Volunteer

You can help in many ways, most of which will only take a small amount of time out of your day.

OCCH puts on educational and fundraising events around Los Angeles and Orange Counties throughout the year. We need volunteers to:

• make fliers and posters for our rescue
• help transport supplies to the events
• set up and take down our booth
• trim nails
• sell our products
• cuddle foster pigs
• and most importantly, greet people and spread the word about homeless guinea pigs and proper guinea pig care.

Two volunteers educating the public		A volunteer socializes one of our fosters

Another way that you can help is by transporting guinea pigs who are in high-kill shelters to the safety of the rescue or foster home or become a shelter scout.

Two volunteers clip a guinea pig’s nails while shelter scouting after taking his photo for our website. This increases their chances for adoption.

And you can always invent your own way to assist. If you have always wanted to help animals but are not able to take them into your home, there are many ways that you can make a lasting and vital contribution to these homeless animals.

OCCH operates solely on the effort and dedication of our volunteers. Join our team!

Adoption Specialist
Adoption Specialists screen potential adopters to make sure they understand the responsibilities and long term commitment necessary in having guinea pigs. Specialists then assist potential adopters in finding the right pig(s) for their family and lifestyle. Volunteers are trained to answer some basic guinea pig care questions and offer assistance to adopters during the application process. An Adoption Specialist will not only find loving homes for poor, neglected, and abandoned guinea pigs, but will get to play matchmaker and find the perfect fit for guinea pigs and people.

Adoption Specialists may conduct home visits after accompanying an OCCH volunteer with experience on other home visits. Good people skills and knowledge of guinea pigs are necessary. Sometimes will receive calls from people looking to surrender their guinea pig(s).

Post Adoption Specialist
Post Adoption Specialists make very important follow-up calls to recent adopters to ask how their new their new pig is acclimating to their home and offer support for any adjustment issues. Post Adoption Specialists also get to share heartwarming stories they hear with the rest of our volunteers.

Foster Parent
Foster parents care for one or a pair of guinea pigs in the home. If you love guinea pigs and want one of the most rewarding jobs OCCH has, then look no further. Ideally all of our guinea pigs will be able to experience the love and attention a foster home can provide. There are certain requirements prior to being approved as a Foster Parent, including completing a Foster Parent Application, interview, and possible home visit. Fostering costs will be reimbursed by the rescue.

Sewing People
OCCH desperately volunteers who can SEW cuddle cups, cozies, tunnels, fleece cage blankets, and other items for the guinea pigs and for us to sell as a fundraiser at events! OCCH will supply you with patterns.

Cage Builders
Building cavy cages (as seen on www.guineapigcages.com ) benefits both OCCH through income, but also the pigs who live in them. Bigger is always better when it comes to space for small animals. All OCCH foster pigs live in cavy cages, which are easy to build and clean. Volunteers are needed to help attain cage supplies and to help construct the cages. Supply costs will be reimbursed by the rescue.

Shelter Scouts
Shelter Scouts are those volunteers who visit their local shelters to see the homeless guinea pigs are receiving proper care. Our shelter scouts take photos of the pigs so we can list them on various websites for adoption, sex them, bring the pigs supplies like hay, pellets, and veggies, and build working relationships with the shelter staff. Training will be provided and supply costs will be reimbursed.

Guinea Pig Transporter
Guinea pig transporters provide safe transport for foster and shelter pigs between veterinary hospitals and OCCH’s adoption events, or transports guinea pigs from area animal shelters to foster homes. Use of one’s own vehicle is required.

Fundraising and Public Relations
Volunteers in fundraising and PR assist with event planning, distributing OCCH flyers and brochures, and staffing our booth during events are a fun and rewarding way to help guinea pigs in need.. A variety of office-type work is also available, including mailings and computer work.

Fund Raiser Manager
Fundraiser Manager aims to increase the amount of fundraisers done each year. This person comes up with ideas and organizes the rescue’s volunteers. There should always be one manager per fundraiser, which could rotate among a group. This would work well if someone would like to manage one fundraiser per year that they consider to be their baby.

Special Events
OCCH is looking for someone interested in helping out at an OCCH fundraiser, but does not want to be the brains of the operation. There is always a need to man the rescue’s booths, answer questions, or keep an eye on the pigs who attend the fundraiser. Training will be provided.

Hay and Bedding Transporter
We need a person with car, SUV or preferably pick-up truck is needed to transport hay and bedding to Supply Day fundraisers or foster homes.

Guinea Pig Donor Coordinator
OCCH has a guinea pig sponsorship program where donors send money on a regular basis to help maintain a particular pig. Donors in the sponsor program then receive regular updates on their pigs. The Donations Coordinator would be responsible for sending these updates. OCCH gives the Donor the information and pictures on the different pigs to aid them in sending the updates. This is a great job for someone with Internet access who may live a distance away from OCCH but wants help guinea pigs.

Grant Writer
OCCH is trying to attain grant money for the rescue. Each grant proposal takes quite a bit of time to write and then there are all the copies to be made prior to sending them. Fortunately, we have already received a grant this year to help with the new education program. What we really want to do is try to get some operational expense grants. We have received a list of foundations for which we might qualify. OCCH needs someone willing to review the grant applications and research the guidelines. OCCH staff can write the actual proposals (unless of course there is someone willing to take that on as well) if someone will make the copies and do the actual mailings.