Meet SPCA’s Supporter Care team

Based in our national office, their incredibly important team are the ones who answer SPCA’s phones, reply to emails, process donations, receive gifts, and get to open, read and respond to all the lovely letters we receive from our amazing supporters. We spoke to the pair about their vital, rewarding work, which included being the only part of the SPCA team who continued coming physically into work over the recent level 3 lockdown in Auckland.

What is the best thing about being in SPCA’s Supporter Care Team?

Alyssa: Working so closely with our amazing supporters! I love receiving and opening mail to see incredible handmade blankets, mice and toys that people have spent their time making for animals in our care. It’s like Christmas every day! I also love that I get to write thank you cards and customise certificates for kids and just picture them being so happy receiving something back in the mail after they have done their good deed and helped animals in need. It’s so important our supporters know how much we appreciate their support.

Harmakey: The best thing about my job is getting to interact with donors through gift comments on the website, phone calls and emails. I love hearing about the ways people – including children! – fundraise for us. I especially love the photos they send in of their fundraising efforts and all the lovely pet pictures and drawings from kids. Also, the animals that come into the SPCA national office is a total bonus of the job!

What made you want to work for SPCA?

Alyssa: I always loved animals growing up and fostered SPCA cats and kittens with my mum, so I got a glimpse of the work SPCA does. I was excited to work for an organisation that has animal welfare at its forefront, and has values that I hold near and dear. It gives a whole different feeling of purpose and unity with everyone working here: a shared common goal that I have never experienced in any other work.

Harmakey: My love for animals! I have always wanted to work with animals in some way, however I don’t have the stomach to be a veterinarian. I used to volunteer with an animal shelter and knew that this would be a great organisation to work with.

Can you tell us about your work during lockdown?

Alyssa: From Alert Level 3, Harmakey and I started coming into the national office to process the mail and ‘hold the fort’. Although it was a lot of work to do for a team of just two of us, it kept us busy, and we loved playing our Christmas music in the office and decorating the SPCA Christmas tree in wonderful decorations our supporters have been sending us.

Harmakey: My role definitely changed a lot with lockdown and it was difficult to navigate being one of the only two people in the office, especially when we were so busy! We’ve managed though and have great support from our team.