Volunteering Opportunities
PLEASE NOTE
Many areas are limited to a maximum number of Volunteers and they may not be currently in need of new Volunteers. At this time, we have many Volunteer Applications on file which we are reviewing for placement. If you care to send an application, it will be kept on file for future reference.
Current Volunteer Needs:
Volunteer Language Translation Team
Longwood’s Taxonomist continues to work with a number of Volunteers to translate articles which have been written about the Victoria waterlily. The work is an on-going and time-consuming process, and it is proving valuable to have a number of Volunteers working on this project. We are currently seeking individuals to assist with the translation of the following languages: Swedish, Portuguese, and Romanian. If you would like to assist with this project, please send an email to:
Dave Thompson, Volunteer Coordinator, at: Dthompson@longwoodgardens.org
Volunteer Phenology Team
Longwood is forming a new volunteer Phenology Team which will be working with the staff in the Curatorial Office. Phenology is the science studying the timing of various phases in the seasonal development of plants and animals. In Longwood’s case, we will be recording bloom time, fruiting time, and fall color of plants for inclusion on our new on-line Plant Explorer portal. As a member of this team, you would be collecting needed data on plants year-round on hand-held PDAs and downloading this data into BG-Base, a computer database software. The data will then be accessible to the general public on-line via the Plant Explorer portal. The Curatorial staff currently have 4 PDAs so it will be possible to have as many as 10 volunteers on this team. As the team is assembled, Longwood will be looking for this to become a self-managed team with a leader who can coordinate the efforts of the whole group in what will be an ongoing, multi-year project. This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone interested in learning plants and the science of managing plant information. A helpful qualification will be if you can be at Longwood regularly (ideally weekly) throughout the year rather than sporadically.
Indoor Children’s Garden Volunteer Team
Join our team of great Children’s Garden volunteers and offer kids fun & interesting activities in and around the Longwood’s amazing indoor Children’s Garden. Scavenger hunts, puppets, seasonal activities, and simple musical instruments are some of activities we share with our young guests. If you love children and their curiosity, this is the volunteer position for you! Volunteers will work in and near the Children’s Garden during a 2 hour shift. Volunteers are needed 7 days a week from 10am – 4 pm. There is regular training on the Children’s Garden and specific activities you will offer to children. Your time commitment is 4 hours minimum per month plus attendance at training sessions every 2 months. Our next training is December 2 from 9:00 am – 11:00 am. Please contact Nancy Bowley at nbowley@longwoodgardens.org, or 610-388-1000 ext. #587 for more information or if you are interested in this volunteer team.
Position Descriptions (Many May Not Be Currently Available):
