The Dharma Center is supported by the talent and generosity of dozens of volunteers. Volunteering is a beautiful way to support the dharma in Durango and deepen your own practice through service. We welcome those who have attended sits, classes, and/or retreats at the center to join our vibrant community of volunteers.
Volunteers serve through countless tasks, including cleaning, greeting, organizing books in the library, taking care of the facility, writing thank-you notes, carpentry, maintaining the website, arranging flowers, managing retreats and programs, bookkeeping, organizing events, photography, social media, publicity, graphic design, distributing flyers, and many other activities. Offerings of specific skills are very much welcome. Many volunteer hours are flexible and often only involve a once-a-month or sporadic commitment.
Please see below for some of the perennial volunteer roles at the Dharma Center. If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to our operations manager at
Mindful Cleaners
The members of our cleaning team take care of the health and wellbeing of the sangha by cleaning the center, integrating mindfulness practice into the beautiful and mundane tasks of sweeping, wiping, mopping and dusting. This is hugely appreciated by the community—one meditator said: “I’m so grateful for this oasis of clean!” Mindful cleaners typically volunteer for one two-hour shift per month, and the role is highly flexible from month to month.
Flower Arrangers
Flower volunteers hold the treasured role of purchasing flowers and creating arrangements for placement within the meditation hall and around the center. This adds a lovely touch that can be enjoyed and appreciated by our community. The flower needs of the center fluctuate based on the number of in-person offerings.
Sacred Space Caretakers
Our cherished physical space is kept running smoothly through the love and care of our building committee. This small group of volunteers checks on things like thermometers, microphone batteries and various filters and systems. When things break, wear out, spring a leak, or otherwise need to be attended to, these volunteers bring their own handy-person skills to the rescue, enlist another member of the sangha, or call a tradesperson. The time commitment is sporadic with biweekly check-ins and occasional maintenance tasks.
Greeters
For our weekly Monday night sitting meditation and dharma talk, two or more greeters hang out in the foyer to say hello and answer questions as people arrive. They also help with various details like turning on the sound system, raising and lowering shades, and collecting dana at the end of the evening. Greeters can sign up to greet as often or as seldom as they like. This is a wonderful role for people who are interested in meeting more people in the sangha.
Service Leaders
During daylong retreats, classes and other programs, our service leaders help with all manner of in-person tasks, from setting up chairs and cushions to tracking attendance, greeting newcomers, running the microphone when needed, and collecting dana. For folks who enjoy working with others and have basic computer skills (to enroll walk-in registrants), this is a lively and enjoyable role that can be undertaken on a case-by-case basis depending on the volunteer’s availability.
Registrars
Registrars help with daylong retreats, classes and other events behind the scenes by answering questions from participants, monitoring our registration system, and preparing rosters for teachers. They are the main communication channel for all registrants. While the time commitment is low, this is an important role that can be done remotely to help our programs run smoothly and our participants feel welcome and at ease.
Zoom Hosts
For hybrid and online classes and retreats, we enlist help from a small pool of trusty Zoom hosts. Depending on the offering, these tech bodhisattvas field questions in the chat box, help with technical glitches, mute and unmute participants, and create small groups using the breakout room feature. Typically Zoom hosts will sign on to help with all or part of a class series or a daylong retreat, logging on 15-30 minutes ahead of time to check the sound with the teacher.
Sangha Care Volunteers
Everyone needs a little help every now and then. Sangha Care volunteers serve fellow members of our sangha in need with various tasks, such as grocery shopping, light yard work, and dog walking. If you would like to receive extra help for a time or volunteer your time, please click this link to learn more about the Sangha Care program.
“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”
-Rabindranath Tagore
