• Docents must have a passion for plants and people. 

• All docents and volunteers must be 18 years or older. 

• Docents must complete 4 mandatory training sessions, as well as additional assignments, before being certified to give tours to the public. 

• Docents must maintain 25 hours of volunteering annually to be considered active. If this requirement is not met, docents must attend training sessions again.  

• Docents must pay a one-time material fee of $25 to join our docent program. If this fee is cost-prohibitive, please contact volunteer@buffalogardens.com   

In return for their time and dedication, docents will gain experience in areas including horticulture, education, and visitor experience. 

In addition, docents will enjoy: 

• A welcoming place to volunteer. 

• A MECOB pass that grants complimentary admission to the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens and other cultural institutions that participate in the Museum Education Consortium of Buffalo. 

• A complimentary volunteer shirt and nametag. 

• An invitation to our annual Volunteer Picnic. 

As a requirement to become a docent at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, we ask that participants complete four days of training led by our Learning and Interpretation staff. Each training session is approximately 3.5 hours with scheduled breaks. The tentative training schedule is as follows:

• Day 1: Introduction to the Docent program, volunteering at the Botanical Gardens, and our mission, values, and history  

• Day 2: Tour of our Horticultural Collections, review of additional educational experiences, and preparation for a speaking exercise. 

• Day 3: Continued tour of our Horticultural Collections and participation in speaking exercise.  

• Day 4: Final tour of our Horticultural Collections and preparing for next steps, including signing up to shadow future tours.