VOLUNTEER RETENTION STRATEGIES - ANDREA INMAN

While many organizations were rethinking their volunteer recruitment efforts even before COVID that alone can’t change the low volunteering rate many animal nonprofits are seeing today. Today we will talk about methods to help retain volunteers and get new ones.

Andrea Inman is a lifelong animal lover and pet sitter. She has worked in volunteer and kennel management for the past 5 years at a Florida nonprofit that trains guide and service dogs for the visually impaired and veteran’s with disabilities - which relies upon about 300 weekly volunteers coming to their facility. Volunteering is an important part of her life since childhood, and when she can, she volunteers with local environmental groups for beach clean-ups, allowing her to see both sides of the coin. She is certified by Volunteer Florida for excellence in volunteer management, and has attended the global volunteer conference put on by Points of Light to continue her education. Andrea’s passions lie in building proper infrastructure for a successful volunteer program, volunteer appreciation and recognition, and coaching for success. In her career she has helped launch a better pre-screening process for the organization, a training program for incoming volunteers, continuing education opportunities for volunteers, built a group volunteer program, and a successful ambassador speaker program.

Andrea recently joined the Farmhouse Animal & Nature Sanctuary (FANS) volunteer family and helps to feed and clean every weekend, and is assisting the organization with building upon their current volunteer program. The mission at Farmhouse Animal & Nature Sanctuary, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is to care for, love and support the exotic, domestic and farm animals that live at the sanctuary, to the best of our ability, for the remainder of their lives and to educate the public on animal care and nature.