We are seeking a dedicated and compassionate professional to provide therapy using farm animals, dogs, and horses—especially for children with special needs.

Key Responsibilities:

Conduct animal-assisted therapy sessions.

Develop personalized treatment plans.

Implement PATH-certified riding lessons.

Collaborate with families and professionals.

Ensure animal and client safety.

Maintain animal health and clean therapy spaces.

Pursue ongoing professional development.

Qualifications:

PATH certification or similar.

Experience in animal-assisted therapy and special needs care.

Strong animal handling and communication skills.

Physical Requirements:

Ability to manage animals in varied settings and weather.

Buckeye Ridge Rescue & Retreat is seeking an experienced, compassionate, and highly organized Volunteer Manager to lead and grow our volunteer program. This role is responsible for recruiting, training, scheduling, supporting, and retaining volunteers who help carry out the mission of our nonprofit.

The ideal candidate will have prior experience managing volunteers or teams, strong communication skills, and the ability to create a welcoming, structured, and mission-driven volunteer experience. Fundraising experience is required, as this position will also support donor engagement, community outreach, fundraising events, and volunteer-led fundraising efforts.

Experience working with individuals with special needs and/or animals is preferred, but not required.

Key Responsibilities

Volunteer Recruitment & Onboarding

● Recruit volunteers 

● Develop and maintain an onboarding process.

● Ensure volunteers understand the mission, expectations, safety procedures, confidentiality guidelines, boundaries and code of conduct.

● Provide all communication to volunteers.

● Support and Schedule volunteers for programs, events, animal care support, facility projects, fundraising activities, and community outreach. Matching volunteers with appropriate roles based on their skills, interests, experience and availability.

● Help develop volunteer policies and procedures. Create clear role descriptions and expectations for volunteer positions.

● Track and Maintain accurate volunteer records, hours, waivers, and training.

● Assist with fundraising events, donor outreach, sponsorship opportunities, and community partnerships.

● Help organize volunteers for setup, tear-down, parking, registration, hospitality, activity stations, animal areas, and guest support.

● Build strong relationships with volunteers help them feel valued, informed, and connected to the mission.

● Develop recognition efforts such as thank-you notes, appreciation events, and volunteer spotlights.

● Maintain regular communication with volunteers through email, phone, meetings, or other management tools.

Required Qualifications

● Prior experience managing volunteers, staff, teams, programs, or community groups.

● Fundraising experience, including event fundraising, donor engagement, sponsorship outreach, or community fundraising campaigns.

● Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.

● Ability to work with a wide range of personalities in a professional and compassionate manner.

● Comfortable speaking with community members, donors, volunteers, families, and partner organizations.

● Ability to handle sensitive situations with discretion, patience, and good judgment.

● Dependable, self-motivated, and able to manage multiple priorities.

● Basic computer skills, including email, spreadsheets, scheduling tools, and recordkeeping.

● Willingness to work some evenings, weekends, and special events as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

● Experience working with individuals with special needs, neurodivergent individuals, trauma-impacted populations, veterans, first responders, or at-risk youth.

● Experience working around animals, farms, equine programs, animal rescue, or animal-assisted activities.

● Background in social services, recreation, education, therapy support, animal care, community outreach, or event planning.

The ideal candidate is compassionate, organized, flexible, and mission-driven. This person should enjoy working with people, building relationships, and creating systems that help others succeed. They should be a self-starter, capable of working and managing with little direction and comfortable in a hands-on nonprofit environment where every day may look a little different.

This role requires someone who can balance heart and structure. Someone who can make volunteers feel appreciated while also maintaining professionalism, accountability, safety, and clear expectations.

Physical & Environmental Requirements

● Ability to walk on uneven outdoor surfaces, trails, barn areas, and event spaces.

● Ability to be around animals, hay, dust, and outdoor environments.

● Ability to lift or carry light event supplies as needed.

● Comfortable working both indoors and outdoors in various weather conditions.

● Must follow all safety protocols around animals, participants, volunteers, and guests.

To Apply

Interested candidates should submit a resume and brief statement of interest explaining their experience with volunteer management, fundraising, and nonprofit or community-based work. Apply Here For This Position

Buckeye Ridge Rescue & Retreat is seeking a dependable, hardworking, and compassionate Farmhand & Animal Trainer to help care for our animals, support daily farm operations, and assist with animal handling for programs, events, and guest experiences.

This position is hands-on and requires someone who is confident around animals, comfortable working outdoors in all seasons, and able to manage daily responsibilities with care, consistency, and attention to detail. Experience working with horses is required. Knowledge of pigs and cows is strongly recommended.

Position Overview

The Farmhand & Animal Trainer will be responsible for assisting with the daily care, feeding, handling, training support, and overall wellbeing of the animals at Buckeye Ridge Rescue & Retreat. This role also supports barn operations, animal enrichment, pasture care, tractor work, fundraising events, and safe animal interactions during programs and guest experiences.

This position requires someone who is flexible, dependable, and able to pivot easily when plans change or last-minute requests come up. The ideal candidate can work independently with little direction, while also being a strong team player who is willing to jump in wherever needed. Because this is a growing rescue and retreat environment, the position may require wearing many hats on any given day.

In addition to daily animal care, the Farmhand & Animal Trainer may be expected to drive a tractor, assist with maintaining pastures, help with fencing or basic farm upkeep, and support the property during seasonal needs. This person will also assist with fundraising events, including day-of support, setup, breakdown, and helping ensure the animals, guests, and event spaces are safe, clean, and well cared for.

The ideal candidate understands that our animals are not only rescues, but also an important part of our mission. This person should be patient, reliable, observant, hands-on, and committed to creating a safe, clean, and respectful environment for both animals and people.

Key Responsibilities

> Animal Care & Daily Feeding

> Provide daily feeding, watering, and basic care for horses, ponies, cows, pigs, goats, llamas, alpacas, sheep, and other animals as needed.

> Monitor animals for changes in behavior, appetite, movement, appearance, or overall health and report concerns promptly.

> Assist with turnout, stall care, pasture rotation, grooming, bathing, and general animal upkeep.

> Maintain clean water troughs, feed areas, stalls, barns, shelters, and animal spaces.

> Follow established feeding schedules, supplement instructions, and care routines.

Horse Care & Handling

> Safely handle, lead, groom, and care for horses and ponies.

> Assist with basic groundwork, manners, desensitization, and training support.

> Help prepare horses for programs, lessons, events, or animal-assisted activities as needed.

> Recognize basic signs of stress, lameness, injury, or illness in horses.

> Support safe handling practices around guests, volunteers, children, and program participants.

Animal Training & Handling

> Assist with basic training, conditioning, and positive handling routines for farm animals.

> Help animals become more comfortable with people, grooming, halters, leads, transportation, and program environments.

> Support animal enrichment activities that encourage confidence, trust, and healthy behavior.

> Help create calm, safe animal interactions for visitors, volunteers, and program participants.

> Use patience and consistency when working with animals of different backgrounds, temperaments, and needs.

Barn & Farm Operations

> Clean stalls, shelters, barns, animal areas, equipment, and common farm spaces.

> Assist with hay, feed, bedding, supplies, fencing, gates, and general barn organization.

> Help maintain safe walkways, pastures, pens, and animal enclosures.

> Report maintenance issues such as broken fencing, loose boards, unsafe gates, damaged equipment, or animal safety concerns.

> Assist with seasonal farm tasks, event setup, property cleanup, and general outdoor work.

Program & Event Support

> Help prepare animals and animal areas for nonprofit programs, retreats, field trips, volunteer days, and special events.

> Assist with safe animal introductions and interactions during public or private experiences.

> Support volunteers by helping explain basic animal safety, barn rules, and handling expectations.

> Represent Buckeye Ridge Rescue & Retreat in a kind, professional, and mission-focused manner.

Qualifications - Required:

> Experience working with horses.

> Comfortable handling large animals.

> Ability to perform physical farm work, including lifting, bending, walking, cleaning, carrying feed, moving hay, and working outdoors.

> Dependable, punctual, and able to follow daily routines.

> Strong awareness of animal safety and body language.

> Comfortable working independently and as part of a team.

> Compassionate, calm, and patient around animals.

> Willingness to work in different weather conditions.

Qualifications - Preferred:

> Knowledge of pigs and cows.

> Experience with goats, llamas, alpacas, sheep, or other farm animals.

> Experience with rescue animals or animals with behavioral needs.

> Basic understanding of positive reinforcement or calm handling techniques.

> Experience supporting animal-assisted programs, children’s programs, veterans programs, or public farm events.

> Basic farm maintenance experience is a plus.

Physical Requirements

This position requires the ability to:

> Lift and carry feed bags, hay, bedding, buckets, and supplies.

> Walk and stand for extended periods.

> Bend, kneel, push, pull, rake, shovel, and clean animal areas.

> Work in barns, pastures, outdoor areas, and changing weather conditions.

> Safely work around large animals, including horses and cows.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is someone who loves animals but also understands that farm work is physical, detailed, and requires consistency every day. We are looking for someone who is dependable, calm under pressure, observant, and willing to jump in wherever needed.

This role is a great fit for someone who takes pride in clean barns, healthy animals, safe handling, and being part of a mission-driven rescue environment.

About Buckeye Ridge Rescue & Retreat

Buckeye Ridge Rescue & Retreat is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving quality of life for rescued animals, veterans, first responders, youth, and individuals impacted by trauma, disability, and behavioral or mental health challenges through animal-assisted and nature-based programs.

Our animals are at the heart of our mission, and we are looking for someone who will care for them with respect, patience, and purpose.

To Apply

Interested applicants should submit their application here to send their name, contact information, relevant animal experience, horse experience, availability, and references. Please include any experience working with pigs, cows, farm animals, rescue animals, or animal training.