The People Who Give, Give, Give: Inside Chloe’s World at RSPCA

Article written by Rumer Grace Archer

When Chloe-May Wienk first joined RSPCA Queensland, it was as an Animal Attendant, working hands-on with the animals in care. But it wasn’t just the animals who left a lasting impression, it was the volunteers she worked alongside every day. 

“When this role came up to work in the volunteering team, I was like, well, I’d love to do that because I’m so passionate about it and I appreciate the volunteers so much and I want them to see that.” 

That passion led Chloe to her current role as Volunteer Services Manager, where she and a small team of three coordinators support around 3,000 volunteers across Queensland. With under 500 paid staff, it’s clear it’s the volunteers keeping the RSPCA running. 

“They run the show. We just work here,” Chloe laughs. 

And she’s not exaggerating. From animal shelters and adoption centres to wildlife rescue, cleaning, laundry, fundraising, community outreach, corporate teams and op shops, RSPCA volunteers make it all happen. 

“It’s such a sense of community that you get here because even when I’m really busy and I haven’t had the chance to walk around and see the volunteers, they’ll come up and see me. It’s really nice to know that they actually appreciate me being here and want to see me. 

“And even in our shops, you go to one to see a volunteer and they pull out the banana cakes and stuff and they say, ‘Sit down, let’s have a cup of tea.’ It’s amazing.” 

On paper, Chloe’s role might sound like a typical corporate job, answering emails, taking calls, screening new volunteers and checking in with her team. But at RSPCA, her “office” is part of a living, breathing ecosystem filled with all kinds of animals including the regulars like dogs and cats, but also many more you wouldn’t expect including lizards, horses, turtles, koalas and even alpacas. 

It’s a workplace where the impact is visible and immediate, where every action connects back to the animals and communities they serve. 

When asked what she finds most rewarding, Chloe doesn’t hesitate, it’s the people. 

She tells the story of Elizabeth, a volunteer who has been with RSPCA for more than five years: 

“She comes in every single week, twice a week to help out in our cat sections and she likes to take all the new volunteers under her wing and help them out. But she also brings these magazines in every single week that have cats in them and she likes to go around and show all the staff members the magazines with her cats in them. 

“Every time I see her, I like to talk to her… it’s just so rewarding to see that she spends her free time coming in here to help us and to be part of this community. And the fact that every week I know she’s got a new magazine that I get to look at cat pictures, is rewarding in itself.” 

For Chloe, these small moments of connection are what make her role so meaningful. 

“Just seeing how happy they are, even the team in the laundry, is what inspires me. I don’t particularly get excited about laundry but they turn up here for every shift and they’re happy… they come in here out of their spare time just to do that because they know the benefit of what they’re doing. 

“They know that those sheets are going to make their way to a kennel to keep a dog or a cat warm. They see that reward and it inspires them, and their inspiration inspires me.” 

Of course, not every day is easy. As Chloe explains, working in animal welfare brings together some of the most passionate people, which can be both rewarding and challenging. 

“Being an animal welfare organisation, we do attract extremely passionate people. It’s just the nature of what we do. They want to come in and they want to help so much, but also being a welfare organisation means we have to make hard decisions sometimes. 

“It can be a lot of difficult conversations and sometimes even discussing whether this is the right place for some people. You have to put the welfare of people first.” 

Even after years surrounded by volunteers, Chloe is still amazed by how much people are willing to give. 

“Generally it’s our volunteers that give the most. We have some volunteers here that even do multiple different roles. They will come in multiple days a week to do different roles and put their hand up for everything.” 

She recently came across a statistic that only confirmed what she already knew: 

“I discovered that 85% of volunteers also donate to the organisations they volunteer for. It really is the same people that just give, give, give, and they are volunteers.”