A volunteer shows off an adoptable dog at a Mayor's Alliance Adoptapalooza event in Washington Square Park.
Photo by Dana Edelson
Volunteer with the Mayor's Alliance
Thank you for considering becoming part of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals team! The change we are working to create is larger than any of us alone can achieve.
Our volunteers are a critical part of our success, and essential to achieving our collective goal: a "no-kill" New York City — a city that our dogs and cats can be proud to call home. Your time, energy, and skills are lifesaving for the 35,000+ dogs and cats who enter our city shelters each year.
Finding the Right Match
We know you have busy lives and commitments outside of the time you generously spend helping others (two- and four-legged). We want to help you find a way to volunteer that offers you an experience that you can both enjoy and feel is making a difference. Volunteer opportunities include:
Hands-on Work with Animals at a Shelter
Our work benefits the homeless dogs and cats of NYC, but we are neither a shelter nor a rescue group. If you'd like to volunteer directly with animals at a shelter or with a rescue group, we encourage you to contact one of the 150+ rescue groups and shelters that participate in the Mayor's Alliance. Note: When you volunteer in this capacity, you will work directly with the shelter or rescue group and not with the Mayor's Alliance, so it is not necessary to submit a Mayor's Alliance Volunteer Application in this case.
Fostering an Animal
Foster parents provide temporary care for a dog or cat in their home, offering these pets much-appreciated time in a loving home instead of a shelter or boarding facility. The Mayor's Alliance is always in need of kind, reliable foster caretakers for animals who are awaiting adoption or have been temporarily displaced from their homes. You can learn more on our Foster an Animal page.
Mayor's Alliance Events
If you're interested in volunteering at Mayor's Alliance events, you'll likely be invited to help at pet adoption, microchipping, tabling (outreach), and fundraising events. Most of these events take place when the weather is most cooperative — between April and November.
Other Mayor's Alliance Volunteer Opportunities
Have another skill you'd like to share to help NYC's animals? We often have volunteer opportunities in photography/videography, writing, graphic/web design, data entry, and other artistic and administrative areas. Just let us know about your skills and volunteer interests!
Opportunities for Groups of Volunteers
If you are interested in locating a volunteer activity for a student, professional, or other kind of group, please contact us. Tell us about your group and what you are looking for, and we'll let you know what opportunities we can offer.
Other Ways You Can Help
Your efforts are critical to our success — and to the lives of NYC's homeless animals. Thank you for offering your time, energy, and skills to help. We thank you — and so do they!