Volunteering with the National Aviary
Now accepting 2024 applications!
Do you want to be part of a dynamic team that inspires visitors to appreciate animals, nature, and community? National Aviary Volunteers help provide our visitors with an outstanding experience by sharing our knowledge and love of birds, creating an unforgettable experience for all. Join our flock to give back to the community, meet like-minded people, teach visitors, and learn new bird fun facts yourself! Volunteers who reach a certain number of hours per year are eligible for a National Aviary Membership!
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Additional Volunteer Perks
- Yearly meeting with catered hot breakfast
- Yearly Volunteer Appreciation dinner
- Opportunity to become Volunteer of the Year
- Attendance at annual National Aviary holiday party
- Yearly summer picnic with National Aviary staff
- Ongoing opportunities for continuing education
Teen Volunteers
The application period for Teen Volunteers has closed. Please check back here, or follow our social media channels for more updates regarding this program.
Are you a teenager with a passion for animals and conservation? Look no further than our summer 2024 Teen Volunteer Program! Join us for an unforgettable experience in bird conservation and develop valuable communications, customer service, and educational skills as you help us continue our mission to save species and protect habitats.
This program is tailored for teens ages 14 – 17, who are interested in animal-related professions (a unique opportunity to kick-start your future career).
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Teen Volunteer Requirements
Teen Volunteer Time Requirements
Volunteers must be available twice a week, from 10 am – 4:30 pm for a span of five weeks. Four different summer sessions are available for your schedule!
Must commit to at least 8 of the 10 days in the chosen section
Position Responsibilities
Teen volunteers will help with a large variety of National Aviary needs. These may include items such as:
- Habitat Heroes, our live Immersive Bird Show usher
- Rainbow Lorikeet Feeding usher/line management
- Summer Camp Junior Assistant for 6 – 12 year old camp sessions
- Education cart activities
- Pop-up crafts
- Play space facilitation
- Commissary clean-up, dishes
- Enrichment-making for our birds
- Help with group check-in and support with our Visitor Services team
- Record Penguin Feedings for Animal Care usage
- Junior Interpreters
- Outreach assistant
2023 Volunteer of the Year
Sarah Jones is the National Aviary’s 2023 Volunteer of the Year! We’re honored to recognize Sarah, a long-time Volunteer, for her incredible leadership and generosity in sharing her talents to help our team deliver our mission.
View her Story!-
2022 Volunteers of the Year
Fran Reichl (top) and Reed Williams (bottom) are the National Aviary’s 2022 Volunteers of the Year! Both of these long-time volunteers are recognized for their incredible leadership and generosity in sharing their talents to help our team deliver our mission.
Volunteers play an essential role in that work, and we are so proud to call Fran Reichl and Reed Williams our Volunteers of the Year for 2022. We thank them for their incredible contributions to the National Aviary!
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2021 Volunteer of the Year
Our Volunteer of the Year for 2021 is Janet! Volunteering at the National Aviary since 2009, she has completed more than 10,000 volunteer hours, sharing her wealth of National Aviary knowledge as a docent throughout our habitats as well as during daily programming and Animal Encounters! Thank you for everything, Janet!
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2019 Volunteer of the Year
Our 2019 Volunteer of the Year: Elaine Steffenauer! Visitors will remember seeing Elaine in the Wetlands and Tropical Rainforest habitats, where she spends time answering questions about the different bird species living there. Elaine has been with the National Aviary for 9 years, and we are lucky to have her. Thank you, Elaine, for all of your time and dedication to the birds and to us!
“One of the most delightful things that could happen to you is to be in an immersive experience with birds. Sit down, watch how they behave, notice their personalities. You don’t rush past the ‘Mona Lisa’ in the Louvre.”
2022 Volunteer of the Year Fran Reichl.
Current Volunteers
Login for Current National Aviary VolunteersTo learn more about volunteering, please contact volunteer.coordinators@aviary.org.