Become a Phipps Volunteer

Phipps is noted for its beautiful gardens, seasonal flower shows, educational tours and outreach programs, much of which would not be possible without the knowledge and dedication of the volunteer staff. Volunteering at Phipps is a great way to meet other people with similar interests, while contributing time and skills to the community. Our volunteers express great satisfaction with the important role they play at Phipps.

Phipps volunteers obtain training in their area of choice, participate in continuing education sessions, receive discounts in the gift shops located at the Conservatory and the Garden Center, and are invited to attend our annual volunteer recognition event.

Let us match your special talents and skills with our volunteer needs. Please consider sharing your skills to help Phipps continue its tradition of excellence.

Special Events

Assist with tasks related to festivals and special events at the Conservatory and the Garden Center. These events occur around holidays and throughout the year. Tasks will vary with each event.

• Arbor Day/Earth Day Celebration
• Discovery Garden Day
• Fall Round-up
• Family Fun Days
• Garden Railroad
• Great Plant Auction
• Halloween Happenings
• Holiday Splendor
• May Market
• Members Events
• New Years Eve Celebration
• Summer Camps
• Used Bulb Sale
• Wine Tasting Event

Green & Growing Docent

Travel to area schools to teach school children to appreciate nature and the environment.

Present programs of 45-60 minutes in length to children ages 3 to 10, following program guides. Topics include Tasty Trees, Tops and Bottoms, From Seed to Flower, Terrific Taters, Worms and Lovely Ladybugs.

Docents will be asked to provide feedback to Phipps staff on their experiences and may also help create additional Green & Growing outreach programs. Opportunities exist to develop pre and post Green & Growing visit activities for use by Classroom teachers.

Volunteers are invited to attend continuing education workshops through Phipps. Hours are flexible, some evening hours are available

Green and Growing Requirements:

• Must be comfortable working with diverse populations.
• Ability and desire to work with children ages 3 to 10.
• A sense of humor and creativity.
• Must have a valid driver's license and access to a car.
• Must be able to obtain Act 33/34 Clearances (Phipps will cover the fee for these clearances).

Training:

Phipps will offer two training sessions this fall for new Green & Growing docents. During these three hour sessions, we will provide you with a binder full of the background information and “frequently asked questions” about the course topics as well as simple lesson plans for the courses that you will co-teach. The training session will also include a demonstration of the easy to use teaching strategies you will utilize during these programs.

Discovery Program

Work with our visitors, particularly children, at the Discovery Carts throughout the Conservatory and/or the Discovery Garden. Duties and responsibilities may include:

• Staffing a Discovery Cart for one of two shifts; either 10 am -1 pm or 1pm-4 pm.
• Educating children about plants through games, crafts, seed-planting and related activities.
• Explaining various plant-related props and learning tools to visitors.
• Working in the outdoor Discovery Garden pavilion (weather permitting).
• Staffing a station at one of our four children's events; Discovery Garden Days, Halloween Happenings, New Years Eve Celebration and Family Fun Days.

You will receive monthly e-mails about Discovery Program volunteer opportunities such as story telling, teachers' aids and children's special events.

Training:

Discovery offers four seasonal orientations which introduce existing and new volunteers to new Discovery Carts and new additions to the Discovery Program. Discovery volunteers are not required to attend and new volunteers are always welcome!

Garden Center Library

Work with the outstanding collection of books and periodicals related to gardening and the environment. Duties and responsibilities may include:

• Organizing and keeping records of circulating and non-circulating material.
• Accessioning all new materials and inventory existing collections.

The Shop in the Park

• Assisting customers in gift selection and purchasing.
• Pricing items.
• Providing Phipps and gift shop information to customers.

Marketing Research

Survey Phipps visitors in the Conservatory and surrounding gardens.

Duties and responsibilities include:

• Meet Phipps visitors.
• Ask questions of Phipps visitors.
• Record responses for use by the marketing department.

Clerical

Work in a clerical capacity with the various departments at the Conservatory or Garden Center. Duties and responsibilities may include:

• Answering general questions from the public through the telephone or by direct public contact.
• Assisting with mailings, collating, and special projects on an as-needed basis.
• Serving as receptionist at Phipps Garden Center.
• Data entry for various departments.
• Staffing the membership desk.
• Answering questions about membership and sell memberships at the Conservatory during open hours.

Conservatory Docent

Act as a tour guide and host of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, explaining the Conservatory's exhibits and special displays. Duties and responsibilities may include:

• Greeting and welcoming Conservatory visitors.
• Leading school children through the Conservatory, providing a tour that complements their classroom program, when appropriate.
• Leading groups and individuals through the display rooms or serving as a stationed docent in a particular room.
• Interpreting to the visitor the exhibits and displays found in the Conservatory.
• Sharing botanical and horticultural knowledge of specific plants found in the Conservatory.
• Touring the Conservatory, interacting with visitors and answering questions.
• Upon special request, helping to plan, coordinate and/or teach the docent training program and the docent continuing education program.
• Docents who are fluent in a language in addition to English have the option of leading occasional foreign language tours.

Training:

An eight-week class is required. This class has a fee or $65, $25 of which is returned upon the completion of 50 volunteer hours within six months of completing the training class.

Tropical Forest Docent

These docents acquire in-depth knowledge of the Tropical Forest Conservatory and its current region of focus, in order to lead groups and individuals through the display or serve as a stationed docent in this room. Duties and responsibilities may include:

• Leading school children through the Tropical Forest Conservatory, providing a tour that complements their classroom program, when appropriate.
• Leading adult groups that request a tour focused on the Tropical Forest
• Leading a regularly scheduled free tour through the Tropical Forest
• Wandering through the Tropical Forest interacting with visitors and answering questions.
• Presenting public programs in the Tropical Forest.

Training:

A four-week class is required. This class has a fee or $35, $25 of which is returned upon the completion of 25 volunteer hours within six months of completing the training class.

Horticulture

Production volunteers help in the production facility on projects such as transplanting, stock plant rotation, topiary creation, cleaning, weeding, plant grooming, and propagation; must be willing to commit to weekly or biweekly 2-4 hour blocks of time Monday through Friday between 10am and 4pm.

Volunteers should bring work gloves and wear comfortable clothing that can get dirty, closed-toe shoes with non-slip soles, and a personal water bottle. Horticulture experience is helpful, but not required; we will train anyone with a willing attitude.

Outdoor gardening volunteer opportunities include the initial planting, upkeep and tearing out of the outdoor gardens at Phipps. Beginning in April we clean up all beds of the Welcome Center, Botany Hall, Discovery Garden, Outdoor Garden and all the newer areas along the building's exterior. During the month of May we plant all the exterior beds including the Water Plant Ponds. These planting projects run through June.

Late spring into the summer is the upkeep time. Tasks include weeding, deadheading, staking, and mulching. Through the fall we divide, cut back, and generally prepare the gardens for the winter. All this work is dependent on weather so the scheduling commitment is more flexible than indoor assignments. We ask that you come prepared to get dirty and work hard! Requirements: work gloves, water bottle, and a love of the outdoors.

Indoor display volunteers assist in the deadheading and housekeeping of all areas in the Conservatory including the Orchid Room, Stove Room (Butterfly Forest) and the new Tropical Forest Conservatory. Volunteers may also assist in the installation of the Garden Railroad and other display plantings. Bring your own gloves and water bottle. All other tools and supplies are provided.

Greeter

Greeters, stationed in the Welcome Center, work either a 10-1 or 1-5 shift. Greeters interact with our visitors at the start of their visit, providing basic information and answering questions. A manual is provided.

Education

Work with the education department in all aspects of the education program. Duties and responsibilities may include:

• Working as a teaching assistant for school programs at the Conservatory helping with various outreach programs throughout the year.
• Assisting with administration of adult education.
• Preparing materials for children's programs.
• Designing and developing posters and interpretive signs for the Conservatory exhibits and education programs.

Master Gardeners

Master Gardeners assist Phipps in a broad array of horticulture-related projects and activities, both at the Conservatory and the Garden Center. Duties and responsibilities may include:

• Answering Dr. Phipps' GreenLine questions, on the phone, by e-mail, or during special events.
• Presenting horticultural information to the public.
• Representing Phipps at public events.
• Performing garden maintenance at the Conservatory in Schenley Park or at the Garden Center in Mellon Park.
• Writing horticultural and environmental articles for newsletters, etc.
• Teaching classes.
• Working in the greenhouses at the Conservatory in Schenley Park.

Training:

Upon selection, applicants participate in an intensive 23-week training program. Upon completion of all classes and successful completion of the test, they are considered Master Gardeners when volunteering in a Master Gardener capacity. Fee is $165 plus purchase of a text book.

Garden Railroad

Assist with building the base, topography and scenery; assist with maintenance of the exhibit; interact with the public, explaining the exhibit and garden railroading.