Volunteer Opportunities - Events
In addition to our weekly volunteer shifts Tuesday-Thursday, we offer regular event volunteer opportunities. You’ll find those listed below.
Pre-Game Prep Crew: Green Thumb Gala
Got a few hours before the UT game? Help us put the finishing touches on our biggest event space of the year! Just like Friday, this shift is all about physical setup, hauling gear, and dialing in the final layout under and around our massive event tent before the gala. Sign up to volunteer for this event here.
Morning Setup & Styling Crew: Green Thumb Gala
It's GTG morning! Join our setup crew for the crucial, high-energy push to get the grounds gala-ready. We have two shifts available - an early crew and a later crew - so pick whichever works for your schedule. Specific team assignments will be communicated via email in the days leading up to the event, so you'll know your group and team lead before you arrive.
Afternoon Setup & Styling Crew: Green Thumb Gala
It's GTG crunch time! Join our setup crew for the crucial, high-energy push to get the grounds gala-ready. We have two shifts available - an early crew and a later crew - so pick whichever works for your schedule. Specific team assignments will be communicated via email in the days leading up to the event, so you'll know your group and team lead before you arrive.
Auction & Checkout Crew: Green Thumb Gala
Help us cross the finish line and bring in vital funds for the Garden! As the silent auction closes and the evening winds down, this crew handles the high-energy finale: ringing up winning bids, collecting donations, processing new memberships, and getting prized items safely into guests' hands (and cars!).
Music Stewards: 2026 KSO Symphony in the Garden
Help guests find their way from one pocket of music to the next as the Garden comes alive with sound. As a Music Steward, you'll guide foot traffic between performance spaces scattered across the property, pointing people toward each new set and helping them make their way to the evening's finale in the Rita Johnson Garden, where music meets the golden light reflecting off the Dogwood Center's windows. Sign up to volunteer for this event here.
Wayfinding & Parking Guides: 2026 KSO Symphony in the Garden
Be the friendly face that helps guests find their way into an evening of music and magic. As a Parking Attendant & Wayfinder, you'll guide cars into the Garden's various lots, keep an eye on which areas are filling up, and redirect guests to open spaces as the evening unfolds. You'll be many visitors' first hello - setting the tone for a night of discovery among the gardens. Sign up to volunteer for this event here.
KBGA End of Summer 2026 - Litter Pick Up Day!
Help Us Beautify the Streets Around Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum!
Join other volunteers for a morning of community service, fresh air, and good company - then stick around to soak in the late-summer blooms!
Grab a friend, bring the kids, or come solo - volunteers of all ages are welcome! Together, we'll pick up litter on the streets surrounding the Garden, making a real, visible difference in our community.
First time volunteering with us? Fill out this application. Or sign up here.
Medicinal Garden Planting - Special Work Day
Help Us Plant the Next Chapter of the Native Medicinal Garden
Our Medicinal Garden, on the west side of the KBGA campus, has been going through a major transformation - more space, healthier growth, and room for new plant life. Thanks to our horticulture team and our incredible volunteers, the hard part is done.
Now comes the best part: planting. We're filling the expanded garden with native plants historically used for healing - many with deep roots in Cherokee and other Indigenous traditions - and we could use your help getting them in the ground.
No experience needed, just curiosity and a willingness to get a little dirty. Come plant something that will still be growing years from now, and maybe learn a plant story or two along the way.
State of the Garden Volunteer Meeting
You're cordially invited to our biannual State of the Garden Gathering on July 29, 4:00–5:30pm! This session is a dedicated opportunity for Volunteers to connect with the KBGA team and help shape the future of the Volunteer Program, and we genuinely need your input. Please, RSVP here.