The people who keep this running aren't on payroll.
Penny's Ark has three paid staff in Romania and a small UK trustee team and everything else is run by volunteers: fostering, home checks, transport, fundraising, the Pennies Auction, and the social posts you read every week. Pick the one that fits your week.
Each role below is something we have a real, current need for. Pick what fits and email. We'll come back the same week with the next step.
Foster a dog
Open your home to a Romanian rescue between sanctuary and forever home. Most are with you 6 to 10 weeks before adoption. We cover all vet bills, provide bedding and food where needed, and never leave you stranded. There's a back-up foster network if life changes. The single biggest UK volunteer ask we have.
Home checks
Visit prospective adopters in their home, in pairs, online or in person depending on distance. You're looking at the dog's future life: garden, family setup, other pets, energy of the household, and reporting back. We never outsource this. It's why we've had under five failed adoptions in three years.
Lucky Bus support
Help meet the Lucky Bus when it lands in the UK and run dogs to their UK foster homes. Drivers (full UK licence required), co-pilots, kit donations, motorway-services rendezvous. The bus runs every 4 to 6 weeks. [Specific routes and meet-points coordinated by Cata, talk to us first.]
Fundraise for us
Bake sale, marathon, sponsored walk, dog show, raffle, Christmas market stall, wing-a-prayer. Tell us your idea and we'll send a starter pack: branded materials, sponsorship form, a Penny's Ark social-media shout-out, and a thank-you to your supporters.
Pennies Auction
The Pennies Auction is a separate Facebook group where supporters bid on donated items every month. We need volunteers to: donate items (anything from craft to gift cards), help moderate, photograph items, and chase winning bidders.
Digital & admin
Edit social-media posts and reels, write the monthly newsletter, transcribe videos, photograph foster dogs for adoption listings, manage the supporter database, schedule posts. The unglamorous work that keeps the front-of-house running. We are always behind on it.
Trustee / committee
We're a UK registered charity (no. 1205298) and need formal trustees on our governing committee. Particular interest right now in finance, charity-law, or HR experience. Trustees attend monthly online meetings, review accounts, sign off on big decisions. Three-year minimum commitment, not paid, full Charity Commission training provided.
Honest, two-way commitment.
No nine-page application. No shadowy probation period. Here's what we expect from you and what you should expect back from us.
Tell us what you can actually do.
An hour a month, every weekend, only at Christmas, be honest about your capacity. Volunteer relationships fail when expectations don't match reality.
Reply to messages within a few days.
The dogs and the team move fast. We won't chase you, but we will have to move on if we can't reach you.
Tell us if circumstances change.
Family, health, work, motivation, life happens. A heads-up means we can step in. Silence means we're left wondering.
Don't go off-piste with the brand.
If you're posting on social, fundraising, or speaking publicly on our behalf, run it past us first. We're small and reputation matters.
What we'll always do.
Train you properly. No volunteer is sent into a home check, a Lucky Bus run, or a public-facing role without a briefing.
Reimburse expenses. Mileage, parking, supplies, postage. Submit receipts, we pay them. No volunteering should cost you money.
Tell you when something matters. If a dog you fostered finds a home, you hear it from us first. If something goes wrong, we tell you what we're doing about it.
Have your back. If a member of the public is rude to you on our behalf, we step in. You are not alone in this.