Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Zoo Volunteer Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Zoo Volunteer Coordinator is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing a high-performing volunteer program that supports animal care, visitor services, education, conservation outreach, and special events. This role combines volunteer recruitment, training and scheduling with hands-on coordination, safety and compliance oversight, and strong community partnership building. The ideal candidate is organized, communicative, experienced in volunteer program management, knowledgeable about basic animal welfare and biosecurity practices, and committed to enhancing visitor experiences and conservation education through volunteer engagement.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Volunteer Assistant, Zoo Education or Visitor Services
Animal Care Technician or Kennel Assistant
Community Outreach or Programs Assistant

Advancement To:

Volunteer Manager / Volunteer Program Manager
Community Engagement Manager or Education Manager
Operations Manager or Associate Curator (depending on structure)

Lateral Moves:

Education Coordinator (Public Programs)
Events & Membership Coordinator
Outreach & Partnerships Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design, implement and continuously improve a comprehensive volunteer program that supports the zoo's mission, including recruitment strategies, clear role descriptions, onboarding pipelines, training curricula, and retention plans tailored to animal care, education, guest services, and special events.
Lead volunteer recruitment campaigns using targeted outreach (community groups, universities, corporate partners, social media, and volunteer platforms) and screen applicants; manage application intake and maintain a robust candidate pipeline.
Develop, schedule and deliver orientation sessions, role-specific trainings, and ongoing professional development for volunteers, including hands-on animal handling basics when applicable, guest-service protocols, and safety/biosecurity procedures.
Create, maintain and update volunteer position descriptions, standard operating procedures (SOPs), training manuals, risk assessments, and biosecurity protocols to meet regulatory and institutional standards.
Coordinate weekly and monthly volunteer schedules across multiple departments using scheduling software, ensuring adequate coverage for animal husbandry tasks, education programs, animal encounters, special events, and peak visitor periods.
Supervise, mentor and evaluate volunteer leaders and team leads; assign shift responsibilities, monitor performance, provide constructive feedback, and document recognition and disciplinary actions.
Maintain accurate volunteer records in a volunteer management database (hours, certifications, background check status, emergency contacts) and produce regular reports on volunteer engagement metrics, demographics, and program impact.
Oversee mandatory compliance processes such as background checks, immunization verification, confidentiality agreements, and child-safety clearances for volunteers working with children or in restricted animal areas.
Serve as the primary liaison between volunteer teams and animal care staff, educators, guest services and leadership to ensure volunteers are integrated into daily operations and that animal welfare remains the top priority.
Coordinate volunteer assignments for conservation education programs, school groups, on-site demonstrations and outreach events, ensuring volunteers are prepared and briefed on educational objectives and messaging.
Plan and coordinate volunteer participation in special events, fundraisers, community outreach and citizen science initiatives; recruit and assign volunteers for event logistics, guest greeting, crowd management, and merchandise or membership support.
Implement volunteer recognition and retention strategies, including awards, newsletters, socials, continuing education opportunities, and milestone acknowledgments to promote long-term engagement and positive culture.
Manage volunteer onboarding logistics: scheduling orientations, facilitating site tours, distributing uniforms or badges, and ensuring access to facilities and tools while maintaining security and access controls.
Track volunteer hours and contributions for internal reporting, grant applications, and community impact statements; provide timely data to development, education and operations teams for donor stewardship or grant deliverables.
Design and deliver evaluation tools (surveys, focus groups, exit interviews) to measure volunteer satisfaction, program effectiveness, training needs and program evolution; iterate program elements based on data-driven recommendations.
Establish and maintain emergency response and incident reporting processes for volunteers, including first-aid response coordination, documentation of accidents or animal-related incidents, and follow-up procedures.
Facilitate conflict resolution, disciplinary processes and corrective action plans for volunteers by applying clear policies, coaching, mediation techniques, and escalation to HR or senior leadership when necessary.
Partner with HR, legal and animal care leadership to ensure volunteer program compliance with employment laws, child protection regulations, animal welfare standards, and insurance requirements.
Coordinate partnerships with educational institutions, community organizations and corporate volunteer programs to develop internship pipelines, group volunteer days, service-learning placements and volunteer ambassadors.
Collaborate with marketing and communications to create volunteer recruitment materials, program collateral, web content and social media campaigns that highlight volunteer impact and drive application conversion.
Manage volunteer program budget items such as training materials, uniforms, background check fees and volunteer recognition expenses; partner with finance for budget tracking and forecasting.
Support grant and donor proposals with volunteer program metrics, narratives, and letters of support that document program reach, community impact, and return on investment.
Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion in volunteer recruitment, retention and training strategies to ensure the volunteer pool reflects community demographics and provides equitable access to opportunities.
Provide direct oversight and supervision for volunteer-run programs during daily operations (animal enrichment, docent tours, keeper chats, conservation displays) to ensure consistent visitor experience and adherence to safety and animal welfare protocols.

Secondary Functions

Assist with development of new volunteer-managed programs (citizen science, docent training, translation volunteers) and pilot projects that expand the zoo’s educational reach.
Support occasional administrative tasks such as inventory management for volunteer supplies, coordination of volunteer-related purchasing requests, and maintenance of volunteer breakroom and lockers.
Participate in cross-departmental working groups to align volunteer activities with seasonal exhibits, renovations, and capital projects; provide volunteer capacity planning input.
Represent the volunteer program at community fairs, school career days, and partner meetings to raise visibility and strengthen community ties.
Support ad-hoc reporting requests for leadership and board meetings on volunteer trends, ROI of volunteer hours, and strategic recommendations for program investments.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Volunteer program management and lifecycle knowledge (recruitment, onboarding, retention, recognition).
Proficiency with volunteer management software and CRMs (examples: Better Impact, Volgistics, Galaxy Digital, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud).
Scheduling and shift management tools experience (examples: SignUpGenius, When I Work, Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook scheduling).
Basic animal husbandry and welfare awareness sufficient to translate animal care staff needs into volunteer tasks and safety protocols.
Familiarity with background check processes, vaccination tracking, and compliance documentation.
Data tracking and reporting skills — ability to produce program metrics, volunteer hour reports, demographic breakdowns and impact summaries (Excel, Google Sheets, basic SQL or data reporting tools an advantage).
Training design, curriculum development and public speaking experience for delivering orientations and role-specific trainings.
Event logistics and volunteer staffing experience for supporting large-scale public events and outreach programs.
Budget awareness for managing small program budgets, vendor coordination and procurement processes.
Knowledge of health, safety and biosecurity protocols relevant to zoos and animal facilities (PPE, zoonotic disease mitigation, secure animal areas).

Soft Skills

Strong interpersonal communication, active listening and public-facing guest service orientation.
Leadership and team-building skills to motivate, supervise and develop volunteer leaders and high-volume volunteer teams.
Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail and the ability to prioritize competing requests under shifting schedules.
Conflict resolution, diplomacy and coaching skills to manage volunteer performance and interpersonal issues.
Cultural competence and inclusive mindset to recruit and manage volunteers from diverse backgrounds.
Problem-solving and critical thinking to respond to incidents, staffing gaps, and day-of-event challenges.
Empathy, patience and resilience when working with volunteers of varying skills, availability and motivations.
Clear written communication for creating training materials, policies, email communications and reporting.
Time management and multi-tasking across administrative duties, on-floor supervision and stakeholder engagement.
Initiative and project management capability to design pilot programs, process improvements and new volunteer pathways.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:
High school diploma or equivalent; demonstrated experience in volunteer coordination, community outreach, education, or animal care.

Preferred Education:
Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, education, conservation biology, animal science, hospitality/visitor services or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Nonprofit Management / Volunteer Management
Education / Environmental Education
Animal Science / Zoology / Wildlife Biology
Public Administration / Community Engagement
Hospitality Management / Event Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:
1–5 years of direct volunteer coordination, community programs, education, event staffing, or related experience. Demonstrated experience working in a visitor-focused or animal care environment is a strong plus.

Preferred:
3+ years of experience managing volunteer programs in zoos, aquariums, nature centers, museums, parks, or nonprofit organizations; hands-on experience coordinating volunteers for animal-related activities, ensuring compliance with biosecurity protocols, and using volunteer management software. Experience supervising volunteer leaders and producing program analytics for leadership or funders is preferred.