Volunteer

Did you know that the Chinook Owners Association (COA) is completely run by volunteers? Do you love your Chinook and want to do something more to help the breed? Do you have some time or a special skill and want to meet other Chinook owners in a fun and helpful way? Awesome...you can Volunteer with the COA! We have three ways you can help us: become a Board Member, a Committee Member or a One-time Volunteer.

Sitting as a Board member is a great way to get your voice out there on behalf of the breed as a whole and to make a larger impact on breed decisions. In total, there are 13 COA Board positions. Each has a specific role so you can be in an area that is more interesting to you as well as helping with general Board duties. Not sure if this is right for you? Contact a current or past Board member and ask them questions about their experiences- it may not be as hard as you think!

• Time commitment: 2 years, about 1.5 hours a month (December off) for Board meetings via Skype, plus any additional projects you may work on
• Positions: Descriptions and duties for each of the 13 Board positions are found in the COA Constitution & Bylaws Article 7 page 6. Elections run every 2 years on even numbered years. Board term starts mid-year.

Becoming a committee member is a great way to help out the breed in a specific area that is more interesting to you. Usually there is less of a time commitment than sitting as a Board member and less responsibility (depending on your role in the committee). There are two types of committees: Standard and Non-Standard. Standard committees are led by a Board member and generally last for the Board term and Non-Standard are for one-time projects or events and may last any amount of time until the project/event is completed. A list of committees can be found on the Member Groups & Committees page.

• Time commitment: 2 years (matches current Board term) for Standard committees; duration of project/event for non-standard committees; meeting duration and frequency determined by committee chair.
• Positions: Standard committees such as those for Health & Genetics, Rescue or Active Chinook, are committees that are ongoing. These have regular responsibilities and may also have miscellaneous projects that need to be worked on. Non-standard committees are for one-time events or projects that arise that need a committee to execute it until its completion (ex: Chinook Centennial Committee met for about a year to plan the 100 Chinook Birthday Bash event and then once that event was over, the committee’s work was done).

Sometimes the COA needs a person with a specific skill for a particular event/project. Volunteering in this way allows you to help out by putting your skills to work in an area in which you are interested. You help out and then your work is complete until you want to do something else.

• Time commitment: Minimal, per project
• Positions: Check this page for any new postings and apply when one interests you! (ex: photographer for Specialty, grant writer for donations, etc.)