shelter facility
- transport dogs and/or cats to the vet if foster cannot take a dog or cat
- pick up donations from various locations in Calgary
- transport dogs and/or cats to adoption events
- pick up dogs arriving at the Calgary Airport and take them to our shelter facility
- transport dogs, cats & supplies to/from various locations in Alberta, as needed
- organize and coordinate fundraising, foster and adoption events
- event help (set up, organize, discuss PMRF and what we do to the public)
(currently no vacancies)
- plan and execute marketing campaigns to increase adoptions and donations
- create digital marketing content for social media and website
- professional photography of dogs and cats in care
- professional videography of dogs and cats in care
- research and apply for corporate sponsorships
(short term only)
- provide temporary care of dogs/puppies and cats/kittens upon arrival into our rescue
Coordinator Positions
Looking to get more involved? In addition to our ongoing volunteers needs listed above, we occasionally have specific board member or coordinator volunteer positions that we are looking to fill.
Board Member Positions
Pawsitive Match Rescue Foundation has a working Board of Directors run entirely by volunteers. The Board of Directors oversees all aspects of the operation of the rescue. As a board member for an animal rescue, you will make a significant impact in the lives of many animals, while having the opportunity to develop valuable leadership and decision-making skills.
The minimum term for a board member position is 1 year with the option to extend.
Please email your interest with a copy of your resume to: board@pawsitivematch.org
For more information on the positions currently available or general volunteering questions, please contact the Volunteer Team at volunteer@pawsitivematch.org. If you’ve made the decision to volunteer with us, great! Please fill out and submit the application below.