Thank you for your interest in Volunteering at the Wisconsin Humane Society
Wildlife Rehabilitation Center!
Your next steps and what to expect:
Review available volunteer positions and shifts:
- Check out the list of current volunteer positions and shifts below.
- Note the ones you’re interested in and available for when you apply.
- The list updates frequently, so check back if needed.
- If you haven’t already, watch our Wildlife Volunteer Information Video, which covers our organization, volunteer requirements, and expectations.
Fill out the application:
- Click the orange “Fill in an application” button (upper right corner on desktop or in the "I would like to volunteer" section on mobile).
- Set up a username and password (keep them safe for future logins).
After you submit:
- You’ll receive an automatic confirmation email. If you don’t, check your spam/junk folder and mark it as safe.
- We’ll review your application and send you an email to schedule a phone interview.
Age guidelines:
- Volunteers need to be 18 years old to help in the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
For any questions or assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us. Thank you for considering volunteering with the Wisconsin Humane Society!
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Jackie Kammers (she/her) Volunteer Coordinator, Milwaukee Campus Wisconsin Humane Society 414-431-6216 | jkammers@wihumane.org |
I would like to volunteer
Other Volunteer Opportunities
Wildlife Animal Care Volunteer - Apply Now for Summer Season
WILDLIFE ANIMAL CARE VOLUNTEER – TREATMENT CENTER
No Openings Until April/May - You May Apply Now to Reserve Your Spot for Upcoming Season
The Wildlife Animal Care Volunteer helps feed, clean, and assist in the treatments of our wild animal patients both in our indoor and outdoor cages. Volunteer must follow and adhere to all safety protocols.
Duties
- Clean and effectively sanitize animal cages.
- Set up habitats for animal.
- Feed animals’ daily diets and treatments as instructed by shelter staff.
- Assist with dishes and laundry.
- Restock and organize necessary supplies as needed.
Shift Time:
Year Round – Daily Shifts: 9am-12pm
Skills Needed
Volunteers must be detailed-oriented and committed to reducing the chances of disease transmission. This is a physical position, and volunteers must be comfortable walking, bending, squatting, scrubbing and moving cleaning equipment from one area to another for the duration of the shift, both inside and outdoors. Volunteers must have the ability to follow directions, read, write and effectively communicate with staff and other volunteers.
Required Training
- Interview with Volunteer Coordinator
- Tour of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
- Wildlife Volunteer & Intern Handbook & Waivers – Online Training
- Milwaukee Volunteer Handbook & Waivers – Online Training
- People Centered Philosophy – Online Training
- WL – Laundry - Online Training Module
- WL – Dishwashing - Online Training Module
- WL - Minimizing Stress in Captive Wildlife – Online Training Module
- WL - Outdoor Raccoon Cage Cleaning - Online Training Module
- One on One In-Person Training Sessions with staff or a veteran volunteer
Commitment/Age Requirement
Minimum of a 6 month commitment required or seasonal commitment for the Spring-Summer.
Must be 18 years old or older.
Wildlife Extern Volunteer - Apply Now for Summer Season
Wildlife Extern Volunteer
No Openings Until May - You May Apply Now to Reserve Your Spot for Upcoming Season
This opportunity combines multiple volunteer positions into one cohesive role and is geared towards college students or recent graduates actively seeking to gain experience in wildlife rehabilitation. Volunteer externs are scheduled approximately 16-20 hours per week, for at least 3 months during our busy season. The Wildlife Extern Volunteer helps feed, clean, and assist in the treatments of our wild animal patients in our Treatment Center, Nursery and outdoor cages. Externs will also assist with triaging and responding to phone calls to our wildlife hotline, admissions, some administration work and facility cleaning. Volunteer must follow and adhere to all safety protocols.
Duties
- Clean and effectively sanitize animal cages.
- Set up habitats for animal.
- Feed animals’ daily diets and treatments as instructed by shelter staff.
- Assist with dishes and laundry.
- Restock and organize necessary supplies as needed.
- Ability to answer the front desk doorbell in the Wildlife Gallery and our door phone.
- Ability to appropriately interact with clients and physically transport contained animals from the front area to the exam area.
- Check voicemail and record messages accurately.
- Check email and respond to email as requested by staff.
- Process donations and utilize credit card machine.
- Effectively utilize an Apple iPhone and be comfortable typing and texting responses as requested.
- Answer general client questions and seek additional support from staff as needed to address any concerns.
- Complete filing, data entry (outlook/excel) and other miscellaneous administrative tasks.
- Coordinate logistics for wildlife rescues and communicate appropriately with clients and volunteers.
Shift Time:
Late Spring/Early Summer – Through the Summer Only – Daily: Shifts vary between 9am-7pm
Skills Needed
Volunteers must understand and be onboard with our client centered philosophy and approach; this includes approaching clients and situations without judgement. Volunteers must be detailed-oriented and committed to reducing the chances of disease transmission. This is a physical position and volunteers must be comfortable walking, bending, squatting, scrubbing and moving cleaning equipment from one area to another for the duration of the shift, both inside and outdoors. Volunteers must have the ability to follow directions, read, write and effectively communicate with staff and other volunteers. Volunteers must be committed to providing a welcoming environment for all clients and be capable of reading people and appropriately responding to both verbal and non-verbal communication to ensure a comfortable client experience for all. Volunteers must be enthusiastic, outgoing and detailed-oriented. Volunteers must understand that they may see sick, injured, and/or orphaned wildlife in extreme distress, and that euthanasia may be a possible outcome for the animal’s best interest. Volunteers must have the ability to follow directions, read, write and effectively communicate with staff, volunteers and clients. It is also imperative that volunteers are computers and smartphone savvy, as they will be using our copier, computer, database, smartphone, and POS system to ring up client donations. Volunteers will be privy to private, confidential client and animal information, and they must hold this information in confidence. The physical demands for this job include the following: standing, walking, sitting, writing, lifting, typing, texting, grasping, talking and hearing.
Required Training
- Interview with Volunteer Coordinator
- Tour of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
- Wildlife Volunteer & Intern Handbook & Waivers – Online Training
- Milwaukee Volunteer Handbook & Waivers – Online Training
- People Centered Philosophy – Online Training
- WL – Laundry - Online Training Module
- WL – Dishwashing - Online Training Module
- WL - Minimizing Stress in Captive Wildlife – Online Training Module
- WL - Outdoor Raccoon Cage Cleaning - Online Training Module
- WL - Transport Volunteer - Online Training Module
- WL - Rescue Volunteer - Online Training Module
- One on One In-Person Training Sessions with staff and/or a veteran volunteer
Commitment/Age Requirement
Seasonal commitment for the Spring-Summer.
Must be 18 years old or older
Nursery Support - Apply Now for Summer Season
WILDLIFE NURSERY SUPPORT VOLUNTEER
No Openings Until April/May - You May Apply Now to Reserve Your Spot for Upcoming Season
The Wildlife Nursery Support Volunteer helps feed, clean, and assist in the treatments of our younger and orphaned wild animal patients both in our nursery and some outdoor cages. Volunteer must follow and adhere to all safety protocols.
Duties
- Clean and effectively sanitize animal cages.
- Set up habitats for animal.
- Feed animals’ daily diets and treatments as instructed by shelter staff.
- Assist with dishes and laundry.
- Restock and organize necessary supplies as needed.
Shift Time:
This position is only from April/May through August/September.
Daily Shifts from 9am-12pm, 1pm-3pm and 5pm-6:30pm
Open Shifts:
- This is a seasonal opportunity – Volunteers are scheduled from Mid-April/Early May until September/October
Morning Shifts:
- From 9am-12pm Daily
Afternoon Shifts:
- From 1pm-3pm Daily
Evening Shifts:
- From 5pm-6:30pm Daily
Skills Needed
Volunteers must be detailed-oriented and committed to reducing the chances of disease transmission. This is a physical position and volunteers must be comfortable walking, bending, squatting, scrubbing and moving cleaning equipment from one area to another for the duration of the shift, both inside and outdoors. Volunteers must have the ability to follow directions, read, write and effectively communicate with staff and other volunteers.
Required Training
- Interview with Volunteer Coordinator
- Tour of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
- Wildlife Volunteer & Intern Handbook & Waivers – Online Training
- Milwaukee Volunteer Handbook & Waivers – Online Training
- People Centered Philosophy – Online Training
- WL – Laundry - Online Training Module
- WL – Dishwashing - Online Training Module
- WL - Minimizing Stress in Captive Wildlife – Online Training Module
- One on One In-Person Training Sessions with staff or a veteran volunteer
Commitment/Age Requirement
Summer commitment required.
Must be at least 16 years old.
Wildlife - Volunteer Admin Assistant
WILDLIFE VOLUNTEER ADMIN ASSISTANT
Our Wildlife Volunteer Admin Assistant provides aid with the daily administrative work and client service that is needed to support our work to help wildlife.
Duties
- Ability to answer the front desk doorbell in the Wildlife Gallery and our door phone.
- Ability to appropriately interact with clients and physically transport contained animals from the front area to the exam area.
- Check voicemail and record messages accurately.
- Check email and respond to email as requested by staff.
- Process donations and utilize credit card machine.
- Effectively utilize an Apple iPhone and be comfortable typing and texting responses as requested.
- Answer general client questions and seek additional support from staff as needed to address any concerns.
- Complete filing, data entry (outlook/excel) and other miscellaneous administrative tasks.
- Coordinate logistics for wildlife rescues and communicate appropriately with clients and volunteers.
Skills Needed
Volunteers must understand and be onboard with our client centered philosophy and approach; this includes approaching clients and situations without judgement. Volunteers must be committed to providing a welcoming environment for all clients and be capable of reading people and appropriately responding to both verbal and non-verbal communication to ensure a comfortable client experience for all. Volunteers must be enthusiastic, outgoing and detailed-oriented. Volunteers must understand that they may see sick, injured, and/or orphaned wildlife in extreme distress, and that euthanasia may be a possible outcome for the animal’s best interest. Volunteers must have the ability to follow directions, read, write and effectively communicate with staff, volunteers and clients. It is also imperative that volunteers are computers and smartphone savvy, as they will be using our copier, computer, database, smartphone, and POS system to ring up client donations. Volunteers will be privy to private, confidential client and animal information, and they must hold this information in confidence. The physical demands for this job include the following: standing, walking, sitting, writing, lifting, typing, texting, grasping, talking and hearing.
Open Shift Time(s):
- Thursdays 8:30am-11:30am
Required Training
- Interview with Volunteer Coordinator
- One on One Training with staff
- People Centered Philosophy – Online Training
- MKE Volunteer Handbook & Waivers – Online Training
- Wildlife Volunteer & Intern Manual
Commitment/Age Requirement
Minimum of a 6 month commitment required or seasonal commitment for the summer
Must be 18 years old or older.
Mission Statement and Core Values
Mission Statement: To make a difference for animals and the people who love them.
People-Centered Philosophy Statement: We believe that people want the best for animals. We partner with people to fulfill our mission using a welcoming, supportive, and non-judgmental approach. Together we’re able to identify barriers and help bridge gaps that may exist for animals in our community.
Core Values: Compassion, Respect, Kindness, Positive Approach, Innovation, Professionalism, and Equity
Position Statements: WHS Position Statements
