Animal Centers, Pet Centers & Shelters

Choosing the right volunteer management and data tracking platform will help animal centers, humane societies, and shelters expand their organizational capacity. GivePulse is used by the largest No-Kill centers and shelters as a platform for scheduling volunteers (foster parents and center related volunteers), digitizing applications, and tracking organizational efficiency and activity over time.

Application & Registration Process

Membership applications and making sure the application inputs are updated through time can be managed with GivePulse. Animal Centers use GivePulse to setup a fully customizable application process so they don’t need to manage paper and pdf applications.

  • Required Custom Fields
    When users apply for membership or register to one-time events, you can specify what fields and inputs are required or optional. When customizing the application, you can choose different types of inputs, from drop-down menus to plain text inputs. You can convert your existing paper, doc or pdf formatted application into a digital application.
  • Require Membership Approval
    Organizers can choose to auto-approve any new application, or manually approve them after orientation attendance, training and interviews. With GivePulse, you will now be able to track, update, and determine the status of all of the applications.
  • Application Management
    You may customize the application and apply a different application for every subgroup or use a template for prospective volunteers to request membership.

Calendar

Manage and schedule volunteers for one-time events or on an ongoing basis using our various calendar formats and messaging tools.

  • Ongoing Schedules
    Approved volunteers trained and tasked to help the center or shelter in an ongoing basis can be scheduled by the administrator using our platform. The administrator can schedule ongoing opportunities in advance or give volunteers access to what availabilities are unfilled in a daily, weekly, or monthly Calendar format. Note, before they become ongoing volunteers, you may leverage GivePulse to manage sign ups to your orientation or training schedules.
  • One Time Groups and Individual Volunteers
    Volunteers that come in for one-time corporate engagements (volunteer time off), service related groups and clubs, or individual volunteerism may access public events and opportunities that do not require training. Our platform separates these sign ups to avoid crowding the existing database and schedules with the ongoing volunteers.

Membership Organization

Centers of all sizes require a platform to help manage the scheduling, training and communication with volunteers across different memberships. It’s often useful to break down the center into specific subgroups with more targeted approaches to the specific animal initiative. Our platform does this through a couple key features.

  • Subgroups
    Organizers can easily create subgroups within their animal center, and those subgroups can be broken into further subgroups. Each subgroup can manage memberships, schedules and track the activity data, allowing you to keep track of all data within your animal network.
  • Member Communication
    Our platform offers many forms of communication within your animal center. Organizers can send out customized emails to all of their members, or engage in private conversation with individuals or a specific cohort.

Track Activity & Impacts

GivePulse offers a database where animal centers and shelters are able to keep track of volunteer activity and accomplishments.

  • Track Different Types of Data
    With GivePulse, you may track all different inputs and outputs to determine organizational efficiency and where volunteers are allocating their time. E.g., In addition to tracking volunteer hours, you may want volunteers to select from a customized list of what they are doing, are they helping with the Vet, Nebbing, Large or Small Dogs etc…
  • Clock-in and Clock-out system
    Our mobile-friendly site and downloadable iOS and Android Sign-In App include features to Clock users in and out so you may know exactly who is physically at the center and when they arrived and left.
  • Custom fields
    When generating a survey to gather feedback from your membership, or requesting your volunteers to fill out required fields every time they leave the center, you may collect and track additional data on your volunteers with custom fields.

Volunteer Preparation

It's imperative that all volunteers, donors and individuals who anticipate interacting with others either physically distance themselves or ensure that they are healthy, capable and willing. Individuals who meet these health requirements can get involved now here.

  • Wash Hands and Be Clean
    The CDC recommends that you wash your hands regularly and thoroughly, particularly after sneezing or coughing, when caring for the sick, before, after, and during food preparation, before eating, after use of toilets, when hands are visibly dirty, and after handling animals. Washing hands often and thoroughly (for at least 20 seconds) will help to prevent the spread of the virus, both to yourself and others. Avoid touching your face. If you cannot wash your hands, frequently use an alcohol-based hand rub/sanitizer.
  • Cover Coughs and Sneezes
    Always cover your coughs and sneezes with your inner elbow or a tissue (if into a tissue, please dispose immediately and wash your hands). Droplets can spread the virus; good respiratory hygiene helps to protect those around you from the potential spread of the virus. This is particularly true given that droplets can remain on surfaces long after you have left, leaving all those who come into contact vulnerable.
  • Physical (also known as Social) Distancing
    Maintaining six feet of physical distance can prevent the spread of virus, as this is how far droplets travel after a cough or a sneeze. Physical distance can protect you and those around you alike. Note: while this has been referred to as social distancing, increasingly the term physical distancing is being preferred, as social connection is of particular importance at this time.

Making a center, workspace and activity safe, clean and welcoming

It's imperative that all centers, programs and initiatives have procedures and ongoing tasks in place to protect the health and safety of volunteers, donors, clients and members of the community. Coordinators and admins who are prepared can publish or list opportunities for virtual experiences or the COVID-19 option here.

  • Wipe Down Center
    It is uncertain how long coronavirus can last on surfaces (for this and other information, see the WHO FAQs: https://www.who.int/en/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public). In order to prevent the spread of coronavirus for those in your center, wipe it down with alcohol-based disinfectants both before and after it is in use. If you are using a tablet for volunteer check-in, make sure to sanitize it regularly. If volunteers or employees are using shared computers or tools, make sure they wash their hands regularly, use hand sanitizer, and wipe down their stations before and after use as well.
  • Tools & Supplies Clean-up
    It is also recommended the organization ensures all tools (laptops, tablets, phones, supplies and stationary) be wiped or cleaned per usage or activity. At the same time, individuals and groups who are committed to a program or activity should double check their workspace and tools are cleaned to protect their own safety and health.
  • Provide Disinfectant Wipes and Hand Sanitizing Solutions
    Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are almost as effective as hand-washing (although we always recommend that volunteers, employees, and clients wash their hands for at least 20 seconds as often as possible). Provide this to anyone engaging in your organization’s space to avoid transmission of the virus. In addition, provide disinfectant wipes so that any droplets containing the virus can be removed before individuals touch surfaces.
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