Hi, I was looking for photos of wolves for my poetry blog and came across your site. It's a cool idea.
I'm disabled and have always looked for an animal organization to help out with online, besides donating money. Any ideas on animal organizations that do offer volunteering online? It might make a good radio show topic because the info seems so difficul to find.
thanks, John in PA, USA
mjschindler
· 1 year ago
Hi John,
Thanks! And you have a poetry blog? I LOVE poetry! (heads to check it out...)
Your question is an excellent one (and you're right - I should make a podcast about this). I've had more than one person ask me if I knew how people may assist animal welfare organizations beyond the expected monetary donations.
Many organizations offer e-newsletters that include ways you can actively become involved. Below, I've listed just a few that I personally know about, but there are many, many more. If you don't mind scanning a bunch of emails every day (like me) you can sign up for all of them, to stay abreast of volunteer and action opportunities.
(Since you write and enjoy poetry, I suspect that you are a talented wordsmith. So, for example, you could write petitions and emails for these organizations. They seem to really need volunteers to assist them in these areas.)
1. International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW): Go here - http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?o... - to find ways to become involved. For example: "Take Action - One of the most effective actions you can take is to send messages to your MP and the leaders of major companies." Their "Help From Home" section describes ways you can help by spreading the word, writing letters and petitions, and monitoring the media for IFAW.
2. World Wildlife Fund (WWF): Go here - http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/PageServer?pa... - to find ways to become involved in the WWF's attempts to save animals. For example, you can "Urge your representative to cosponsor the Polar Bear Seas Protection Act, which would halt oil and gas leases in the polar bear’s habitat until scientists can fully assess the environmental impacts," or "Tell your members of Congress to reject oil drilling along our nation’s coasts and to push for a real solution to high gas prices -- one that is sustainable and doesn’t threaten our environmental heritage."
3. This page has links to a TON of different organizations dedicated to helping endangered species. They probably need people to write and speak up for them, too: http://www.earthsendangered.com/donate-links.as...
4. I urge you to contact your local animal shelters to find ways that you could help them. Local animal shelters are almost always underfunded and can use every bit of help they can get. Perhaps you could write their newsletter or help them with paperwork, phone calls, emails, or applying for grants?
5. Similarly, you could find out what non-profit zoos and animal sanctuaries could use your help in these areas.
6. Before you spend your time and effort supporting the efforts of these organizations, you should thoroughly research them to make sure you agree with their missions and methods. I strongly disagree with some of the methods and philosophies of several animal-welfare organizations (and for the sake of journalistic neutrality, I approach writing about these organizations very cautiously). For example, I've found that one way to assess the quality of these organizations is by finding out what percentage of their funds goes toward helping the animals instead of toward administrative costs. I usually use CharityNavigator.org to gauge the effectiveness of an organization. Go here - http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=s... - for links to ratings for a number of animal-related non-profits.
Please let me know if I can help you with anything else. If you feel inclined, I'd love to hear back from you regarding what route you choose and how it goes.
All Comments
I was looking for photos of wolves for my poetry blog and came across your site. It's a cool idea.
I'm disabled and have always looked for an animal organization to help out with online, besides donating money. Any ideas on animal organizations that do offer volunteering online? It might make a good radio show topic because the info seems so difficul to find.
thanks,
John in PA, USA
Thanks! And you have a poetry blog? I LOVE poetry! (heads to check it out...)
Your question is an excellent one (and you're right - I should make a podcast about this). I've had more than one person ask me if I knew how people may assist animal welfare organizations beyond the expected monetary donations.
Many organizations offer e-newsletters that include ways you can actively become involved. Below, I've listed just a few that I personally know about, but there are many, many more. If you don't mind scanning a bunch of emails every day (like me) you can sign up for all of them, to stay abreast of volunteer and action opportunities.
(Since you write and enjoy poetry, I suspect that you are a talented wordsmith. So, for example, you could write petitions and emails for these organizations. They seem to really need volunteers to assist them in these areas.)
1. International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW):
Go here - http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?o... - to find ways to become involved. For example: "Take Action - One of the most effective actions you can take is to send messages to your MP and the leaders of major companies." Their "Help From Home" section describes ways you can help by spreading the word, writing letters and petitions, and monitoring the media for IFAW.
2. World Wildlife Fund (WWF):
Go here - http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/PageServer?pa... - to find ways to become involved in the WWF's attempts to save animals. For example, you can "Urge your representative to cosponsor the Polar Bear Seas Protection Act, which would halt oil and gas leases in the polar bear’s habitat until scientists can fully assess the environmental impacts," or "Tell your members of Congress to reject oil drilling along our nation’s coasts and to push for a real solution to high gas prices -- one that is sustainable and doesn’t threaten our environmental heritage."
3. This page has links to a TON of different organizations dedicated to helping endangered species. They probably need people to write and speak up for them, too: http://www.earthsendangered.com/donate-links.as...
4. I urge you to contact your local animal shelters to find ways that you could help them. Local animal shelters are almost always underfunded and can use every bit of help they can get. Perhaps you could write their newsletter or help them with paperwork, phone calls, emails, or applying for grants?
5. Similarly, you could find out what non-profit zoos and animal sanctuaries could use your help in these areas.
6. Before you spend your time and effort supporting the efforts of these organizations, you should thoroughly research them to make sure you agree with their missions and methods. I strongly disagree with some of the methods and philosophies of several animal-welfare organizations (and for the sake of journalistic neutrality, I approach writing about these organizations very cautiously). For example, I've found that one way to assess the quality of these organizations is by finding out what percentage of their funds goes toward helping the animals instead of toward administrative costs. I usually use CharityNavigator.org to gauge the effectiveness of an organization. Go here - http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=s... - for links to ratings for a number of animal-related non-profits.
Please let me know if I can help you with anything else. If you feel inclined, I'd love to hear back from you regarding what route you choose and how it goes.
Thanks,
MJ Schindler