Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Groundwork Ranch!  We’re honored you are considering sharing your time and talents with us.  Assuming you’ve read through our website or have met us in person, there’s probably a lot you already know about Groundwork Ranch and equine-assisted learning.  What you may not know is that we’re a 100% volunteer-run organization!  

Our volunteers do everything from pulling weeds or scooping up horse poop to helping us write press releases or spearheading data collection that helps inform future programs.  Volunteers have a hand in caring for our herd of horses as well as caring for our clients and community partners. We’re committed to nurturing our volunteer team as a means of providing the highest quality, most effective EAL programs in the country.

Volunteer Requirements

  • We work with volunteers of all experience levels.

  • Ranch Hands must be in excellent physical condition and able to lift 50 pounds.

  • Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age.

  • We work with groups of all ages on an individual basis to determine if volunteering at Groundwork Ranch is a good fit.  Contact our Volunteer Manager to discuss this option.

  • All volunteers must have medical insurance that covers their participation in volunteer activities.


Volunteer Application Process

  • Read through the general descriptions of our volunteer opportunities.

  • Complete the online application.

  • Attend an orientation.  These are usually held once per month.

  • Attend the necessary training once we’ve completed a background check and contacted your references. 

  • Working with the Volunteer Manager, determine your work schedule and begin your volunteer experience!

  • The application process takes 2-6 weeks.


Volunteer Opportunities

We have four types of volunteer involvement; three for people interested in being involved in an ongoing way and one for those interested in volunteering at a single event.  All volunteers must complete a background check and attend an orientation.

Orientation

All volunteers are required to attend an initial orientation.  During this two-hour meeting, we will talk about our mission and our programs, show you around the facility and introduce you to our horses, explain more about volunteer opportunities, and determine the best ways for us to work together.  

Single Event 

Involvement: Single event volunteers are welcomed to Groundwork Ranch on a limited basis.  These are generally labor-intensive, outdoor opportunities and often include equipment or property maintenance.  There is minimal horse interaction and no client contact. These events often involve many people and are supervised.  Contact our Volunteer Manager to discuss holding a group “Volunteer Stampede” at the ranch.

Training: Single event trainings cover tasks specific to the event and often take place in the hour before an event begins.  Single event volunteers must apply at least one month prior to the event.

Support Team:

Involvement: Our support team helps with a variety of general operating tasks in the office or on the property.  Support team tasks are often completed in the Groundwork Ranch office or even at home, however they may include outdoor jobs such as landscaping, property maintenance, or equipment repair.  If you have specific professional skills that you’re interested in providing, please indicate this on the application.  

Training: This training takes one hour and includes learning about our office and property procedures.  Additional training may be necessary as particular jobs require.

Ranch Hand:

Involvement: Ranch Hands may work directly with the horses as well as completing other non-client-related tasks.  Ranch Hands can volunteer to maintain the horse area, cover a feeding shift for the herd, provide basic horse care, or complete other tasks in proximity to the herd.

Training: Ranch Hands must be able to stay safe while around the horses in a variety of situations.  Training includes basic horse care and handling and more in-depth exposure to Groundwork Ranch policies and procedures.

Program Assistant:

Involvement: Program Assistants are able to help with programs in addition to participating in support team and ranch hand tasks.  Program assistants may have direct contact with clients and/or client information. A high level of commitment is required of Program Assistants.

Training: Working with clients requires specialized training and a demonstrated level of commitment.  Please discuss your interest in becoming a Program Assistant with the volunteer manager.

Commitment

  • We ask all our individual volunteers to commit to one day/time per week for at least six months.

  • Most shifts run 1-2 hours per week. 

  • There are morning and evening Ranch Hand shifts available every day of the week for feeding and caring for the horses.

  • The commitment required from Program Assistants varies from 1-4 hours per week depending on the program.