Plan Your Visit

Duke Farms
39.6
°F
40.6
°F
27.9
°F

Careers

Join Our Team!

Careers and Volunteering

Careers

We are always looking for excellent candidates for full-time, part-time, and seasonal employment.

GIS and Database Coordinator

Cafe Associate

Community-Led Conservation Coordinator

Community Garden and Program Coordinator

Safety and Security Officer

Seasonal Educator

Seasonal Engagement Associate

Picture of a volunteer sitting on a roadside and tending to plants.

Volunteer

Since it was established over fifteen years ago, the Duke Farms Volunteer Program has expanded to include a variety of positions. Today, our incredible volunteer community helps: 

  • Manage our restored native landscape and trail network; 
  • Conduct research on resident fauna, from the common eastern bumblebee to the American kestrel; 
  • Maintain the century-old structures; 
  • Engage with and teach visitors of all ages and backgrounds; 
  • Care for the denizens of our renowned Orchid Range. 

Duke Farms would not exist as it does without the knowledge, hard work, and dedication of our volunteers. We are deeply grateful for our volunteer community. Apply to become a volunteer here.

Current volunteers can add themselves to the schedule, submit their service time, and update their contact information here.

Please contact volunteer@dukefarms.org with any questions

Volunteer Positions

Landscape Volunteer

The Landscape Volunteer assists with the upkeep of landscaping, trails, and habitat across campus. From the Farm Barn to the Orchid Range, they weed and mulch beds, trim overgrowth, remove invasive plants, and install native plants.

3-hour shifts are available Monday and Thursday mornings, April through October.

The Landscape Volunteer is expected to…

  • Volunteer with regularity.
  • Have access to a personal vehicle for travel to, from, and between worksites.
  • Be physically able to…
    • Work outdoors in varying weather conditions and remain active for extended periods of time (30+ minutes), including standing, sitting, kneeling, and traveling short distances (less than 1 mile) on flat to uneven, paved and unpaved surfaces.
    • Use and carry tools, lift and transport 5-gallon plastic buckets of material, and push wheelbarrows of material for short distances.

Stewardship Volunteer

The Stewardship Volunteer assists with maintaining trails and fences, removing invasive plants, installing native plants, and clearing storm damage debris. Because they often wander “off the beaten path”, it should be noted that the Stewardship Volunteer will encounter ticks, mosquitoes, and other biting insects as well as poison ivy and thorny vegetation such as multiflora rose. Additionally, their worksite changes often and may be in areas of the campus closed to the public.

3-hour shifts are available Monday mornings, April through October.

The Stewardship Volunteer is expected to…

  • Volunteer with regularity.
  • Have access to a personal vehicle for travel to, from, and between worksites.
  • Be physically able to…
    • Work outdoors in varying weather conditions and remain active for extended periods of time (30+ minutes), including standing, sitting, kneeling, and traveling short distances (less than 1 mile) on flat to uneven, paved and unpaved surfaces.
    • Use and carry hand tools, lift and transport 5-gallon plastic buckets of material, and push wheelbarrows of material for short distances.

How to Become a Volunteer

  1. Complete the New Volunteer Application
  1. After review, the Community Engagement Coordinator will schedule a screening. 
  1. Following the screening, prospective volunteers must attend a New Volunteer Orientation session. 
  1. After attending a New Volunteer Orientation session, prospective volunteers: 
    • Provide additional required information, 
    • Receive, review, and acknowledge the Volunteer Handbook, 
    • Sign a liability waiver and photograph release form, and 
    • Receive the full description for their chosen volunteer position(s). 

Volunteer Expectations

As representatives of Duke Farms, volunteers are expected to:  

  • Be kind, patient, and respectful when interacting with visitors, staff, and other volunteers. 
  • Adhere to all rules and policies regarding safety. 
  • Review and sign all necessary forms. 
  • Complete all mandatory training. 
  • Adhere to the dress code of their chosen position(s). 
  • Be punctual. 
  • Be comfortable working independently, in a pair, or in a group. 
  • Safely and appropriately use tools and any other supplies provided. 
  • Regularly communicate with the Community Engagement Coordinator and other Duke Farms staff. 
  • Update personal information as needed. 
  • Consistently use Volgistics to schedule themselves and submit hours worked. 
Duke Farms
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.