Volunteer Coordinator, Emergency Response

Best Friends Animal Society

1d•$60,000 - $75,000•Remote

About The Position

The Emergency Response Volunteer Coordinator plays a key role in expanding and supporting Best Friends’ national network of trained volunteers ready to respond to natural and man-made emergencies where animal welfare agencies are impacted. This position is responsible for recruiting, onboarding, and engaging volunteers who support lifesaving efforts during disasters and critical incidents, as well as maintaining readiness for rapid deployment across the country. The coordinator ensures volunteer participation aligns with organizational priorities, strengthens partner capacity, and enhances Best Friends’ ability to respond swiftly and effectively when communities and animals are in crisis.

Requirements

Prior experience managing large volunteer programs and volunteers is required.
Volunteer or employment experience with an animal shelter for a minimum of 1 year is required.
Basic ability to identify and speak to medical and behavioral characteristics of dogs and cats.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with public speaking and presentation experience.
Customer-centric, non-judgmental approach to engaging with adopters, partners, visitors, volunteers, and colleagues; familiarity and comfort with a conversational adoption process.
Strong interpersonal skills, a team player, personable, professional, and able to get along with people from different backgrounds, as well as the ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations.
Self-starter with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment with well-developed organization skills to manage multiple competing tasks, projects, and demands.
Resourceful, get-it-done attitude; initiative to assist in any area or process; problem solving, seeking answers independently and enthusiastically; flexibility to persist until goals are achieved.
Ability to professionally advocate Best Friends’ positions on issues; experience in supporting, engaging with, and developing relationships with volunteers and donors.
Must have strong proficiency in MS Office skills including Outlook, Teams, Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
Must have a valid driver's license for at least 3 years, ability to qualify to be added to Best Friends insurance, ability to travel and/or drive on behalf of Best Friends, including overnight stays, when needed.
Ability to travel via various forms of transportation.
Able to work varying hours, which may include early morning and/or late evening hours.
Must be available to serve on an on-call capacity, monitoring emergencies and be willing to work through weekends and holidays during response operations, if needed.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge and/or experience in disaster field response is preferred.
Experience with coordinating animal transports is preferred.
Bilingual or multi-lingual skills are preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement recruitment strategies to build a nationwide network of skilled, mission-aligned volunteers available for emergency response; engage prospective and current volunteers through outreach, information sessions, and ongoing communication to ensure readiness for deployment.
Expand the strategic use of volunteers by aligning roles, projects, and engagement opportunities with organizational mission priorities and evolving program needs; ensure volunteer efforts directly advance lifesaving outcomes, operational efficiency, and community impact.
Serve as the first point of contact for volunteer questions, feedback or conflict resolution; provide coaching and corrective action when needed; plan and implement volunteer appreciation efforts, such as recognition events, awards and public acknowledgments to encourage long-term engagement and retention; communicate updates, opportunities, policy changes and important reminders to the volunteers through all channels, email, newsletters, social media, and/or in-person meetings; reciprocate communication to staff when needed.
Ensure accurate tracking, reporting, and communication of volunteer activity, impact, and engagement trends; routinely audit internal processes to identify needs, source additional resources, and coordinate implementation of new workflows, or systems that enhance volunteer support and experience when deployed in the field; support the development, or updating of SOPs and operational processes related to volunteer deployment to ensure consistency, efficiency, and alignment across all response programs.
Collaborate across internal departments and program areas to identify training and credentialing needs, evaluate existing learning frameworks, and design scalable solutions that strengthen volunteer readiness and compliance.
Lead development and implementation of consistent standards for training, documentation, and credentialing that ensure rapid mobilization across all active and potential response scenarios.
Partner with user experience and national volunteer teams to maintain accurate systems for tracking volunteer qualifications, participation, and deployment readiness.
Partner strategically with Emergency Services Specialist and Department leadership to plan, organize, and execute volunteer deployments for local, regional, and national emergency response operations.
Provide high-level oversight of deployment logistics, coordination, and communication, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities, safety standards, and partner expectations.
Serve as the primary point of contact for volunteers and field leaders throughout activations, maintaining clear communication channels, supporting problem-solving in real time, and ensuring cohesive collaboration and a positive, mission-aligned volunteer experience.
Lead post-deployment evaluation and continuous improvement efforts by coordinating after-action reviews and debriefs with volunteers, staff, and other departments and teams.
Apply feedback and operational data to identify systemic strengths, resource gaps, and process improvements that enhance efficiency, volunteer preparedness, and organizational agility.
Present findings and recommendations to leadership to inform future strategy, training content, and operational planning for large-scale and emergent response efforts.
Oversee financial and logistical planning for deployment and readiness activities, including expense tracking, logistics coordination, and resource allocation to support effective mobilization.
Coordinate with Finance and Department Leadership to ensure funding and materials are available for supplies, travel, equipment, and volunteer support.
Monitor costs and resource utilization during and after deployments, ensuring fiscal responsibility, and accuracy of spending.