Volunteering FAQs

What type of volunteer opportunities do you have?
Ahimsa House is run almost entirely by volunteers and we have many volunteer opportunities available. For a complete list of current opportunities, click here . Some of our most popular volunteer roles include:

• Foster care: Be a foster parent for an animal rescued from domestic violence! Visit the foster care page for more information.
• Animal transportation: Transport animals from their owners to the Ahimsa House safe haven or to/from their vet appointments.
• Foster home inspection volunteer: Visit foster homes and foster home applicants to assess that they meet our standards to house our animals.
• Special events: Join a team of volunteers to plan and execute fundraising events
• Outreach: Staff Ahimsa House exhibits at various community events; join our Speakers Bureau; represent us at your county's Family Violence Task Force meetings; or help us network with community groups, animal rescue groups, and vets/boarding facilities statewide
• Public relations/marketing: Help to publicize and market Ahimsa House and our events to the general public and other targeted audiences.
• Fundraising: Assist in writing direct mail packages or newsletter articles; research and approach foundations and corporations for grants/sponsorships.
• Database and IT management: Work on our databases, make technical updates, tackle special projects
• Administrative Functions: Help to prepare mailings, distribute flyers and brochures in the community, pick up in-kind donations, monitor donation boxes at local businesses, organize volunteers, and much more!

Where is your office/shelter located?
Ahimsa House does not have a shelter facility. Our programs serve the entire state of Georgia, and we are happy to accept volunteers from anywhere in the state. Many of our volunteer opportunities can be completed from your home with the aid of a computer/telephone. However, committee meetings usually occur at our administrative office in Decatur or elsewhere in the metro Atlanta area, as do most of our special events. Our mailing address is PO Box 8181, Atlanta, GA 31106.

Will I be working directly with animals or victims of domestic violence?
Depending on the type of volunteer areas you are interested in, you may be working directly with animals. Ahimsa House has animal transportation volunteers who may pick up animals and take them to foster homes or boarding facilities. We also have foster home volunteers who keep animals for Ahimsa House in their homes for up to 60 days. Volunteers do not usually work directly with victims of domestic violence, though transportation volunteers may sometimes meet them for a pick up or visitation.

Do you have a minimum age requirement for volunteers?
In order to be a transportation volunteer or foster home, individuals must be at least 18 years of age. We do occasionally have special events and public relations/marketing opportunities (for example, helping with our annual PGA Tour concession tent or with putting up our flyers in the community) for which children may volunteer along with a guardian.

Do you accept volunteers who are completing community service hours as part of a court order?
Depending on circumstances, we may be able to accommodate community service volunteers. Please contact us at volunteer@ahimsahouse.org.

Do volunteers need to go through a criminal background check?
Foster home, foster home inspection, and animal transportation volunteers must go through a criminal background check. However, our other opportunities do not require a criminal background check.

What sort of training do volunteers receive before beginning their volunteer service?
Most volunteer opportunities (with the exception of certain fundraising events such as our Braves 50/50 raffle and our PGA Tour Championship fundraiser) require that you complete our volunteer training, which is online and can be completed in your own time. Volunteers interested in fostering or transporting animals, or in conducting foster home inspections, undergo additional training.

Please click here to complete the volunteer application, after which you will be directed to the online volunteer training.