Become a SRoL Volunteer
Spring Reins of Life is a VOLUNTEER RUN ORGANIZATION. Our executive board, advisory boards, committees, event staff and farm help are all 100% volunteers. We chose to do this in our early stages so that the majority of our fundraising efforts can go directly toward EAP programming costs for veterans and youth who are survivors of moderate to severe trauma. If you would like to be a part of our SRoL Team Posse we welcome you to join The Herd. Below are some categories in which we are always open to adding support and elbow grease. As the saying goes…”it really does take a village!” Thank you for your interest in Spring Reins of Life (SRoL).
Farm Volunteers (Barn/Farm Work & Horse Care):
Loading hay, walking horses, grooming horses, barn chores, mucking stalls, cleaning barn and common areas, sweeping, raking, maintenance of EAP equipment, upkeep of EAP arenas and work spaces, picking/cleaning paddocks, minor landscaping…THERE IS ALWAYS WORK TO BE DONE!
To be a volunteer it is not necessary to have any horse experience, you can learn it with us. If you do have horse experience, all the better – please let us know. We do require (for liability/insurance purposes) that we have on file for each SRoL Volunteer a completed and signed SRoL Liability Release (minors must have a parent/guardian sign). To get started please select a date for your first visit on SRoL’s online scheduler HERE. When you arrive there will be a brief orientation to be aware of the farm rules/policy, we LOVE our hosting farm home which is a private facility and we all must hold respect for the land and its privacy. Please dress in clothes and footwear apprpriate for the current weather elements (no sandals or flip-flops) and that won’t mind getting dirty, because there is chance of that. The rest we will fill in as we go, one thing we can promise is that you will meet some very special horses, donkeys and a Redcat.
- Farm volunteer shifts are on Saturdays and Sundays all year round as a 3 hour shift (11am-2pm ET). Once you are participating in the farm volunteer system you will be emailed a link to schedule your shifts online in 3 month increments (Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter). *We have volunteer hours all year long with enough indoor chores to do on inclement weather days. If weather is dangerous to travel we will of course cancel volunteer shifts.
- We do require one (1) shift per month as a farm volunteer. We schedule shifts in 3 month segments by season as follows:
Spring (April-May-June) Summer (July-Aug-Sept)
Fall (Oct-Nov-Dec) Winter (Jan-Feb-Mar)
If you are inquiring during mid-season, don’t worry we can fit you into the existing shifts. We are flexible, some folks can do one season per year, some can do two, we have (and love) our “regulars” who we see monthly all year round. *IF you would like to offer more than one shift per month that is a plus, but please commit to the dates you sign up for. - SRoL asks and appreciates all farm volunteers to help us with one of our annual events, please inquire about this as there are many tasks needed to pull off fundraisers and live demonstrations.
- While on the farm property all volunteers must be supervised by SRoL staff or volunteer coordinator. No one is allowed to wander around the farm without supervision. Children under 12 are welcomed to volunteer but must also be accompanied by a parent/guardian the entire time.
- NO ONE is permitted on Hunt Cap Farms property outside of scheduled shift times. This is for the safety of our horses, our volunteers and the facility.
- While we handle a lot of horse manure…and we do tend to get dirty…we also have fun! Happy to have you join the farm volunteer crew. The effort you put in helps us to provide the best possible living and working conditions for the special Horses on our team that give so much of themselves to this incredible work of healing and teaching humans…Thank you for your interest!
Do you have Nonprofit Management or Development Experience?
SRoL is building its net of Advisory Counsel and we are interested in expanding that reach. Our volunteer advisers have a passion for helping the populations that we serve in the New Jersey, New York City and Philadelphia regions. When you combine that with a love or curiosity as to how Horses can be so pivotal in helping humans recover and cope with deep trauma there becomes a unique range to work with. SRoL is looking to create strategic partnerships, mission matching affiliations and general awareness that promotes and entrusts The Horses to help as many people as possible. Our certification/governing body is The EAGALA Model, which is an international organization (currently present in all 50 states and 50 countries worldwide) and showing a growth rate of over 400% in the past three years. If you think you can help us have greater access to becoming a solution for veterans and youth who suffer the internal injuries of trauma – please consider volunteering some of your time, expertise and guidance to one of our Advisory Boards listed below. Contact us for more information or with any questions. We would like to hear from you.
Veterans Programming
At Risk Youth Programming
Childhood Bereavement Programming
Strategic Planning & Development
Have Experience/Interest in Fundraising, Donations or Event Planning?:
How about joining our Fundraising & Donations Committee? Each year we have three main events to plan for, which takes a lot of planning. SRoL is eager to attract a large group of humans (56 in total currently) who can give time, expertise, energy and passion for this portion of our team. As volunteers it works out great for us to have a large group of helpers because everyone has areas they can shine at at and then we are able to accomplish climbing mountains. We are ALWAYS looking for growth in this group so if you have expertise, interest and/or a passion for our populations served and you love horses – please contact our Fundraising Committee Chair, Erin Norbury for more information (info@springreinsoflife.org).
- This committee meets monthly by phone conference call to direct tasks, cover event planning details, and other general agenda topics for donations and fundraising efforts. We also meet periodically in person to have face to face time.
- We look for volunteers to agree to sit at SRoL Tables which we choose to attend for outreach / awareness (craft fairs, street fairs, horse shows and state or county fairs and festivals). If you have the gift of gab maybe this could be a fun way to help us spread the word.
- Donations: SRoL has a wishlist of items we either need to acquire for EAP sessions, for our clients, or the Horses care. We offer DIK tax deductible receipts for product/tangible goods donated in kind. Also we need a donations posse to work on gathering gift baskets and items for fundraising events (Tricky Tray, Silent Auction, etc)
- Online/social media skills? You can help us promote online presence for facebook, twitter and google. We also have online crowd-funding campaigns on Fundraise.com to benefit Veterans and At Risk Youth programming. Our annual events are also an online presence for outreach via Eventbrite.
- SRoL Newsletter: We would like to start doing a quarterly newsletter, put out each equinox to highlight the seasons upcoming news and plans as well as giving a recap on the past season. Loaded with pictures and fun facts about our program, our populations and our horses.
- Are you a horse person? Maybe you can help us spread the word in the NJ horse world about what horses are capable of doing for trauma survivors? Support from the local horse community is something strive to increase and nurture. We seek sponsors, donors, and support. Always accepting good condition used tack & show apparel which can help SRoL in that Horseman’s Outlet will sell it for us on consignment for a store credit which allows feed, supplements and supplies for the horses. Also accepted are gift cards/certificates to Tractor Supply, Belle Mead Coop, Horseman’s Outlet and Dover Saddlery.
- Three main events annually:
- Annual Swing Into Spring Event – Comedy Night (Saturday night closest to spring equinox/March 20)
- Annual Open House / Demo (annually on the first Sunday in June) This is the only time during the year where general public is invited to the farm to meet The Herd and “see” what they do. Family friendly with 4 EAP participatory demos, live music food & more…
Employer Rewards for Volunteers & Nonprofits
Does your employer participate in a volunteer outreach/rewards program? Many companies will make a donation to the nonprofit based on the hours you volunteer for a verified 501c3 (for example Merck Foundation will send SRoL $500.00 after one of their employees registers with them and then we verify 40 volunteer hours completed). Please check with your employer to see if there are any of these options available. Many companies will match funds donated to a nonprofit by employees. So if you can donate $100.00 we really get $200.00. ***During Summer season, if there is a group we can form (a co-workers/friends day) where you can be compensated during the workday to give volunteer hours during the work week, we can arrange that but would need at least 6 volunteers to make that worthwhile.
Virtual Volunteers
Cannot or do not want to work physically on the farm? You don’t live locally (New Jersey)?
That’s OK – we also need administrative help.
Are you good at graphics? Excel? List management? Database management? Social media guru?
We do seek out support for our annual events, programming outreach, public and private funding, list maintenance, a quarterly newsletter, donations for our wishlist items, social media and online fundraising, etc. Please contact us and let us know where your interests reside as there are many ways that volunteers can help support our overall mission and cause.
