Volunteers: The Heart and Hands of TLC

The expertise of volunteers with a wide range of interests is absolutely essential to the strength and success of TLC. TLC began as a volunteer organization and we could not have come this far without the support of our dedicated volunteers.

Volunteers serve on our 21-member Board of Directors, on four committees that provide most of the oversight and guidance of TLC’s work, and in hundreds of other volunteer activities from building trails to sending mail.

Get involved!

TLC offers several structured volunteer opportunities, as described below. Use the links provided to let us know you're interested.

Volunteer Roles

Our structured volunteer roles include the following:

• Office Assistants: Help with filing, mailings, answering phones and any other general office assistance needed by TLC staff. Contact
• Site Stewards: Assist in stewardship of TLC properties by walking the trails and boundaries of our preserves, doing light maintenance during these walks, and reporting on conditions to the TLC's Stewardship staff. Contact
• Trail Crew: Assist in stewardship of TLC properties by helping to build and maintain trails. Go to the Trail Crew page to learn about upcoming trail workdays or to be added to our Trail Crew email list. Contact
• Interns: Students from area universities helping TLC staff meet program goals while gaining valuable real-world experience. Check our Internship page for more information.
• Consulting Volunteers: Individuals or companies with special talents or expertise who provide pro bono project-based services. These volunteers work with the staff member who has oversight responsibility for a particular project. Consulting volunteers help us with: real estate law, estate planning, land surveying, land appraisal, natural resource evaluation (i.e., biologists), regional planning, event planning, leading outings (with experience in outdoor leadership or natural science), grant-writing, writing articles, photography, and graphic design. Use our Staff Directory to get in touch with the staff member most closely associated with your area of expertise.
• Committee Members: Dedicated volunteers with special skills and experience are recruited for the four committees that focus on different aspects of TLC’s activities:
  
  • Land Protection Committee: Evaluates potential conservation projects and shepherds acquisitions.
  • Communications Committee: Advises TLC on ways to use communications and public advocacy to increase public awareness and support of the organization and its conservation goals. Seeking committee members with backgrounds in public relations, marketing, advertising, media, design, public advocacy, and lobbying.
  • Finance & Investment Committee: Monitors all financial aspects of TLC, except that of fund-raising, to ensure the organization is in good financial health.
• Advisory Councils: established for two-county areas within our region (Wake/Johnston, Durham/Orange, Chatham/Lee), the advisory councils each meet once a year to learn of recent TLC projects and to provide feedback.

Don't see how you fit in? We have many other ways for volunteers to help out. Send us a note about your interests and we'll let you know how you can help.

Tools for Volunteers

Here you can find tools for current volunteers, and learn about some of the responsibilities of our current volunteers.