Volunteer Opportunities

• Parks need your help – with millions of visitors each year, hundreds of miles of trails, important historical and cultural resources, along with an astonishing array of animals, plants and scenery, there is always something that needs doing!
• You’ll join a committed, friendly and diverse team of staff and volunteers that will welcome you.
• There are opportunities to do things you’ve only dreamed of doing, such as lead a mansion tour, cultivate bees or oysters, handle educational animals, or help restore historic structures.
• Volunteering at a park can lead to a career in state parks, wildlife, or environmental conservation.
• It’s our goal to make a perfect match between the volunteer, the park and the position. Find your perfect match – there are over 40 parks to pick from!

Volunteer as an individual - There are so many different ways to help that, regardless of experience and skills, park staff is likely to find a job that suits you. Many of the jobs, naturally, are outdoors and require getting your hands (or feet) dirty, but there is important indoor business as well, such as various administrative and guest relations work.

Contact the volunteer coordinator at your closest park to find out about options or fill out an application.

Join a Friends Group - Most parks have officially organized “Friends of” volunteer groups. These critically important groups organize special events, raise money, schedule workdays and partner with local businesses. They also contact the media and legislature to get the word out on issues important to parks. Contact the Office of Community Engagement and Volunteerism or a specific park's volunteer coordinator for more information about your park’s Friends group.

Student volunteers - Virginia State Parks provides volunteer opportunities for students seeking to fulfill service-learning requirements for graduation. Many teens volunteer part-time during the school year by engaging in events, festivals and special projects, or join the Youth Conservation Corps in the summer. Colleges and universities send Alternative Break groups to serve in parks across the state, and individual students apply for a crew leader position in the summer with the Youth Conservation Corps. Contact us about Alternative Break options for qualified groups.

Volunteer as part of a group - Limited availability? Like being part of a big one-day or half-day effort? Check your park’s events to see what group volunteer opportunities are coming up. They’ll likely have events on Earth Day in April, Clean the Bay Day in June, National Public Lands Day in September, and more. Corporate groups may contact us for state-wide opportunities.

Become a Camp Host - Camp hosts maintain campground sites, greet campers, and assist them in having a great stay. They also provide information about the park and surrounding attractions, and act as a liaison between visitors and park rangers. Some parks offer Retail or Maintenance Host positions, as well. In exchange for performing specified duties, hosts camp for free during their service month or months. Camp hosts must provide their own RV and should enjoy working with the public, be willing to take on new challenges and be eager to learn about the parks. Read more details here.

Join the Virginia Association for Parks (VAFP) - The VAFP is a nonprofit umbrella organization for Friends groups as well as individual volunteers. It supports state parks and other parks across the Commonwealth. VAFP actively advocates park issues at the local, regional, state and national levels and offers free technical advice and hands-on help to those who wish to form new Friends groups VAFP also conducts regional conferences with training sessions and networking opportunities.

Job skills

Parks provide training that helps volunteers gain work experience and improve job skills. In addition, volunteer hours count as job experience when applying for employment with Virginia State Parks or with any state government agency.

Loyalty points

As your volunteer hours accrue, you will earn loyalty points that can be put toward an annual pass, or camping, cabin or yurt stays at any Virginia State Park.

Positive impact

As a volunteer, you'll have an important positive effect on your state park and the Virginia State Park system as a whole. You'll gain the great satisfaction of knowing your efforts enhanced your state park for today's and future generations.

Purpose

There are few things as rewarding as working toward a purpose that is greater than one person. Virginia State Parks unite people in a common effort to supports its mission: To conserve the natural, scenic, historic and cultural resources of the Commonwealth, and provide recreational and educational opportunities consistent with the good stewardship of these lands, water and facilities that leave them unimpaired for future generations. You can play an important role in advancing the mission.

Ready to get started? Complete an online volunteer application.

When applying, describe your experience, education, talents, skills and interests. Each park has unique needs and looks for volunteers with particular skills. The more thoroughly you describe your knowledge, skills and abilities, the better a match the volunteer coordinator can make to suit your and the park's needs.

• Volunteer Application
• Camp Host Application

Have a group that wants to volunteer? Call the park of choice directly.

Please use the specific instructions provided for submitting background check request forms. Do not email the vspvolunteer email address.

• Volunteer Login once application and background check are completed
• Application and database help for volunteers