Person working a desk from home with a dog resting comfortably on their lap

Volunteer for Best Friends from home 

Want to volunteer to help save the lives of pets around the country from the comfort of your home? You can put your passion and professional skills to work and help homeless pets.

As a remote volunteer for Best Friends, you'll be working from a location of your choice to save the lives of dogs and cats. Because our work covers so many areas — from adoption to fostering to social media engagement and beyond — people with different skill sets and specialties are always needed to help save lives. 

Whether you love writing photo captions, have legal expertise, or want to call our supporters on behalf of Best Friends to say thanks, you can make a difference for homeless pets and turn your passion into lifesaving.

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What to expect as a remote volunteer

There are so many ways you can save lives, all from a computer.

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Remote Volunteer Tasks

The available opportunities change frequently as our needs change, but some examples of tasks include writing appreciation notes to members, producing Zoom calls, editing videos, and creating content.

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Time Commitment

Depending on the specific opportunity, volunteers can plan to commit to several hours per month.

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Volunteer Requirements

Requirements vary by role, though all require a computer and internet connection to complete the remote volunteer assignments and tasks.

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There are so many ways you can help from home

Our work wouldn’t be possible without incredible volunteers like you, and we’re always looking for support in a variety of areas.

Available remote opportunities are listed below, and we regularly update this list as our needs change.

Become a Volunteer

To begin the process, please create a volunteer profile. Once you’ve completed your profile and watched a short training video, you can access the full list of volunteer opportunities. 

If you’ve volunteered with Best Friends before, go to the volunteer portal to see opportunities available to you.

We strive to make our volunteering opportunities accessible to as many people as possible. If you have accessibility requirements to fulfill a volunteer role in which you are interested, please contact us at bfvolcoord@bestfriends.org so we can work together to accommodate you. 

Not seeing the right fit? Not to worry. 

We have plenty of other ways to help, and new volunteer opportunities pop up all the time.  If you already have an existing volunteer account in our volunteer portal, you can get alerts about new volunteer opportunities as they become available. 

To do this, go to the Profile tab and check all applicable boxes under the Life Experience/Skills section. You can also find out about new opportunities by joining our volunteer Facebook group. Email bfvolcoord@bestfriends.org with questions.

Find a Best Friends network partner near you 

The Best Friends Network is made up of thousands of public and private shelters, rescue groups, spay/neuter organizations, and other animal welfare groups, all working to save the lives of dogs and cats in communities like yours across the country. 

Each and every one of our network partners needs caring people like you to volunteer, transport, adopt, foster, donate, and advocate to help save the lives of pets where you live.

Find a network partner near you today:

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More ways to save pets from home

You can make a difference in the lives of animals in real time with the National Operations Volunteers and Ambassadors (NOVA) program, helping animals find homes.
More about NOVA opportunities

Lifesaving in action

Volunteers from around the country are working together every day to save the lives of homeless pets.

Person snuggling and kissing the top of the head of a dog lying on his hap

13 stories of volunteers who save pets’ lives

They’re all amazing, and they all show up time and again to pitch in and help pets go from shelters to homes.
Showing appreciation for all their help
Feature
Troy the dog lying on the floor of a room with two other dogs

Super volunteers for animals

Best Friends NOVA volunteers support dogs and cats from the comfort of their own homes.
Read about the virtual volunteering
Best Friends Magazine
Group of Southwest Airlines Southwest Animal Transport Team (SWATT) members holding puppies beside the open door of an airplane

Rescuing animals, one flight at a time

The SWATT program has been creating rescue-friendly skies through Southwest Airlines, helping thousands of animals go home.
A great resource for homeless pets
Best Friends Magazine
Silhouette of two dogs, cat and kitten

Looking for other opportunities to help the animals?

As thousands of animals looking for families of their very own remain in shelters around the country, one of the most valuable gifts you can give them is your time.

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Volunteer at our animal sanctuary

Stroll with a dog, spruce up a rabbit run, or simply keep a shy cat company. There are plenty of ways to make a difference at our animal sanctuary.
See sanctuary opportunities
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Volunteer in your community

There are countless opportunities to help save the lives of homeless pets, no matter where you live in the United States.
See opportunities near me