Volunteer at the Conservatory

Thank you for providing support for the plants and people here at the Conservatory!

Current volunteers can login to schedule a shift here (link opens in a new tab).  

Garfield Park Conservatory is a Chicago Park District site, so all prospective volunteers need to follow the Park District application process to get started. Our program is designed for adult volunteers (ages 18+). Teen volunteers (ages 16 – 17) may volunteer alongside a responsible adult. 

To become a volunteer:

• First, fill out the Chicago Park District application (link opens in a new tab) and return it by email or mail to the Volunteer Program Coordinator. You can also drop it off at our front desk during open hours.

*Mailed applications should be sent to

Garfield Park Conservatory
Attn: Volunteer Program Coordinator
300 N Central Park Ave.
Chicago, IL 60624

• Once your application is submitted, the Volunteer Program Coordinator will connect you with Park District staff to complete a background check.  They will also provide information regarding the schedule and training requirements for program areas of interest. Once your background check is processed, you are ready to start volunteering at any Chicago Park District facility!  

There are a few additional steps to get you ready to volunteer at the Garfield Park Conservatory:

• Complete any mandatory training for your program area.
• Register for Shadow Shifts with the Volunteer Program Coordinator.
• Sign your program’s commitment form.

When those steps are done, you can begin scheduling shifts!  Welcome to our volunteer team!

No Volunteer Open House events are currently scheduled. Please contact our Volunteer Program Coordinator with questions about our available volunteer programs!

Download the Chicago Park District adult volunteer application and return it to our Volunteer Program Coordinator by email, fax, or mail.

General horticulture volunteers help the Chicago Park District staff maintain the plant collection including the display houses, propagation greenhouses, and outdoor gardens. It is a great opportunity to get hands-on experience, for the novice to advanced gardener. Tasks may include bending, lifting heavy objects or strenuous activity for extended periods.

Schedule and Commitment: Volunteers are asked to commit to a minimum of 2 shifts per month for an initial commitment of 3 months. Shifts are available every day of the week from either 8am-11am or 9am-noon, depending on the day.

Plant propagation volunteers work in the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance’s propagation greenhouse and in the Giving Garden. In the greenhouse, volunteers help start plants from seeds, cuttings or division as well as help with greenhouse organization and plant care. Propagated plants are sold in the Gift Shop or at special events to help fund GPCA programs and events, or are donated to local community gardens. Volunteers also help to maintain GPCA’s Giving Garden, which supports several community organizations.

Thursday shifts from June – October are focused on harvesting, weighing, cleaning, and packaging produce from the Giving Garden and Demonstration Garden.

Schedule and Commitment: Volunteer shifts are currently, Thursdays & Saturdays from 9am-12pm and Tuesdays & Sundays from 1pm – 4pm.

Volunteers lead Wonder Walks for children and their guardians during our free public Family Programming.  Wonder Walks focus on different gardens and plants depending on the season, and engage a child’s sense of discovery. Unlike a typical adult tour, Wonder Walks are not about getting facts across, but allowing children to become interested in plants and make their own observations.

Schedule and commitment: Shifts include Fridays 11am – 2pm or Saturdays 10am – 2pm.

The Urban Demonstration Garden is located outside near the Sensory Garden and Bluestone Terrace. This volunteer opportunity differs from the ‘General Horticulture’ since it is focused on one specific garden, mainly during the growing season. Volunteers help maintain the vegetables, annuals and surrounding garden area, as well as being a source of information to the public.

Schedule and Commitment: Volunteers are asked to commit to a minimum of 2 shifts per month for an initial commitment of 3 months. Shifts are available Wednesdays – Fridays from 9am-noon.

Please note: This program is currently full; a waitlist is available. In the meantime, we encourage you to submit a general volunteer application and participate in other areas of the Conservatory to get yourself started.

Beekeeping volunteers maintain the Conservatory’s honey producing beehives, assist in harvesting for honey sales, educate the public through weekly demonstrations and help with our special events that focus on bees.

Our volunteer beekeeping program is full for the 2023 season. To be added to the program waitlist for next year, volunteers need to attend a Beginning Beekeeping Class at GPC, which will be offered again in the fall. In the meantime, we encourage you to submit a general volunteer application and participate in other areas of the Conservatory to get yourself started. As a volunteer, you will receive updates on all areas, including beekeeping.

Schedule and Commitment: Volunteers commit to a schedule of 2 shifts per month for the season (June-October) for their particular shift. Shifts include 1st/3rd or 2nd/4th Thursdays or Sundays from 10am-11:30am or 12pm-1:30pm.

Volunteers help maintain, harvest and troubleshoot our vermicompost and outdoor compost bins year-round as well as educate the public and school groups about the importance of composting. Experienced composters and inexperienced adults who want to learn are encouraged to join this program. Pre-requisite: Complete digital training to gain the basic knowledge to maintain compost bins and educate the public.

Schedule and Commitment: Volunteers are asked to commit to a minimum of 1 shift per month, for an initial commitment of 4 months. Shifts are available every Saturday from 9:30am-1pm.

Please note: this program is currently on hold. Please contact our Volunteer Program Coordinator if you would like to be informed when the program reopens.

Garfield Park Conservatory Guides are trained tour guides that connect the public to our plant collection, architecture, and history.  Guides can lead groups on full length tours throughout each of the display houses, provide mini tours of specific rooms, or serve as a wandering guide in the collection. Pre-requisite: Complete training, which is offered yearly, and comprised of 9 hours of in-person training in addition to information to red up on at home to prepare you for the different training sessions.

Schedule and Commitment: Guides are notified of upcoming tours as they are scheduled, and are welcome to sign up as needed.

Become a GPC Guide: We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join our Tour Guide team! We offer comprehensive training sessions that cover everything from plant identification to effective tour techniques. All you need is a positive attitude and a love for learning! See the Spring 2025 program flyer here (link opens in a new tab).

If you are interested in joining the program during our Summer 2025 training course, please fill out this interest form (link opens in a new tab). 

Visitor Service volunteers learn Conservatory history, general plant information, and interpretation in order to interact with and help visitors. Volunteers greet in the lobby, assist with questions and concerns, and engage with visitors within the Conservatory. Pre-requisite: Complete digital training to gain basic Conservatory knowledge and how to interact with the public OR complete tour guide training.

Schedule and Commitment: Volunteers are asked to commit to a minimum of 1 shift per month for an initial commitment of 4 months. Shifts are scheduled in 3 hour increments between 10am-4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Please note: this program is currently on hold. Please contact our Volunteer Program Coordinator if you would like to be informed when the program reopens.

Help behind the scenes and on the front-line with special events. Meet and greet visitors, help facilitate hands-on activities and education stations, assist with traffic flow, and help with set-up, break-down, and behind the scenes preparations.

Schedule and commitment: Volunteers are welcome to sign up for any opportunities that fit their schedule; no minimum or maximum commitment. This is a great opportunity for those who can’t commit to a regular schedule, or as additional shifts for our regular volunteers.

Work day volunteers help with special projects that arise throughout the Conservatory. Descriptions for particular projects will be listed in the newsletter and/or on the volunteer scheduling site. These projects will typically take place on a Wednesday-Saturday in the morning-early afternoon.

Schedule and Commitment: Volunteers are welcome to sign up for any opportunities that fit their schedule; no minimum or maximum commitment. This is a great opportunity for those who can’t commit to a regular schedule, or as additional shifts for our regular volunteers.

We have availability to host volunteer groups of 20 people or less on select Mondays-Fridays. If you are interested in scheduling a group volunteer day, please fill out our 2026 Volunteer Group Request Form.

If you have any questions please contact our Volunteer Program Coordinator.

A special thank-you to ratio+smdp for sharing their volunteer experiences with us in these two videos!

https://vimeo.com/189156248