Volunteer Opportunities at ASDM
Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum!
Looking for an opportunity to work with animals? Consider volunteering with the Herpetology, Ichthyology & Invertebrate Zoology Department! Volunteers in this position enjoy the up-close and personal nature that the HIIZ department provides. For more information, select 'HIIZ Stingray Care Volunteer ' in the list below.
Volunteer Opportunities are available in the following areas:
- Volunteer Description:
- Are you looking for a short-term service project, ideal for groups of any size? Consider signing-up for a Buffelgrass pull. These volunteers enjoy a guided hike into the mountains that surround the Desert Museum while learning about the invasive plant species, Buffelgrass. Removal efforts focus around wildfire prevention.
- Benefits:
- This is a great opportunity to enjoy a scenic hike in the early morning while directly contributing to desert conservation. As a thank you to groups who help solve this widespread ecological issue, a complimentary visit to the Desert Museum and a discounted lunch are included after participation!
- Requirements:
- Applicants must be able to hike off trails and handle steep/rocky terrain. Applicants must also be willing to perform manual labor in hot and cold weather conditions.
- Current Openings:
- Buffelgrass pulls typically occur during a three hour period in the early morning. Weekly pulls will be scheduled based on volunteer sign-up.
- Volunteer Description:
- Interested in helping the Desert Museum with an ongoing research project? Consider becoming a Citizen Scientists with our Pollinator Hotspots Program.
- Benefits:
- This citizen science opportunity is a fun way to contribute towards the identification of Pollinator Hotspots - areas of particularly high density across the Sonoran Desert landscape that provide essential resources for pollinators.
- Requirements:
- If you're interested in helping with this project, there is no need to submit a volunteer application; just visit the Pollinator Hotspots page for more information on getting involved!
- Current Openings:
- Flexible
- Volunteer Description:
- Docents are trained volunteers whose major responsibility is to help people on the Museum grounds and in the community better understand and appreciate the Sonoran Desert region. Docents are adults of all ages, walks of life and educational backgrounds. Duties include, but are not limited to: leading tours, interpreting natural history themed kits and presenting live animals to guests from around the world.
- Benefits:
- This is a fun and educational opportunity! Being a docent is a great way to gain first-hand knowledge about the natural history of the Sonoran Desert Region; once trained, docents get to directly interact and share their passion of the region with museum guests.
- Requirements:
- Applicants must be current members of the Desert Museum and interested in making a two-year commitment, contributing 144 hours per year. Trainees must successfully complete a 15 week training course (enrollment fees do apply). View more information on the Docent Program here.
- Current Openings:
- The next Docent training is scheduled for August 2019.
- Volunteer Description:
- What do people learn at the Desert Museum? Help us find out! We need volunteers to help us collect responses from guests to two different surveys. The evaluation and survey assistant helps the Museum improve its programming by collecting feedback from visitors and entering survey data.
- Benefits:
- In addition to the Museum Volunteer Benefits package, volunteers gain experience in evaluation techniques and customer service, and opportunity to review data reports.
- Requirements:
- Available one day a week for 6 weeks, please see times below. Physical requirements: Must be able to lift 10 pounds Skills/knowledge required: Outgoing, friendly personality. Enjoys talking to people. Able to approach strangers and invite their help. Organized and detail-oriented. Comfort with data entry on computers. Background/Experience desired: Customer service in any setting
- Current Openings:
- 10 am to 3 pm on some of the following days (at least once per week), January 14 - 27, 2019 and/or March 1 - 24, 2019
- Volunteer Description:
- Packrat Playhouse Volunteers will help facilitate informal learning in a dynamic family-driven play space inside the Arizona - Sonora Desert Museum's newest exhibit Packrat Playhouse.
- Benefits:
- Packrat Playhouse Exhibit Guides/ Interpreters will be trained to engage families through science based games and activities and interpret the ecology of the Sonoran Desert, primarily as it pertains to packrat behavior and interactions with other animals and plants. Exhibit Guides/ Interpreters work with children of all ages, use and expand upon public speaking and interpretive skills, while working in a fun, informal educational setting.
- Requirements:
- Applicants should have a passion for working with children in non-traditional educational settings. A positive and upbeat attitude. Applicants should be willing and comfortable to stand, bend and squat for the shift. Volunteer commitment is for a minimum of 5 months.
- Current Openings:
- Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays for 3 hour shifts: 10am-1pm 11am-2pm or 1pm-4pm With a summer position Saturdays, 6pm-9pm during Cool Summer Nights events.
- Volunteer Description:
- Volunteers in this position are stationed around the Museum's front patio; they support Guest Service Staff by being a welcoming, friendly and helpful presence throughout a guest's visit.
- Benefits:
- This is a great opportunity to meet guests from around the world, while helping them enjoy their Desert Museum experience!
- Requirements:
- Applicants must be able to make a 3-6 month commitment, volunteering once a week. Applicants must also have the ability to maneuver around the front patio areas and be open to working during all types of weather. Applicants should demonstrate excellent customer service skills and be enthusiastic about interacting with diverse populations of guests (i.e.: age, race, gender, etc.); they should also be able to retain information that will be communicated to guests. Volunteers in this position are required to purchase an official volunteer t-shirt ($10-$15).
- Current Openings:
- All days of the week, 8am-12pm or 12pm-4pm
- Volunteer Description:
- Volunteers in this position are assigned but not limited to support of the Stingray Touch Exhibit under the HIIZ (Herpetology, Ichthyology & Invertebrate Zoology) Department. Volunteers are support for the animal Keeper staff. Additionally, volunteers in this role will engage and guide guests with instructions, guidelines, interpretation and animal contact. This includes the guest feeding experience and other husbandry-related tasks and activities. Volunteers may also help behind the scenes with the HIIZ (Herpetology, Ichthyology & Invertebrate Zoology) Department.
Primary Specific Tasks:
- Assist HIIZ Keeper staff,
- Assist with basic stingray husbandry (i.e., logging observations, AM diet prep),
- Interact with Museum visitors,
- Help facilitate guest entry and guest services while at the stingray exhibit,
- Assure the safety of both the stingrays and guests at all times,
- Stingray pool-related tasks,
- Assist with enrichment activities,
- Other tasks may be assigned.
- Benefits:
- This is a unique opportunity to volunteer with stingrays and other HIIZ collection animals at an AZA accredited, world-class institution. Volunteers receive the opportunity to expand upon their public speaking skills while gaining hands-on experience. Great for resume building and career building experience.
- Requirements:
- Applicants must be at least 18 years of age. Volunteers must have the ability to bend, kneel and balance while doing a variety of tasks; they must also be comfortable lifting up to 25 lbs. Applicants should be comfortable helping outdoors throughout the year and have the ability to work cooperatively with others in a complex and busy social environment. Having a positive attitude is very important, and must be willing to follow directions. Preference will be shown to applicants who can demonstrate good general communication skills. For the safety of the animals, applicants must be able to think quickly in demanding situations while adhering to HIIZ department protocol. Applicants should have a clear understanding of the boundaries related to animal interactions.
- Current Openings:
- Fridays, 10am - 2pm or 12:30pm - 4:30pm or Saturdays, 8am - noon. We are asking for a minimum of 6 months commitment. Additional Summer Shifts are Saturday nights from 5:30pm-9:30pm during our Cool Summer Nights Events (CSN, May - Sept)
- Volunteer Description:
- Assist with administrative tasks on exciting Development projects.
- Benefits:
- This position is great for volunteers looking to gain knowledge in fundraising, statistical research, and donor/member relations. Applicants with previous experience can offer the Museum direct support and help by sharing their knowledge, while receiving the standard volunteer benefits package.
- Requirements:
- • Physical requirements: Typing skills, able to lift 30 lbs. • Skills/knowledge required: Word, Excel, Email, Internet research • Background/Experience desired: ability to work with people, organizational skills • Work Environment: Able to work independently and with people of diverse backgrounds.
- Current Openings:
- Flexible 4-8 hours/week with a 4 month minimum commitment.
- Volunteer Description:
- Volunteers in this position support staff by walking around the Museum's grounds while providing guest services to those they encounter. Duties include (but are not limited to): helping guests find their way, explaining the grounds maps and helping guests understand safety concerns during daily animal programming.
- Benefits:
- This is a great outdoor opportunity that allows volunteers to enjoy the Museum while sharing their enthusiasm with guests from around the world.
- Requirements:
- Applicants must be able to make a 6 month commitment, volunteering for 4 hours once a week. Applicants should be able to stand for periods of at least 45 minutes, be comfortable working outdoors, have good communication skills and be able to provide excellent customer service. Volunteers in this position are required to purchase an official volunteer t-shirt ($10-$15).
- Current Openings:
- Sundays 9:30am - 1:30pm, 1:30 - 5pm, Wednesdays 1:30 - 5pm, Fridays 1:30 - 5pm, and Saturdays, 9:30am - 1:30pm
Volunteer Application Form
If the position aligns with your interests and availability, please fill out the following form:
If you're having trouble accessing the online application, please print this application form (PDF) and mail it to Volunteer & Internship Programs Manager at: 2021 N. Kinney Road, Tucson, AZ 85743.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please don't hesitate to call the Volunteer Programs Manager at: 520-883-3071.
