Before You Apply
Volunteer Sessions and Frequently Asked QuestionsLearn More about all of the opportunities to volunteer with TRMF
Volunteer teams help Medora operate all year long, across more than 30 properties. And we keep growing! In 2024 we have added brand new sessions and lengthened sessions into the early spring. Whether you’re an old member of the Medora family, or just jumping in to join, there’s a session for everyone.
We want your experience as a TRMF volunteer to be a positive one. It is important to be aware of the expectations and responsibilities for each session. Reading through these thoroughly will help you better select the session that best fits your skills and abilities.
Spring Sessions
TAG TEAMS
THE “RETAIL EARLY STARTERS” FUN
February 26 – March 22
4 sessions | 5 days each session Mon – Fri
7.5 hours per day
Duties may include lifting, unpacking boxes, and tagging merchandise. Involves bending, standing, and some stairs.
SPRING INTO RETAIL
THE “GETTIN’ ‘ER READY” FUN
April 1 – 26
4 sessions | 5 days each session Mon – Fri
7.5 hours per day
Duties may include unpacking boxes, folding, sorting, tagging merchandise, and stocking shelves. Involves bending, standing, lifting, and some stairs.
SPRING INTO ACTION
(Previously Pre-Season)
THE “SPRING CLEANING” FUN
April 29 – May 24
4 sessions | 5 days each session Mon – Fri
6-8 hours per day
Duties include but not limited to: raking, weeding, mowing, carpentry, pruning trees and shrubs, cleaning, painting/staining, and various general maintenance duties around town in preparation for the guests to arrive. Involves lifting, bending, standing, walking, working with tools.
EARLY BIRDS
THE “MIXED BAG” FUN
May 24 – June 2
1 session | 10 days
4-6 hours per day
Duties are a combination of Spring, Summer and Fall Season duties all mixed into one experience. Volunteers operate the various venues open to guests during the holiday weekend such as the Badlands Pizza, Shooting Gallery, Mini-Golf or other food service or retail venues. Providing good customer service and guest interaction are key skills. Involves light lifting, bending, standing, walking, limited working with tools.
NEW – FLOWER CREW PREP
THE “PREPPIN’ THE PRETTY” FUN
May 13-17
1 session | 5 days Mon – Fri
6-8 hours per day
Duties include tilling and mulching flower beds, pulling old flowers and weeds, applying Preen, and potentially cutting down old perennials. Involves both heavy and light lifting, carrying light loads, bending, kneeling, walking, standing and working with garden and landscaping tools.
FLOWER CREW
THE “MAKIN’ ‘ER PRETTY” FUN
May 20 – 31
2 sessions | 5 days each session Mon – Fri
6-8 hours per day
Duties include preparing flower beds, planting flowers and landscaping tasks around Medora. Experience/knowledge of gardening is helpful. Involves lifting, carrying light loads, bending, kneeling, walking, standing and working with garden and landscaping tools.
NEW – SPRING TEE BOX TEAMS
THE “BRIGHT AND EARLY GREENS PREP” FUN
April 29 – June 3
5 sessions | 8 days each session Mon – Sun
4-6 hours per day – 6:00am Start
Duties include moving tee markers daily, filling divots, cleaning tee areas, filling sand bottles and emptying trash. Involves driving a golf cart, repeatedly lifting up to 10-15 pounds, bending, walking, and standing.
SPRING TEE TIMERS
THE “OPENING FOR BULLY” FUN
April 29 – June 3
5 sessions | 8 days each session Mon – Sun
4-6 hours per day
Duties may include customer service, outdoor services, player prep, delivery and cleaning of carts and/or assisting in the snack bar and grill. Knowledge of golf is helpful but not required. Days may have split shifts with tournament days being full days.
NEW – GIRLS GOLF CAMP
THE “TEE-CHING THE GAME” FUN
June 1-3
1 session | 3 days
8 hours per day
Duties include but are not limited to: delivering food and water, cleaning golf carts, and picking up golf balls. Involves driving a golf cart for golf camp participants.
NEW – CLASSROOM IN THE BADLANDS
THE “CUB HERDING” FUN
May 6 – May 24
3 sessions | 5 days each session
4-6 hours per day
Provides oversight of the Harold Schafer Heritage Center video showing and scavenger hunt, distributes scavenger hunt forms/pens and assists students with questions/finding items, help with distributing putters and balls at Lil’ Bully Pulpit Mini Golf Course, assists TRMF entertainment department in tours of the Burning Hills Amphitheatre (venue of the Medora Musical), and assists TRMF food service staff in the Life Skills Center cafeteria during student meals. May rotate between activities or be stationary at one of the above activities depending on confirmed schedule of schools. Involves standing and some stairs (stage stairs at the Burning Hills Amphitheatre). Weather permitting – Outdoor activities are weather permitting. Most classrooms come on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Volunteers who select this option on the application form will be put into a pool to be called for availability for the confirmed school arrival dates.
Summer Sessions
TEDDY’S BEARS RETAIL STORE
THE “MAKING THE KIDS HAPPY” FUN
May 25 – Sept 8
8 sessions | 10-14 days each session
8 hours per day
Works at store with days off during session. Duties include running a Point-of-Sale register, interacting with customers for sales, keeping shelves and supplies stock, handling money and credit cards, and general retail duties. Involves standing, lifting, bending.
GREEN VESTERS
(Previously In-Season)
THE “TEAM” FUN
June 3 – Sept 8
14 sessions | 8 days each session Mon – Tues
Approximately 6 hours per day
Volunteers work in pairs or couples and rotate through a variety of venues daily following an assigned schedule. Guest interaction and customer service are key components to volunteering during the summer season. Duties may include but not limited to food service, standing for short periods of time, walking short distances, light lifting, some cleaning, some climbing of stairs and other duties that may arise during the course of a shift at the various venues. Volunteers usher at the Medora Musical, serve guests at the Gospel Brunch and Pitchfork Steak Fondue and are the key personnel in many of the venues such as the Shooting Gallery, Mini-Golf and many more.
GUEST SHUTTLE DRIVER
THE “MAKING SURE THE GUESTS GET THERE” FUN
June 5 – Sept 8
13 sessions | 7-12 days each session
5-6 hours per day
Drives guests to Fondue and Musical and picks up at end of Musical. Duties may include assisting at the amphitheater during breaks as needed. Able to drive a 15 passenger van. May sign up for more than one session.
SUMMER TEE BOX TEAMS
THE “BRIGHT AND EARLY GREENS PREP” FUN
June 3 – Sept 10
14 sessions | 8 days each session
4-6 hours per day – 6:00am Start
Duties include moving tee markers daily, filling divots, cleaning tee areas, filling sand bottles and emptying trash. Involves driving a golf cart and repeatedly lifting up to 10-15 pounds, bending, walking, and standing.
BULLY PULPIT GOLF COURSE TOURNAMENTS
THE “COMPETITION ABOUNDS” FUN
May – October
1 Day Tournaments | Weekdays and Weekends
Full Day
Volunteers can choose to arrive the day before a tournament depending on starting time and choose to stay over depending on when the tournament day is finished. Duties may include customer service, outdoor services, player prep, delivery and cleaning of carts and/or operating the snack bar (pop, chips, candy, etc.) and helping out in the grill shack. Volunteers who select this option on the application form will be put into a pool to be called for availability for the season’s tournament dates.
LATE SUMMER
(Previously End of Season)
THE “BEHIND THE SCENES” FUN
Aug 13 – Sept 9
2 sessions | 15-17 days each session
6-7 hours per day
Late Summer volunteers fill in typically at one location for employees who return to school or their home countries while Medora is still in full operational mode. Duties depend on positions available –Positions may include any of our food service venues such as the Badlands Pizza, Rough Rider Hotel catering or the Life Skills Center Cafeteria, and Bully Pulpit Golf Course. Other positions may be with Maintenance, Grounds, Laundry, Campground, Housekeeping, Point to Point Park, Retail and Bully Pulpit. Duties may require cleaning, light lifting, walking, standing, stairs, customer service and guest interactions. Number of openings available is varies– final selection and confirmation of spots will be determined by June 3.
Fall Sessions
FALL TEE-TIMERS
THE “HELPING GOLFERS PREPARE” FUN
Sept 9 – Oct 7
4 sessions | 7 days each session Mon – Sun
4-6 hours per day
Days may have split shifts with tournament days being full days. Duties may include customer service, outdoor services, player prep, delivery and cleaning of carts. Knowledge of golf is helpful but not required.
NEW – FALL TEE BOX TEAMS
THE “BRIGHT AND EARLY GREENS PREP” FUN
Sept 9 – SEPT 24
2 sessions | 8 days each session
4-6 hours per day – 6:00am Start
Duties include moving tee markers daily, filling divots, cleaning tee areas, filling sand bottles and emptying trash. Involves driving a golf cart. Repeatedly lifting up to 10-15 pounds, bending, walking, and standing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: We have a pet and it’s difficult to find someone to watch it to come and volunteer. Can I/we bring our pet along?
A: Sorry, no. Volunteering in Medora means operating on a pretty busy schedule—away from their lodging rooms for the large majority of the day. In addition, the Spirit of Work Lodge is a pet-free facility. We know your four-legged friends will be excited to see you after your volunteer time has ended!
Q: My spouse doesn’t want to volunteer. Can he or she still stay with me for free?
A: Only active volunteers may stay in TRMF-provided housing at no cost.
Q: My family is coming to visit me as I volunteer. Can they eat with me at the LSC or any of the other food venues?
A: Yes they can! They will need to pay the full guest price for meals and cannot receive the employee discount. They will also need to pay regular prices for all TRMF attractions and venues.
Q: If I/we are not selected, what are our options?
A: If you are not chosen, the option to sign up as a substitute will be given to you! We typically need to replace 50-70 volunteers who for a variety of reasons cannot accept their chosen season/date. Hopefully, those canceling give adequate advance notice. However, many are last-minute and spots are filled on a first-come basis.
Q: How will I know that my application has been successfully submitted?
A: When fully completed and submitted, you should receive an electronic “Thank You” reply within a very short time. Be sure to check your junk/spam mail folder if it doesn’t arrive. As a last resort, call the office at 701-495-3522 to confirm.
Q: I’m interested in bringing my group or company to volunteer all at one time. Can I do that?
A: We appreciate our business and community partnerships and welcome them to organize a group to spend a few days working on special projects that come up each year. These projects usually occur before or after the Medora Musical season, but these volunteer groups provide a great service to us and find their time in Medora very rewarding. To inquire about bringing a group out, contact Nicole Pinner, Director of Volunteer Services, at the number listed below.
Q: Will transportation be provided to me in Medora?
A: No; volunteers are to use their own vehicles to get to and from various venue locations. TRMF does not provide transportation for that purpose. If available, bicycles can be rented from Dakota Cyclery for the week.
If you have any questions not answered on this site, please feel free to call us anytime. We look forward to meeting and working with you!
Nicole Pinner,
Director of Volunteer Programs
701-495-3522
2024 Volunteer Application Now Open!
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2024 Volunteer Application Now Closed
We are no longer accepting applications for 2024. 2024 Summer Waitlist applications will open in late May.