Support, education, and community for animal shelter and rescue volunteers.
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Support, education, and community for animal shelter and rescue volunteers. 🐾
ABOUT THE THRIVING VOLUNTEER
An online membership community for animal shelter and rescue volunteers to provide emotional support, education, wellness tools & connection to help prevent burnout and stay in the work longer.
Animal volunteers are the foundation of animal welfare - engaged in deep, emotionally driven work. And yet, they are massively under-supported by the system.
“Animal welfare keeps you in fight or flight because you’re fighting for a life 7 days a week.”
“Volunteers and their feelings and experiences can often go unnoticed and very under acknowledged in this world.”
“I can’t begin to tell you how much your content speaks to me and is so needed in this space.”
The animals need us strong to keep doing the work
Current data suggests animal welfare workers can experience elevated rates of trauma, depression, anxiety, and burnout. That matters because the wellbeing of the humans directly affects the care they can give.
It’s like being on a plane. Just as we’re told in the case of an emergency, put your own mask on first before you help someone else, the same thing applies here. You must make sure you’re able to function before you can help the animals. We cannot give what we don’t have.
For the Volunteers Who Give So Much
If you spend your weekends at the shelter or at an adoption event…
If you’ve cried in your car after you leave them…
If you love the animals so much it hurts…
you’re in the right place.
I created The Thriving Volunteer because I know what this work costs. I’ve fostered 70+ dogs. I’ve stood frozen in the kennels wondering who to pick. I’ve felt the tension between loving the animals and navigating the system.
And I know this:
You should not have to burn out to be dedicated.
The Thriving Volunteer provides:
Practical, 5-min or less, in-the-moment tools you can use to care for or lift yourself during, before, or after a shift
Grounding resets designed specifically for animal volunteer life
Honest conversations about grief, overwhelm, conflict, and compassion fatigue
A private space to connect with volunteers across the country who truly get it - let’s coordinate and collaborate!
Micro-practices to let in more joy
Live support circles (if you want face-to-face community) where you can share, vent, be held, be heard, and have access to monthly Guest Experts who are at the top of our field
You don’t have to fix yourself.
You don’t have to “be stronger.”
You don’t have to do this alone.
You deserve a soft place to land where you can bring all you are, and be known for all you do.
Join The Thriving Volunteer Community!
