Volunteer Opportunities at ASDM
Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum!
For more information, select 'School Group Assistants ' in the list below.
Volunteer Opportunities are available in the following areas:
- 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:
- Assist Botany staff with the development of the collection and the maintenance of Museum landscapes within our award winning gardens. Primary Specific Tasks: 1. Hand watering and fertilization 2. Develop gardens through planting, moving rock and soil, digging, and laying irrigation lines. 3. Weeding and cleaning gardens.
- Benefits:
- Volunteers gain horticulture knowledge, enjoy professional networking opportunities, and have chances to exercise creativity in garden design.
- Requirements:
- Applicants must be able to perform manual labor, including using pick, shovel, wheelbarrow; with the ability to lift and carry up to 50 lb; to do work on the knees, and able to stoop, bend, and squat. Volunteers must be willing to work in summer heat and winter cold.Plant growing experience required and a background/experience with irrigation systems, gardening preferred.Shift is one day a week, weekdays only.
- Current Openings:
- Tuesdays, 7:30am - noon or Thursdays 7:30am - noon
- Volunteer Description:
- Volunteers in this position assist with the daily care of animals in the Interpretive Animal Collection. IAC animals include: arthropods, reptiles and birds. Duties include (but are not limited to): cleaning animal enclosures, preparing animal diets, participating back stage at live animal theater demonstrations and tracking data based on animal observations.
- Benefits:
- This is a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience, working with live animals in captivity.
- Requirements:
- Applicants must be at least 18 years of age to volunteer with the animals. Applicants must be able to make at least a 12 month commitment, volunteering once a week for a full day (7:30am-3:30pm). Applicants must have the ability to bend, kneel and balance while performing a variety of tasks; they should be able to work outdoors throughout the year and lift up to 25 lbs. For the safety of the animals, applicants must be able to think quickly in demanding situations and communicate decisions related to animal needs. Applicants should have a clear understanding of the boundaries related to animal interactions.
- Current Openings:
- Wednesdays (7:30am-3:30pm)
- 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 Greeters welcome visitors and provide an orientation to the exhibit. Greeters will also 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. Greeters work with children of all ages, use and expand upon public speaking, customer service relations 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 act as guides and liaisons for school groups that are visiting the Museum on field trips. Duties include (but are not limited to): greeting school groups upon arrival, facilitating lunch times for groups eating at the Museum, checking on/assisting the groups throughout their visit, and helping the Education department with various administrative tasks.
- Benefits:
- This is a chance to share your passion for the Sonoran Desert by facilitating educational experiences to future conservationists!
- Requirements:
- Applicants should be available between the months that school is in session (August - end of May); volunteering once a week is preferred but a flexible schedule can be accommodated. Applicants should have the ability to traverse the Museum grounds in all types of weather conditions (carrying a light bag with paperwork). Preference will be shown to applicants who are enthusiastic about volunteering with youth of all ages.
- Current Openings:
- Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays
- 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:
- Mondays 8am - noon, 10am - 2pm, or 12:30pm - 4:30pm, Tuesdays 8am - noon, 12:30pm - 4:30pm, Thursdays 12:30pm - 4:30pm. We are asking for a minimum of 5 months commitment.
- Volunteer Description:
- The Desert Museum's Tortoise Adoption Program (TAP), benefits the welfare of captive and wild desert tortoises in the Tucson area. TAP volunteers assist staff with phone calls and emails from the public, who request information about the program; volunteers also travel to prospective adoption sites and conduct yard inspections before tortoises are placed.
- Benefits:
- This is a great opportunity for individuals who are interested in wildlife conservation. TAP volunteers interact with community members who are passionate and interested in gaining knowledge on tortoise care. This volunteer position is also done from home!
- Requirements:
- Applicants must be 18 years or older to participate. Prospective volunteers must be able to make a minimum of a one year commitment, volunteering once a week; please keep in mind that during the winter/spring months, hours decline due to the inactivity of the tortoises. Volunteers must be able to move around yards to inspect tortoise areas. Volunteers also need to have access to a phone, the internet and their own transportation.
- Current Openings:
- Saturdays
- 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 ($12).
- Current Openings:
- Sundays, 9:30am - 1:30pm, Tuesdays 9:30am - 1:30pm, Wednesdays 1:30pm - 5pm, or Fridays 1:30pm - 5pm
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.
