Join one of our weekly gardening teams and help care for the beauty of Soos Creek Botanical Garden throughout the seasons. Volunteers assist with planting, deadheading, weeding, mulching, light pruning, pathway maintenance, and other horticultural tasks. No gardening expertise is required—tasks are matched to each volunteer’s abilities, and experienced gardeners are always available to help.

Season: Year-round
Commitment: Wednesdays (10:00 am–12:00 pm), Fridays (12:30–2:30 pm), or both—as your schedule allows‍
Public Interaction: Occasional

Help keep the Garden’s beautiful seasonal containers looking their best. Volunteers water display containers, remove spent blooms, groom plants, and refresh seasonal displays under the guidance of the Horticulture Manager. This is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys independent work and wants to make a visible difference throughout the Garden.

Season: Summer
Commitment: 30–60 minutes, 4–6 mornings each week (before 10:00 am)
Public Interaction: Minimal
Positions Available: 1

Help care for the Garden’s collection of fruit trees and vines, including apples, Asian pears, grapes, kiwi, persimmons, passionflower, and more. Volunteers assist with seasonal pruning, harvesting, pest monitoring, and general care while working alongside experienced gardeners.

Season: Year-round
Commitment: Flexible; Mondays or Tuesdays preferred
Public Interaction: Minimal
Positions Available: 3

Help visitors discover the perfect plants during our popular spring and fall plant sales. Volunteers greet customers, answer basic questions, assist with parking or carrying plants, and help create a welcoming shopping experience. No plant expertise is necessary—we’ll provide everything you need to know.

Season: Spring and Fall
Commitment: Flexible shifts during two annual plant sale weekends
Public Interaction: High

Assist customers in our seasonal Plant Market by helping them find plants, answer basic questions, and transport purchases to their vehicles. Between customers, volunteers help keep the sales area attractive by grooming plants, organizing displays, and updating signage.

Season: April–October
Commitment: Flexible weekly or monthly shifts
Public Interaction: High
Positions Available: 5–10

Help ensure visitors always have a clean, inviting place to pause and enjoy the Garden. Volunteers walk the Garden, clean benches as needed, and help identify benches or seating areas that may need maintenance.

Season: Spring through Fall
Commitment: Flexible weekly schedule
Public Interaction: Occasional

Help keep the Garden healthy by monitoring and maintaining our irrigation system. Working with our current irrigation volunteer, you’ll assist with seasonal start-up, inspect watering coverage, identify leaks or clogged emitters, and help ensure plants receive the water they need.

Season: Spring through Fall
Commitment: Approximately 25–50 hours annually
Public Interaction: Minimal
Positions Available: 1

Help maintain the Garden’s beautiful lawns by operating walk-behind or riding mowers before the Garden opens to visitors. Whether you have 45 minutes or several hours to volunteer each week, we’ll work with your availability and assign areas that match your interests and experience.

Season: April–October
Commitment: Weekly, flexible (45 minutes to 5 hours)
Public Interaction: None
Positions Available: 1

Help keep the Garden’s hand tools clean, sharp, organized, and ready for volunteers. Responsibilities include inspecting tools, sharpening blades, maintaining handles, and ensuring equipment is safe and easy to find.

Season: Year-round
Commitment: Approximately 8–10 hours annually
Public Interaction: None
Positions Available: 1

Lead the planning and coordination of one of the Garden’s largest annual fundraisers. Working with staff and volunteers, you’ll help oversee event logistics, volunteer coordination, merchandising, marketing, signage, budgeting, and day-of operations. This leadership role is ideal for someone with experience managing large events or coordinating volunteer teams.

Season: Year-round planning for spring and fall sales
Commitment: Approximately 80 hours annually
Public Interaction: Moderate to High
Positions Available: 1

Share your enthusiasm for Soos Creek Botanical Garden by leading guided tours for visitors throughout the season. Working alongside another docent, you’ll introduce guests to the Garden’s history, unique plant collections, and seasonal highlights. You don’t need to be a botanical expert—we’ll provide the training and resources to help you feel comfortable leading tours.

When: April–October
Time Commitment: Flexible; approximately one or more guided tours each month
Public Interaction: High

Be one of the first friendly faces visitors meet when they arrive at the Garden. Garden Hosts welcome guests, answer general questions, assist with directions, and help create a warm and inviting atmosphere during open houses, community events, and special programs. This role can easily be performed from a seated position.

When: During open houses, events, and scheduled group visits
Time Commitment: Approximately 3–25 hours per year
Public Interaction: High

Help bring local history to life by welcoming visitors to the Garden’s Heritage Center. Volunteers greet guests, answer questions about the museum, share stories about the area’s agricultural heritage, and help ensure exhibits are enjoyed respectfully. Time between visitors can be spent learning more about the collection and local history.

When: During Heritage Center open hours and special events
Time Commitment: Flexible
Public Interaction: High

Help preserve and share the history of the 70 square mile Soos Creek Plateau by caring for the Heritage Center’s collections. Volunteers assist with cataloging artifacts, preparing exhibits, researching historical information, creating exhibit labels, and developing materials that support visitors and docents. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with an interest in local history, museums, archives, or collections management.

When: Year-round
Time Commitment: Flexible
Public Interaction: Occasional
Openings: 1

Help maintain the Garden’s horticultural library as a valuable resource for volunteers and staff. Responsibilities include organizing the collection, developing a simple checkout system, and occasionally highlighting interesting books through newsletter articles or other communications. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys books, organization, and lifelong learning.

When: Year-round
Time Commitment: Flexible
Public Interaction: Minimal
Openings: 1

Help keep Soos Creek Botanical Garden safe, functional, and welcoming for visitors and volunteers. Working alongside our Facilities Lead, you’ll assist with a variety of maintenance projects, including basic carpentry, painting, repairs, organizing the maintenance shop, moving materials, and serving as a second set of hands for larger projects. No two days are exactly alike.

When: Year-round
Time Commitment: Flexible; Tuesdays and Wednesdays preferred
Public Interaction: Minimal
Openings: 2

Help care for one of the Garden’s most popular attractions. Aviary Stewards assist with the routine care and well-being of the Garden’s resident birds by checking on them once or twice each week, replenishing food and water as needed, monitoring their health, and helping keep the aviary clean and inviting. Volunteers work alongside experienced caretakers and help ensure the birds remain healthy and comfortable.

When: Year-round
Time Commitment: One or two visits each week
Public Interaction: Occasional
Openings: Flexible

Help bring the Garden’s concerts, lectures, weddings, and community events to life. Event Stagehands assist with setting up and taking down tables, chairs, canopies, audiovisual equipment, signage, and other event materials. Volunteers may also help prepare venues before guests arrive and restore them afterward. This role is perfect for someone who enjoys staying active and working behind the scenes as part of a team.

When: Throughout the year, based on the Garden’s event schedule
Time Commitment: Flexible; varies by event
Public Interaction: Occasional

Help create engaging educational programs and memorable special events for Garden visitors. Working with staff and volunteers, you’ll assist with planning, coordinating, and supporting lectures, workshops, children’s activities, seasonal celebrations, and fundraising events. Responsibilities may include scheduling, volunteer coordination, event logistics, and helping ensure each program runs smoothly.

When: Year-round
Time Commitment: Flexible
Public Interaction: Moderate
Openings: 1

Help secure the financial support that keeps Soos Creek Botanical Garden thriving. Working with the Office Manager and Treasurer, you’ll coordinate annual fundraising activities such as GiveBIG, year-end appeals, donor communications, and other non-event fundraising efforts. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys planning, organization, and helping nonprofit organizations grow.

When: Year-round
Time Commitment: Flexible
Public Interaction: Occasional
Openings: 1

Help introduce more people to Soos Creek Botanical Garden. Volunteers promote Garden events, volunteer opportunities, and educational programs by submitting information to community calendars, distributing flyers, connecting with local organizations, and identifying new ways to reach audiences throughout South King County and beyond. This is a great role for someone who enjoys networking and community engagement.

When: Year-round
Time Commitment: Flexible
Public Interaction: Moderate
Openings: 1

Help build and support one of the Garden’s greatest assets—its volunteers. This role manages volunteer recruitment, scheduling, and communication using the Garden’s volunteer management software. Responsibilities also include tracking volunteer hours, recognizing service milestones, and helping ensure every volunteer has a positive and rewarding experience.

When: Year-round
Time Commitment: Flexible
Public Interaction: Moderate
Openings: 1