Returning Members? Click on the Icon |
We have a variety of options for volunteers, from education to cleaning, from animal care to committee work.
Visit our MyImpact page to see our current volunteer needs!
https://app.betterimpact.com/PublicOrganization/2f4ad23d-033e-416f-ae8f-1b4fe0ebcfac/1
Our volunteer process is:
-
Visit our MyImpact page (linked above) and fill out the application.
-
We do a Sex Offender Registry Search on every prospective volunteer to keep our museum visitors safe. This can take between 5-10 business days. Once we receive the results, our volunteer coordinator will review your application to see what your schedule is like, what your interests and skills are, and what you want to get out of volunteering here.
-
Maggie will get in contact with you to schedule an orientation and get you trained and ready to volunteer!
Youth volunteering:
We accept volunteers of all ages! Volunteers under the age of 15 need to bring an adult with them (parent, older sibling, etc). Volunteers 15-18 can volunteer by themselves in non-hazardous roles like animal care, gift shop help, and as Counselors-in-Training during summer camp. The health department requires CITs to have turned 15 before camp begins.
A few notes on animal care volunteering: feeding, cleaning, and socializing with our animals is a very popular volunteer task. Currently, we ask that animal care volunteers be prepared to commit to a minimum of 3 months (or 1 season) of doing animal care on the same day and time. Animal care positions may not be available right away - we tend to have positions open seasonally, as college semesters end or as high school students go back to school in the fall. If this is something you are passionate about, please feel welcome to check back in at another point in the year to see if spaces are available. Animal care volunteering does have some limitations based on species - only dedicated, conscientious, long-term and Curator-approved volunteers may get to work with the birds of prey, for instance. Our Raptor Policy is linked. (Word docx.)
Group volunteering:
We can occasionally schedule group volunteering sessions for outdoor work like trail and garden maintenance, or for indoor work like our major fundraising events and for mailings. Please contact Maggie to discuss what your group would like to do!
Court-ordered community service: At this time, we do not accept court-ordered community service hours.
Internship applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Please fill out our internship application on Better Impact at the link provided below. Please accompany your application with a cover letter to our Volunteer Coordinator via email (volunteer.tanglewood@gmail.com)
Internship Application: Click Here to Apply!
Tanglewood offers students the opportunity to work alongside our staff in three positions: animal care and museum curator, environmental education, and non-profit management. Regretfully, we cannot pay interns at this time. In most cases, students are eligible to receive academic credit with their colleges or universities upon completion of the program, in accordance with the guidelines set by their institutions.
Thank you for your interest in completing your Eagle Scout project for Tanglewood Nature Center and Museum. We occasionally have appropriate projects ready for Eagle Scouts to take on. To see if we have a project available that suits your talents, please contact Maggie, who is the Volunteer Coordinator.
Tanglewood asks each Eagle Scout to read and sign our Eagle Scout contract, linked here for your reference. A few highlights:
- Projects are approved on a first-come, first-served basis. After the Scout has been offered a project idea, it is essential that the Scout contact the Volunteer Coordinator within one month of the offer to either accept or decline. If the Scout does not meet this deadline, the project will be offered to others.
- Once a Scout has accepted a project, the Scout needs to submit a typed project proposal to the Volunteer Coordinator within 90 days of their acceptance. The proposal must include: a description of the project; a timeline for carrying out the plan; a proposed date of project completion; a list of funding sources; any sketches, drawings, or inspiration photos. This proposal is subject to review and feedback from the Volunteer Coordinator and other Tanglewood staff.
As a last note for Scouts interested in their Eagle Scout project: please be aware that the Volunteer Coordinator is not available for drop-in visits. Please email or call to schedule all meetings.
