Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Duke Gardens.
As of October 2025, Duke Gardens is not accepting new volunteer applications due to limited opportunities. Please check back again to apply.
Questions about volunteering? Email GardensVolunteer@duke.edu or call us at 919-668-3694.
Our Mission: We are a botanic garden in the heart of Duke University that inspires transformative learning, promotes wellness and builds community.
Our Vision: We invite a deeper connection to the natural world through horticultural artistry, plant conservation, sustainable practices and innovative programs. We play a vital role in the health and well-being of the Duke and Durham communities and beyond.
Our Core Values
Beauty: Duke Gardens is an artful expression inspired by nature.
Wonder: Duke Gardens invites all to discover the rejuvenating benefits of nature, follow their curiosity, and connect with the natural world around them.
Sustainability: We demonstrate and promote best practices for environmental, fiscal and social responsibility to ensure a healthy future for generations to come.
Community: We embrace the knowledge that people and plants are diverse and interdependent, and we seek ways to understand, share and celebrate the full spectrum of the human experience.
Diversity & Inclusion Statement: Sarah P. Duke Gardens is committed to being a welcoming place for all. As people who work with plants, we know the natural world is interdependent in multilayered ways. Living communities are supported and enriched by having diverse and healthy members, and caring for them is continuous, open-ended work.
As we strive to better embrace and represent the full diversity of our community, we will collaborate with and learn from people who represent a spectrum of human experience. We welcome and encourage new relationships and dialogue as we build a more inclusive future together.
