Volunteer with A.R.F.

A.R.F.-Animal Rescue Foundation is an all-volunteer organization. Every hour of your time contributes directly to helping save homeless dogs and cats. Without our volunteers, A.R.F. wouldn’t be able to fulfill its mission to save over a thousand lives every year. 

There are many ways to get involved with saving animals! Below are some of the available opportunities. Time commitments vary depending on the role. If you have a special talent that isn’t listed, we still need your help! To get started, fill out a volunteer interest form. 

Volunteer Requirements

In order to be a volunteer, you must meet these minimum requirements:

• Have a passion for helping animals.
• Be over 18 years of age—children under 18 can volunteer when accompanied by a parent or guardian.
• Have an email address where we can contact you to coordinate activities.
• Commit to at least 6 hours of volunteer time per month (depending on role).*
• Attend a new volunteer orientation in person at our office:
  • One general volunteer orientation training.
  • One foster orientation, if applicable.
  • One additional training at PetSmart during your first cat center shift, if applicable.
• For foster volunteers:
  • Be able to pick up pets and bring them to the vet in Wheaton, IL.
  • Be able to attend adoption meetings in the central DuPage County area.
  • Current household pets must be spayed/neutered and up-to-date on vaccines (including rabies, distemper, and bordetella for dogs; rabies and distemper for cats), and dogs must be heartworm tested and on heartworm and flea preventative.

* Unfortunately, we cannot accept court-ordered community service volunteers.

Apply to Volunteer

To become an A.R.F. volunteer, fill out a volunteer interest form. We will review your application and schedule you for an orientation session.  

Animal Rescue Opportunities

Dog or Cat Fostering

Our homeless dogs and cats need temporary foster homes until they can be adopted by their forever families. A.R.F. provides food and supplies, as well as paying for all approved medical expenses at one of our medical providers. You just supply the roof over their head and lots of love! If you can’t commit to long-term fostering, A.R.F. has a need for “grandparent” fosters to provide short-term care coverage.

Learn more about fostering.

Administrative/Operational Support

We can only save homeless dogs and cats if we have the administrative support needed to place them in forever homes. Duties for these roles can include processing adoption applications, making phone calls to check references, keeping our available pet database up-to-date, and other operational work. These positions are a good fit for those who want to help from the comfort of their own home.

Event Help

A.R.F. hosts adoption events around the DuPage county area, typically on weekends. We need volunteers to transport animals to the events, take care of them during events (aka “puppy wrangling”), set up and tear down equipment, and do paperwork for adoptions. Expect to attend a minimum of one adoption event per month (typically 3 hours). This role is great for people who like talking to others. 

Animal Transport

We need volunteers to pick up rescues from high-kill shelters in northern Illinois and transport them to pre-arranged drop off points, as well as to bring pets to and from vet appointments in DuPage and Will counties. This role requires a vehicle and availability during the day, typically 12-5pm. Expect a minimum of one 5-hour shift per month, with some longer durations occasionally available. People will succeed in this role if they enjoy quiet drives—or not so quiet drives, depending on how happy the passengers are to be going to the V-E-T.

Animal Triage and Intake

This position involves checking animals for issues before they can see a vet, pulling together treatment history and paperwork, and providing high-level medical treatment, including vaccines, medication, and flea treatment. No previous experience needed. Expect a minimum of one 3-hour shift per month. This role is perfect for people looking to become a vet, veterinary assistant, or enter the human medical field.

PetSmart Adoption Centers

Hang out with the cats in the Wheaton PetSmart, Darien PetSmart, Aurora PetSmart, Oswego PetSmart, Naperville PetSmart, or Naperville Pet Supplies Plus Adoption Centers. Responsibilities include light cleaning, checking food and water, talking to potential adopters, and socializing (playing!) with the cats available for adoption. Schedules are flexible—come as much as you want during PetSmart business hours (minimum one shift per month). This role is perfect for the person who likes playing with animals and talking to people. 

Marketing and Fundraising

The marketing team includes a variety of roles, such as promoting pets on social media, taking pictures at events, seeking and applying for fundraising opportunities, maintaining the website, and writing e-newsletters and news articles—all with a goal of increasing visibility, adoptions, and donations. These responsibilities are great for people with an artistic or inventive side. Time commitment varies and can be tailored to your availability.

Community or Group Volunteer Opportunities

We occasionally have volunteer opportunities for large groups like scout troops, company service days, or other community organizations. We are always in need of adoption blankets which is great for a scout troop service project and takes less than an hour to complete. Please contact us to discuss your group volunteer opportunity.

Ready to jump in to volunteering? Fill out a volunteer interest form and a coordinator will be in touch regarding next steps. We are excited to have you join the team!