Volunteer Opportunities

    Updated:  November 17, 2009

We are always seeking qualified individuals for many of the opportunities listed below to meet ongoing needs. Please click on a link in your area of interest for current opportunities:

EDUCATION

• Teach children outdoors, September through May, at the Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, Missouri. Shaw Nature Reserve school programs offer students the opportunity to experience and investigate the natural world under the guidance of skilled staff and volunteer Teacher Naturalists. Programs are designed to encourage inquiry, exploration and problem solving. Teacher Naturalists lead hands-on investigations that enable students to discover, gather information, ask questions, and begin to formulate their own answers. These remarkable volunteers have a wide variety of backgrounds and skills, but each has a strong commitment to sharing their knowledge and love of nature with children. Classes are hands-on with a focus on sensory awareness and ecological concepts. Other duties may include assisting with adult and family classes and special events.
• Minimum one day per week during the school year and a monthly enrichment session.
• Volunteers in this position must enjoy working with children and possess a keen interest in learning more about natural history. Some knowledge of ecology and natural history is helpful but not necessary. Training programs for new Teacher Naturalists begin regularly. Observation of classes before beginning training is recommended.

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HORTICULTURE

• Share your expertise in plant, insect, disease and/or weed identification with Garden visitors. Opportunities also exist for experts who would be willing to help write, edit, and/or proof technical garden and pest management information used at the Kemper Center or on the “Gardening Help” website.
• Flexible hours (Saturdays available)
• We’re looking for current or retired professionals in horticulture, entomology, or plant pathology or experienced amateur. Special plant material, gardening and diagnostic classes are offered to Plant Doctors on a regular basis.

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INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

• The Garden has over 39,000 members and enjoys one of the highest renewal rates of any cultural attraction in the country. Garden membership benefits are extensive and we hope to add to that number by having many of our new guests become members of the Garden. This is where we need your help! The Membership Desk is located next to the Ticket Counter and you'll have interaction with many of our guests who are interested in becoming members or need to renew their memberships. As a Desk volunteer, you will promote membership to Garden visitors; answer members' questions about benefits; distribute membership and development premium gifts; process new and renewal membership forms; issue temporary cards for members without cards; assist members in filling out a Membership Inquiry Form for Membership Office staff follow up; accept reservations for special events or benefits; and, accept donations.
• Shifts are 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 1 to 4:30 p.m. You're asked to work one or more designated shifts a month. You may also request placement on a schedule for special events when desk hours may be extended.
• Training on all aspects of this position will be provided. The Desk is open only on weekends in January and February; full schedule resumes in March.

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SCIENCE AND CONSERVATION

• Assist in the development of a digital library with information about the plant family Passifloraceae by capturing information from: 1) the literature about types, specimens, synonymy, geographical distribution, etc.; and, 2) the herbarium specimens on locality and other label information.
• 4 to 8 hours per week
• Training is provided; however, a general knowledge of computers and Windows with a willingness to learn the Garden's database system TROPICOS is preferred. Building a knowledge base in the family Passifloraceae will make the Garden much more competitive in attracting grant money. It will also further the Garden's mission in gathering of botanical information and making this information available to the community.

• This is a great opportunity to work with images of tropical plants. The images, taken in the tropics, are of rare and interesting plants, and include photos of interesting locations and people as well. The images taken over a ten-year period are in separate folders and need to be organized. The rolls are currently randomly filed by year which makes finding prints extremely time consuming. Using a catalog that lists the locality and the roll number, you would look at the roll and find a listing in the catalog that matches the name on the folder. In addition to labeling the rolls, you can take the project one step further by reorienting them and autocorrect for color as needed.
• Work from home and choose your own hours! Due to the scope of this project, we need someone willing to make a minimum one-year commitment.
• Training would probably take less than one hour. All materials needed will be provided. Your assistance in this project would turn images that are now virtually unusable into images easily available and highly valuable!

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RETAIL

• The Garden Gate Shop stocks the finest home furnishings, plants, books, and garden accessories. You may not know the Gate Shop stocks some delicious food items, too! If you enjoy being in a retail environment interacting with customers with the added bonus of sharing food with them we can use your help to prepare food to sample (dips, jellies, etc.) and engage customers about the product.
• every other Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Basic cooking experience and knowledge of food sanitation is helpful. You will receive instructions on how to prepare the food samples which are relatively easy to prepare.

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