Interested in Volunteering?
For more information about the different opportunities available to our volunteers, please read the three sections below.
Please note, you must be 18 years of age or older to volunteer, and certain positions require working outdoors, standing for multiple hours, or moving safely over uneven terrain. We are unable to provide courtesy parking to volunteers at this time.
The UCLA Botanical Garden is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all volunteer positions. We do not discriminate against any volunteer or applicant based on sex, race, color, national origin, age, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic.
Garden Guides & Educators
The Garden Guide training program offers a unique learning experience, combining short lectures, garden walks, and practice sessions. These sessions provide volunteers with a comprehensive understanding of general botany and the unique plants in the Mathias Botanical Garden. The program equips each Garden Guide with the skills to develop a personalized tour, instilling confidence in their ability to engage student and adult audiences. Beyond sharing the marvels of plants with the public, Garden Guides have the chance to further their own botanical knowledge through group field trips, lectures, and special events.
The Garden Educator training program is designed to provide a practical, hands-on learning experience. Working directly with K-12 students, our Garden Educators learn to lead age-appropriate tours and conduct hands-on activities such as weaving, botanical illustration, and more! They also receive training in informal education and nature-based play, learning through both observation and practice.
If you are interested in becoming a Garden Guide and/or Garden Educator, please contact Chantal Ochoa-Clark, Manager of Outreach and Education, at fieldtrips@g.ucla.edu.
Volunteer Gardeners
Join us in caring for this extraordinary collection of plants. Volunteer gardeners work alongside garden staff to maintain the Mathias Botanical Garden and participate in a variety of activities including pruning, raking, weeding, watering, planting and propagating.
Volunteer gardeners are encouraged to expand their horticultural and botanical knowledge through hands on training with staff as well as by attending lectures and events at the Garden. Gardening is therapeutic and offers both mental and physical health benefits. Get to know plants, make new friends, support the Garden, get some exercise, and enjoy this peaceful place.
Prior gardening experience is useful but not required. A minimum commitment of three hours per week is required for volunteer gardeners. We work outdoors and recommend wearing close-toed shoes, a hat, and sunblock.
Volunteer gardening times are: Monday 8:30-11:30 AM, 1-4 PM / Thursday 8:30-11:30 AM, 1-4 PM / Sunday 1-4 PM
If you are interested in becoming a Volunteer Gardener, please contact our Horticulture Team at: bgstaff@lifesci.ucla.edu
Herbarium Technicians
The Herbarium is an important resource of approximately 150,000 dried and pressed plant specimens with a focus on California and the Western United States, and an expanding interest in similar Mediterranean-climate regions of the world.
Volunteer herbarium technicians work hands-on, exploring the world of plants through our library of dried, pressed specimens. Common volunteer assignments include mounting and databasing specimens as well as occasional opportunities for field work.
In addition, volunteers can support a National Science Foundation project by imaging and digitizing the herbarium’s collections, thereby making them accessible to researchers around the world. Herbarium volunteers must have some computer experience to participate.
If you are interested in being an Herbarium Technician, please contact Herbarium Curator, Dr. Anthony Baniaga: abaniaga@ucla.edu
