Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the Botanic Garden of Smith College!  Please fill out our application. Please note that in order to be as equitable as possible, the Botanic Garden does not allow Smith students to volunteer. Instead, we encourage students to look for paid opportunities with us through Workday, or to explore working with us for academic credit. 

Volunteers play a vital role in extending the reach of what the Botanic Garden is able to present to the public. Volunteers lead tours through the greenhouses and gardens and staff our reception area and exhibition gallery. They develop thematic tours, provide hospitality for events such as the opening of the Spring Bulb Show, and assist with exhibitions. (Please note, however, that volunteers do not engage in any hands-on horticultural work.) Volunteers accepted into the training program will be required to be certified in Minors Safety and have a CORI check.

Volunteer training sessions are held once a year in January, followed by training tours and monthly meetings. Training includes a history of the Botanic Garden; tours of the conservatory; basic botany and horticulture; commercial, medicinal and food plants of the Lyman Plant House; and how to guide visitors and school groups. The next training is January 23rd, 24th 9am to 3pm and January 25th, 9am to 1pm (lunch provided).

In exchange for the training, volunteers are expected to participate for at least one full year, including attending the monthly meetings.