The Dralanteer Sangha
Your Gift of Time and Talent is SO Appreciated!
Thank you for your interest in volunteering at Drala Mountain Center. Volunteers are an integral part of our organization and we could not thrive without you.
Volunteering at Drala is a way to connect with community, deepen your spiritual practice, and bring your practice to everyday activities.
To volunteer with Drala Mountain Center, please apply for the season you are available to join us. It is great if you can join us for a full season, but please still apply if you can only join for a period of time within a season.
If you have any questions, please check the FAQ below or email volunteering@dralamountain.org
(Please note, for the safety and security of our community, acceptance as a volunteer is contingent on the successful completion of a background check).
In addition to our residential volunteer program, volunteers are needed for daily commitments as well as periodic and one-time projects. If you see an activity that interests you or if you want to inquire about other volunteer opportunities, please contact our volunteer coordinator. volunteering@dralamountain.org
“If Drala Mountain Center is going to do its part in serving the world then having a healthy volunteer program is crucial. We get people from all religions, races, temperaments, skills, etc. and it’s our responsibility to send them home feeling whole. Healing our relationships with others and the chores that come with our circumstances is what volunteering at Drala Mountain is all about.
We are moving beyond the aggression towards our own experience and really connecting to our own, and other’s, basic goodness.”
Chase Usry, Deputy Director of Drala Mountain Center
Volunteer FAQ’s
Are meals included with volunteer shifts?
They sure are. You will have three meals a day available to you while you are on the land. We accommodate Vegan, Vegetarian, Wheat Free, and Omnivore diets.
What are the days like?
We ask that volunteers work half days, four hour shifts, while they are on the land. For those volunteering for larger portions of a season, two days off are included in your time here.
We ask that volunteers come with a practice of some kind to help the staff hold the meditative container. We hope you will spend the open periods of your day in meditation, doing yoga, hiking our trails, connecting with others, or whatever your thing is.
What will I be doing?
We have needs in all of our departments, but primarily our needs are in our kitchen, housekeeping, and facilities departments. This could involve kitchen prep, doing the dishes, cleaning our spaces, preparing rooms, or tending to the land.
Where will I stay?
Depending on the season, lodging can be anything from a shared tent to a room in the lodge. If you will be in a tent we will provide the mattress, mattress frame, coat rack, and bookshelf. Please bring your own bedding and pillow.
Can I join a program while I volunteer?
During your stint as a volunteer you will be given a $75 credit per week that you are working at Drala Mountain. This credit can be used at any time after your volunteering time for program tuition and lodging. We ask that volunteers do not join in on programs while they volunteer unless the conditions are right. This protects the containers that programs hold as well as the needs of a department.
There are many opportunities for volunteers to learn, practice, and commune. Staff routinely get together to study, sit, and enjoy one another. We hope volunteers will take advantage of these opportunities and spend their credits with us in the future.
What are the next steps?
Please fill out the volunteer application below. From there a member of the Drala Mountain Community will reach out to you to schedule a Zoom meeting so we can meet one another.
Anything else I should know?
We run background checks on all volunteers to help protect our guests and staff. This ensures a sense of security that is vital to our meditative container.
May your time in our mountain valley bring you the joy it has provided for so many others.