Hi everyone!

Volunteering for Phinney's can be a super gratifying way to hone your professional skills and pursue your personal interests all for the love of people and pets!

And right now we've got several open positions in the areas of:

• Client coordination
• Data analytics
• Events
• Fundraising
• PR/Media
• Video production
• Volunteer relations

If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering for any of these roles below, you can reach out to Daniela at info@phinneys.org to learn more.
 
Table Event Coordinators – Do you like reconnaisance missions and project management?! We're looking for volunteers to take the lead on researching and identifying events for Phinney's to participate in, such as recruiting fairs, festivals, large-scale nonprofit events like pet walks, etc. In this role, you'll recruit and coordinate other volunteers to work our exhibit tables, order supplies and make sure we create the necessary marketing materials for a given event, supervise the packing up and return of materials ahead of the next event, deposit donations, and make monthly reports to the Fundraising Committee on table event progress and results. We also need people to staff our tables!

Phinney's Calendar Coordinators – We may have an opportunity to make a 2023 calendar to raise funds for Phinney's. Those interested in being a calendar coordinator would be responsible for requesting donations to a group of donors (via email) who would buy a Calendar page, following up on their answers, collecting pictures of their pets (each month would be a different pet), or arranging for volunteer photographers to go take pictures at donor's homes, arranging the design of the calendar, arranging printing and collecting incoming funds. This project would start in July and the calendar would need to be ready by the end of November.
 
Senior Client Coordinators – We are looking for volunteers to assign incoming requests from low-income pet parents in need to our group of Client Coordinators (and anyone with previous client coordinator experience is strongly urged to apply)! This role requires availability to check emails and texts at least once a day and the ability to discern which Client Coordinator is most suitable for each case. Those in this role should also be available to help them solve cases and be there to help when they can't finish a case on their own. If you're interested but don't yet have experience as a client coordinator, we still urge you to reach out because we could train you to become a client coordinator to get some experience under your belt so you could later apply for this more senior role!
 
Godparents Program Writers – We are looking for volunteers with a love of wordsmithing and a knack for interviewing to call our Godpet parents and interview them, collect pictures, and write stories, so we can update their profiles on our website. Check out our Godpet profiles to get a better sense of the type of writing style this job entails.
 
Associate PR/Press Relations Managers – Do you know any assignment editors, radio and/or TV producers, reporters, other local media professionals or social media influencers? If so, we'd love to talk to you! We are looking for volunteers with radio, TV, social media, and newspaper contacts here in Massachusetts to help our PR Manager with pitching story ideas about Phinney's to area editors, producers, and reporters.
 
Data Analyst – We are looking for data analytics professionals who enjoy analyzing and reporting on web, email and social media performance who can advise us on what we’re doing well and how we can improve engagement.
 
Video Producers – We are looking for volunteers who know how to create, edit, and publish videos so we can use video as a regular means for telling stories about the good Phinney's does and sharing tips that appeal to pet parents.
 
Volunteer Relations Coordinators – If you've got great people skills, enthusiasm and a genuine desire to understand our volunteers' needs this position may be right for you! Volunteer relations coordinators regularly call and/or email our volunteers to help them find their perfect spot within our organization and build and foster relationships with them.

Thanks for taking the time to read through our open volunteer positions! If you have questions, please email us at info@phinneys.org. We look forward to connecting with you and having you as part of our life-saving team!

Hi everyone,

As 2021 comes to a close, our neighbors continue to suffer economic insecurity. Phinney's is still committed to doing all we can to provide relief to pet owners in need, and we hope we will be able to pursue our mission with even more vigor in 2022.

We are awed by your enormous generosity. We serve the populations that are most vulnerable to COVID-19, and as their needs continue to increase during the pandemic, we are more grateful than ever for your contributions.

We also appreciate those who are making the season brighter through the Phinney's Angels Tree, by purchasing ornaments of our neediest pets.

In this season of charitable giving, please consider supporting Phinney's by making a tax-deductible donation.

​Thank you for your support!

- Daniela Caride, Phinney's President

Fall is coming and soon the leaves will glow brilliant shades of amber, orange, and red. There’s a crispness in the air already—you can feel it, and chances are your pets are loving it, too!

Right now, we’re in the midst of our Phinney’s Ride fundraiser to help people living with HIV and AIDS care for their pets. And now through November 1, 2021, everyone is invited to do any type of ride (think car, bike, hayride, boat, etc.) to help this important cause.

Here’s some inspiration on some beautiful road trips you can take by bike or car to see some of New England’s most iconic autumn landscapes while supporting a good cause.

Biking It 

Pedal Along the Minuteman Bikeway -- Coined “America’s Revolutionary Bike Trail,” this 10-mile bike trail starts in Alewife Station in Cambridge, MA and lets you experience many of the colonial landmarks the towns of Bedford, Lexington, Arlington, and Cambridge offer along the way.

Spin Wheels on the Norwottuck Rail Trail--There are 11 miles of scenic beauty that this rail trail peddles. You won’t be disappointed if you do Phinney’s Ride along this, the former Boston & Maine Railroad. Norwottuck connects with the Northampton Bikeway and the Manhan Rail Trail to Easthampton, too, so you can literally bike ride for miles and miles. 

Cycle on the Shining Sea Bikeway -- This 10.7-mile long bikeway on Cape Cod is a great place to enjoy a variety of types of trees (and what better time to do that than the fall)! A recent bikeway extension goes through Sippewissett Marsh by cranberry bogs and near Chapaquoit Beach so you can wind along the coast and even get close to the Salt Pond Bird Sanctuary--bonus! 

Road Tripping 

Ride the Mohawk Trail -- Head out on Route 2 and don’t stop until you’ve traveled from Greenfield to North Adams! This 37-mile stretch kisses the edge of the northern Berkshire Mountains, and provides a lovely, scenic tour of fall’s splendors.

Catch Some Wave Action -- Take Route 133 to Route 127 along Massachusetts’ picturesque North Shore and the sea and the low-lying vegetation will bring you waves of joy as you wind through Essex, Gloucester and Rockport on your Phinney’s Ride.

Drive the Kancamagus Scenic Byway -- Perhaps the most iconic ride for leaf peepers in New England, Route 112 in the White Mountains stretches from Lincoln to Conway and provides the purrfect backdrop for soaking in the wonders of a New England’s autumn.

And since you’re not limited to riding in a bike or a car, the pawsibilities for a delightful autumn ride to support people and pets in need are seemingly endless given the natural beauty of the New England’s byways, hayfields, bikeways, and waterways! 

And taking part in Phinney’s Ride is simple, just: 

1. Register at phinneys.org/ride (you can register as an individual or as a team) 

1. Pick the day, time, and location of your ride 
2. Have fun wherever you choose to ride as you celebrate the joys of the New England autumn while supporting people and pets in need! 
   ​

So, which type of autumn ride will you choose? Connect with us @phinneysfriends on Facebook to let us know, and then post pictures of your ride by tagging @phinneysfriends on Instagram.

When thinking about what charities to give to it's important to have confidence that what you're giving is valued and is being put to good use.

1) Look up tax returns on the IRS website. By law, registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits must make their exemption application and annual tax returns available for public inspection, and they are all online on the IRS website. Search for the charity of your choice here: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/tax-exempt-organization-search. Phinney's, for instance, lists its tax exempt number at the bottom of its homepage for easy lookup.
 
2) Check the organization’s website or other marketing materials to see their mission, and then research if their expenditures align. One way to find out if things line up is to request a nonprofit’s annual report. Many nonprofits feature them on their website. Phinney’s Annual Report provides a succinct way for us to share important information on the good we do.

Phinney’s most recent (2019-2020) Annual Report notes that our volunteers responded to approximately 1,200 requests for help over the phone, via email, or through social media. We paid $61,501 toward vet visits for ill pets and an additional $25,983 on annual pet wellness checks, tests, and medications. We also spent $23,499 on pet supplies for dozens of families in need, which equals about seven tons of food! In all, 71.4% of Phinney’s expenditures went to veterinary care, 19.2% paid for pet supplies, and we spent just 5% and 4.4% on operational and fundraising costs, respectively.
 
3) Check to see if others recognize the nonprofit’s contributions. Sites like GreatNonProfits, which curates client, volunteer, and community endorsements, can provide a treasure trove of reviews and other insights into how volunteers, donors, and others within the community view a nonprofit.
 
Recently, Great NonProfits recognized Phinney’s as a Top-Rated NonProfit for 2021. We are so honored (and moved!) by the stories donors and volunteers have shared about their experiences with Phinney’s. To read their stories, visit Great NonProfits.
 
What’s above isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list, but following these steps can go a long way toward ensuring that you’re giving with confidence to a cause.