Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Sarah P. Duke Gardens!
As of November 2026, we are currently accepting new volunteer applications for volunteer opportunities listed below.
Before submitting your application, please consider your availability and the days/times each opportunity requires.
- Garden Guides for School & Youth Programs: (weekdays - Tues., Wed., Thur., or Fri., 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., September through November & March through May)
- Photographer Assistants: (weekdays and weekends, flexible days and times)
Questions about volunteering? Email GardensVolunteer@duke.edu or call 919-668-3694.
I would like to volunteer
Volunteer Opportunities
Education
Education Volunteer Opportunities:
- Garden Guides for School & Youth Programs
Garden Guides are passionate about sharing their love of nature and educating thousands of youth through outdoor programs in the Gardens. You don’t need to be an expert or have a background in gardening, science or teaching! All you need is an interest in nature and outdoor learning, and a willingness to grow and learn with a flexible and friendly attitude.
Location: Garden-wide, outdoors
Days & Times needed: weekdays, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., seasonally from September through November and March through May.
Qualifications & Skills: Garden Guides must possess an interest in nature and outdoor learning, a willingness to grow and learn with a flexible and friendly attitude, and enjoy spending time with children, especially ages 4 to 13.
- Knowledge of the Gardens or willingness to learn
- Ability to work on a team of volunteers along with Education staff to lead and assist with children's field trip programs, primarily for elementary schools, periodically for middle and high school groups
- Ability to be creative, communicate with children and educate them according to program objectives, aligned with state standards
- Willingness to learn specifics of each program and to be able to implement or assist lead guide in execution is necessary.
- Ability to be outdoors in all weather and have the ability to move throughout the Gardens during a two-hour program
- Participate in Garden Guide trainings that require observing, shadowing and practice to become proficient in program preparation and presentations to students.
- Special Requirement: Background check required upon completion of training.
Marketing & Communications
Marketing & Communications Volunteer Opportunities:
- Photographer
Days & Times needed: flexible days and times based on your availability
Qualifications & Skills: Help tell the story of Duke Gardens by using your creativity to showcase Duke Gardens to our community and beyond through photography. Volunteer Photographers capture the beauty, people, plants, landscapes, and special moments that make the Gardens unique. Selected photos are shared with our Communications team for use in social media, publications, marketing materials, and other Gardens communications.
- Interest in photography and an eye for interesting subjects, details and compositions
- Must possess your own digital camera to take photographs. Gardens cannot provide a digital camera.
- Ability to be outdoors and traverse various terrain while taking photographs
- Reliability, flexibility and willingness to collaborate with and take direction from Marketing & Communications staff
- Able to submit photos through the Gardens’ designated photo-sharing platform and follow volunteer photography guidelines.
Sarah P. Duke Gardens Mission Statement, Vision, Diversity & Inclusion Statement
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.
