Volunteer Opportunities

Becoming a Volunteer…

As a Tenafly Nature Center volunteer, you become part of the solution, helping to protect our clean air, clean water, and preserve wildlife and the community. You can help us keep our mission of environmental education and land stewardship alive. In turn, you will work with our staff, gain valuable knowledge, partake in unique experiences and deepen your environmental awareness.

Who should apply?

• Adults, teens (14+), and groups
  
• Those who can make a time commitment 
• Independent people and team players
• Small businesses & corporations wishing to fulfill community service programs/endeavors.
  Small businesses & corporations must be TNC small business or corporate members.  Learn more about small business & Corporate Memberships here.  

Want to help, but you’re under 14 years old? You can! You need to have a parent or adult work with you. 

Tip- We encourage teen applicants to call and fill out applications themselves. This way they can learn about the nature center on their own and we can learn about them too.

I am interested in volunteering at TNC. What do I do?

1. Check out the available opportunities at our volunteer portal (through Bergen Volunteer Center)
   
2. Apply (through Bergen Volunteer Center) for the opportunity you are interested in.
   
3. We will contact you and set up a time to discuss your interest and for you to learn more about the opportunity. Please DO NOT contact us.
   
4. If your interests and schedule match with our needs we will ask you to fill out a TNC volunteer application. 
   

Note - Volunteer opportunities are limited. Availability is determined by the seasons, weather, skills offered and supervision/leadership available. Volunteers that are able to come weekly are extremely valuable to us. Thank you for your interest in volunteering with us!

President’s Volunteer Service Award

Tenafly Nature Center has been selected and approved as an official Certifying Organization for the President's Volunteer Service Award.

The President's Volunteer Service Award is a national award created from the White House. The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation (the Council) was established in 2003 to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making in our communities and encourage more people to serve. The Council created the President’s Volunteer Service Award program as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service.

The President’s Volunteer Service Award recognizes individuals, families, and groups that have achieved a certain standard, measured by the number of hours of service over a 12-month period or cumulative hours earned over the course of a lifetime.

TNC is one of thousands of organizations that deliver the President’s Volunteer Service Award and honor volunteers. As a certified organization for the award, Tenafly Nature Center is responsible for verifying service hours, nominating potential recipients and delivering the Award.

TNC volunteers are now eligible for this award and can be approved for it via TNC as their Certifying Organization. Volunteers can begin their pursuit of the award by tracking their volunteer hours online. The hours do not have to be only for volunteer work in support of TNC; they can be for a wide range of projects and service. However, it is important that TNC volunteers use Tenafly Nature Center's Record of Service Key, YER-8122, when identifying their Certifying Organization.

The President’s Volunteer Service Award is within your reach, even if you have never volunteered before. There are many ways to contribute, and every volunteer hour makes a difference. TNC encourages everyone to get involved and to bring along your family, friends and neighbors. Together, we can strengthen our community, one hour at a time.

To be eligible to receive the President's Volunteer Service Award, TNC must confirm applicants’ service hours. There are three levels of the award varying by hours of service completed within a 12-month period:

President’s Lifetime Achievement Award: Individuals who have completed 4,000 or more hours in their lifetime

*Two or more people, with each individual contributing at least 25 hours toward the total

Click here (and use YER-8122 as your Record of Service Key) to get started.

(IMPORTANT NOTE: TO USE THE ABOVE CODE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT AT THE AWARDS SITE, CLICK "YOUR HOME" OR "PROFILE" AND ADD THE NUMBER AS YOUR 'RECORD OF SERVICE KEY.')