Non-Profit Board Member: German Shepherd Dog Rescue-Program Dogs Committee Chair

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Are you a past animal rescue director, founder, or shelter manager? If so, we bet that what drew you to those roles was the part that involved helping the animals.

But we've found that the typical executive director role in most animal rescues includes such responsibilities as fundraising, volunteer development, foster family development, adoption coordination, and even financial planning. And when your calling in life is to spend as much of your volunteer time as possible directly benefiting the animals themselves, that can be a recipe for burnout.

We get it. That's why our rescue is not organized in the "traditional" way. We believe that caring, committed people who want to make a difference in the world should get to do so in roles that they enjoy--with as little distraction as possible from juggling roles they don't enjoy.

Especially when that making-a-difference time is volunteer time--your precious free time.

We are currently recruiting for an addition to our all-volunteer, non-profit Board of Directors to lead our rescue's Program Dogs Committee.

In this role, the incoming Board member will find himself or herself flanked by a cast of experienced fellow members, each committed to leading one or more standing "working board" committees that make our all-volunteer, foster-based rescue organization run.

Fundraising? Covered. Volunteer development? Covered. Foster development? Covered. Finance, investments, administration, and veterinary counsel? All covered by fellow board members for whom those roles are the ones THEY enjoy.

If this sounds good to you, we hope you'll read on for more specifics about YOUR potential role in helping SGSDR continue its successful thirteen-year history of rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming German Shepherd Dogs in need in the communities we serve.

Board Responsibilities & Participation

The Board provides mission-based leadership and strategic governance to support the work of SGSDR. Board members are elected to one-year terms and are eligible for reelection during the organization’s annual meeting of directors.

The SGSDR Board of Directors serves as both a governance body for the non-profit Corporation and as a volunteer working board supporting the operations of the rescue.

Committee Chair - Program Dogs

Overview

The Committee Chair for Program Dogs is responsible for leading rescue operations related to the selection, intake, veterinary care, and behavioral care of SGSDR’s program dogs until adoption.

As an all-volunteer, foster-based rescue, SGSDR does not have paid staff nor do we own or operate a physical facility. All program dog operations, especially dog intake decisions, center heavily on the availability of suitable foster families and supporting program dog volunteer roles.

Because of this, the Committee Chair and Volunteer Leaders for Program Dogs work closely with counterparts leading Foster Development and Volunteer Development to match program dogs with suitable foster parents and to provide for the care of SGSDR dogs while in the foster program.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and train essential Volunteer Leaders and Volunteer roles for effective organization of program dog operations (Examples: Dog Intake Coordinator, Shelter Liaison, Shelter/Surrender Assessor, Dog Training Resource Coordinator, Dog Transport Coordinator)
• In collaboration with fellow Committee Chairs and key Volunteer Leaders, design efficient practices, procedures, and policies that optimize the productivity and success of program dog operations while discouraging bureaucracy
• Provide program dog volunteers with compassionate and steady support, including making hard decisions for them when necessary (these volunteers are on the front lines of the most difficult aspect of our rescue mission: evaluating and selecting dogs for a necessarily limited-intake rescue operation)
• Identify program dog volunteer orientation, training, and education needs; lead development of program dog volunteer training assets, resources, and hands-on learning opportunities in collaboration with key Volunteer Leaders

Key Qualifications

• A personal commitment to the vision and mission of the rescue
• The ability to lead, engage, and develop diverse volunteer teams with compassion, humor, and diplomacy
• Prior experience in shelter operations or rescue dog evaluation preferred
• Prior experience as a foster or adoptive parent of a shelter or rescue animal strongly preferred
• Prior personal experience loving and leading German Shepherd Dogs or other working/herding breed dogs is a big plus
• Prior supervision experience of employees or volunteers preferred
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and pragmatism
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong organizational management skills