Volunteer Opportunities with KNPS
The Kentucky Native Plant Society (KNPS) is dedicated to serving as a medium of fellowship and information exchange among botanists, both amateur and professional, to promote conservation of native plants and natural plant communities of Kentucky, to promote public education in botanical science, and to encourage botanical research in Kentucky.
KNPS depends entirely on volunteers and the contributions of members and friends to accomplish our goals. Volunteering can be the best part of KNPS membership—you will meet the most interesting people and you will feel a sense of accomplishment as you join with others to support the Society and the native plants and plant communities of Kentucky. We have volunteer activities to suit every interest and energy level that are compatible with all lifestyles, with volunteer work ranging from 2-hour shifts to 2-year officer terms. Simply put, we cannot do this without the generous donations of time by people like you!
Below you will find a list of our current needs, for which we will provide training to interested volunteers. Please fill out the brief form associated with your position of interest, and we’ll be in touch soon!
Wildflower Weekend Committee
The Wildflower Weekend committee is responsible for planning, developing, and overseeing KNPS’s signature event, Wildflower Weekend. Wildflower Weekend, is held annually in April at one of Kentucky’s state resort parks since 1989. Hundreds of KNPS members and friends come together for a weekend of hikes, talks, and fellowship.
Volunteer opportunities include helping with the planning committee, advertising the event, handling registration, working the weekend, leading hikes, workshops, or giving presentations.
Registration Table Volunteer
If you will be attending Wildflower Weekend in April, consider volunteering to help out for a couple of hours at the registration/check-in desk. You will be working with other KNPS members and welcoming KNPS members/friends as they check-in to the event; no prior experience necessary! Fill out the interest form below and we will follow up in the coming months with another sign-up form for you to select specific time slots.
Weekend Helper
If you will be attending Wildflower Weekend in April, consider volunteering to help out for a couple of hours with various tasks that will help the event run smoothly including event set-up, clean-up, helping with the raffle, etc; no prior experience necessary! Fill out the interest form below and we will follow up in the coming months with another sign-up form for you to select specific tasks and time slots.
Planning Committee Volunteer
Planning for Wildflower Weekend begins in the fall of the year before the Weekend. Most of the planning is via email and the occasional Zoom meeting. With so many tasks to be completed to make WW happen each year, volunteers are essential to making our signature event the fun and educational event that it is.
Outreach Committee
The Outreach committee engages with stakeholders throughout the state and region to communicate the Society’s mission through presentations, booths at conservation-oriented events, and by developing educational materials, publications, and online resources.
Event Table Volunteer
Help represent KNPS at fairs, conservation-related events, and other community events across Kentucky. Fill out the interest form below and you will be added to our list of volunteers that we’ll reach out to when events arise.
Speakers Bureau
KNPS often gets requests for someone to speak about native plants at schools, meetings, festivals, and conferences. Working with the venue, speakers will develop their own presentation.
Outreach Committee Chair
Together with committee members, engage in public outreach, including organizing and running KNPS booths at fairs, information booths, conservation-related events, and other community events.
Develop and maintain a list of KNPS members willing to speak to outside groups on the mission and activities of the Society.
Together with committee members, create brochures, pamphlets, website content, and presentations that provide information that is accurate, clear, and relevant to the KNPS mission, to inform the public about native plants, their benefits, and threats they face.
Develop and maintain portable displays and handouts.
Outreach Committee Team Member
Together with other committee members and the committee lead, communicate the Society’s mission through coordinating KNPS participation at conservation-oriented events and speaking events. Help to create brochures, pamphlets, website content, and presentations that provide information that is accurate, clear, and relevant to the KNPS mission, to inform the public about native plants, their benefits, and threats they face.
Field Trips Committee
The Field Trips Committee is responsible for organizing and executing educational field trips focused on native plants, including selecting locations, identifying knowledgeable hike leaders, coordinating logistics, managing participant registration, ensuring safety protocols are followed, and providing informative presentations about the local flora during the excursions.
Lead a Hike
We’re looking for volunteers all across the state who may be interested in leading or co-leading a hike/field trip!
Volunteer Coordination Committee
The Volunteer Coordination committee is responsible for all aspects of KNPS’s volunteer program, including recruiting, interviewing, training, assigning, and managing volunteers, while ensuring their engagement and satisfaction. The committee will promote the participation of members as volunteers in Society events and activities, enhancing member education, and advancing the mission of the Society.
Volunteer Coordination Committee Team Members
Together with other committee members and the committee lead, work to increase the number of members willing to contribute their time and talents to the Society. Work on ways to engage and recognize volunteers.
Membership Committee
The Membership committee promotes the Society’s mission by recruiting and engaging new members and working to retain existing members. The committee will collect and maintain all membership data. The committee will maintain the KNPS mailing list which includes both members and non-members. The committee will conduct membership drives as necessary.
Membership Committee Team Member
Do you have skills in: Recruitment? Membership drives? Databases? Emails? Work together with other committee members and the committee lead to recruit and engage new members and work to retain existing members.
Programs Committee
The Programs Committee is responsible for planning, developing, and overseeing educational programs and community engagement activities aimed at promoting awareness, appreciation, and conservation of native plant species and their habitats. Such events will include, but not be limited to, the Society’s spring and fall membership meetings, the Wildflower Weekend, symposia such as the Kentucky Botanical Symposium, workshops, as well as online webinars and meetings. The Society’s bylaws state that the Vice President will be the chair of the Programs committee.
Programs Committee Team Member
Do you have skills in: Large event planning? Education? Logistics? Networking? Consider helping out on the Programs Committee where you will help plan, develop, and oversee educational programs and community engagement activities aimed at promoting awareness, appreciation, and conservation of native plant species and their habitats (e.g., KNPS Wildflower Weekend, KY Botanical Symposium).
Plant Conservation Committee
The Plant Conservation committee promotes the KNPS mission by focusing the Society’s efforts on the conservation, preservation, and restoration of rare or imperiled native plant taxa and plant communities in the state. This committee will work with KNPS membership and partners across the state on priority plant conservation issues in KY including rare and endangered plant propagation, inventory, and restoration; ecological land management and organized removal of invasive species in priority areas; as well as regional networking through the plant conservation alliance and other groups across the region.
Plant Conservation Committee Team Member
Do you have skills in: Botany/Ecology? Rare plants? Conservation, Preservation, Restoration? Land management? Networking? Consider contributing to the Plants Conservation Committee where you will work together with other committee members and the committee lead to further plant conservation work across the state/region.
Grants Committee
The Grants committee is responsible for reviewing and evaluating grant applications submitted to the organization, assessing their alignment with KNPS’s mission and priorities, and making recommendations to the board regarding new and existing grant programs.
Grant Reviewer
The committee needs reviewers to examine grant applications for adherence to the grant requirements and the quality of the work proposed.
Lady Slipper Newsletter Committee
The Lady Slipper Newsletter committee is responsible for creating and distributing the society’s newsletter/blog, which typically includes articles about native plants, conservation efforts, events, and news related to the society. The Managing Editor serves as the committee’s chair. The primary focus of the newsletter committee is to inform and engage members and the wider community about native plants, their conservation, and the society’s activities. The newsletter serves as a vital communication tool, providing updates on events, conservation projects, educational opportunities, and other relevant information.
Writers
We welcome all types of contributions to the Lady Slipper newsletter — have an idea that you’d like to share? Please fill out the interest form below if you’d like to volunteer as a writer!
Communications Committee
The Communications committee facilitates communications within KNPS and between KNPS and the public. The committee is responsible for overseeing and guiding the organization’s external communications strategy, including managing media relations, developing messaging, maintaining the website, managing social media, and creating content to effectively promote the organization’s mission and programs to the public.
Web Designers
In 2026, KNPS is going to be completely redesigning its WordPress-based website. We are putting together a team of interested, creative people that will work collaboratively on this project. If you have any experience with building WordPress websites or designing websites in general, we would love to have you become part of our team. Even if you have no experience with WordPress or website design, but want to learn and apply your art and design skills to this project, please let us know!
Events Calendar Manager
Help maintain the Events Calendar on the KNPS webpage to keep members/non-members up-to-date on KNPS and other plant/conservation-related events across the state.
Facebook Moderators
KNPS has both a private Page and a public organization Page. If you are on Facebook, we would love to have you become a moderator of either one of or both Pages.
KNPS Gear Shop Manager.