Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding giving opportunities and tribute sponsorships available at Rutgers Gardens.
How do I make a donation to Rutgers Gardens?
- Rutgers Gardens appreciates online gifts of any size, payable with a credit card. You can choose to support any of our three gift funds:
- All donations to Rutgers Gardens are processed by the Rutgers University Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that exists to generate philanthropic resources and facilitate meaningful engagement to advance the mission of Rutgers. 100% of your gift supports Rutgers Gardens.
- If you prefer to donate via check, please make the check payable to the Rutgers University Foundation and put Rutgers Gardens in the memo line.
- Mail the check with a note indicating which fund to apply the donation to, along with your contact information (name, email address, phone number) to: Rutgers Gardens, c/o Moira Keihm, 112 Log Cabin Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901.
- You will receive a tax receipt from the Rutgers University Foundation.
Can I make a monetary gift in honor of or in memory of someone?
- Yes. When you donate online to one of our three gift funds, please check the box that says either "I would like to make this gift in honor of someone" or "I would like to make this gift in memory of someone" and enter the first and last name of your tribute.
- When mailing a check, kindly include whether the donation is in honor or in memory of a loved one and include their full name along with your contact information.
Can a new tree be planted with my donation?
- Due to limited space and maintenance considerations, Rutgers Gardens cannot accommodate new memorial or tribute tree plantings. Please consider sponsoring one of the many unique and beautiful plants that are already part of the landscape at Rutgers Gardens in honor of a loved one or special occasion.
What trees are available for sponsorship?
- Please email Moira Keihm at moira.keihm@rutgers.edu and we can share the current list of trees that are available.
What happens if a tree declines in health during the sponsorship period?
- Trees have natural life cycles and can be affected by weather events, invasive species, pests, and diseases beyond the horticulture team's control.
- Should a sponsored tree become sick or reach its end-of-life stage during the five-year sponsorship period, Rutgers Gardens staff will work with you to select and assign your sponsorship to another tree on site.
When can I visit the tree I sponsored?
- Donors are welcome to visit Rutgers Gardens during our seasonal operating hours. Rutgers Gardens is closed to visitors every Monday.
Can I bring a group to visit the tree or arrange for a dedication ceremony?
- With advance notice and the issuance of a no-fee day pass, Rutgers Gardens welcomes groups who wish to tour the beautiful grounds and visit sponsored trees during normal operating hours. To protect and preserve the collections, and to ensure that group visits do not happen at the same time as on-site university classes or private events, we are unable to accommodate groups of more than ten visitors without a day pass arranged in advance.
- For a no-fee day pass, please call the Rutgers Gardens office at 848-932-7000 at least five (5) business days in advance of your visit.
- Rutgers Gardens is unable to host memorials or dedication ceremonies at the sponsored tree. If you would like to host a gathering or ceremony at Rutgers Gardens, please visit our Event Venue Rentals page to explore options to rent the Log Cabin or Alumni Pavilion at Rutgers Gardens.
Can I decorate the sponsored tree?
- Rutgers Gardens is grateful for your generous gift to help maintain, revitalize, and expand our unique plant collections. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate the personalization of any plant or area within the collections beyond the dedication plaque installed by our horticulture team.
- All plants remain the property of Rutgers Gardens, a unit of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
Can I add other plants to the tree area? Can I weed, water, prune, fertilize, or otherwise perform maintenance tasks myself?
- No additional materials may be planted or installed by a donor. Conversely, plant materials may not be cut, picked, or removed from Rutgers Gardens.
- We understand that donors may feel a deep connection to the tree they sponsor on behalf of a friend, loved one, or to mark a special occasion. However, all maintenance tasks must be performed by our team comprised of horticulture experts and experienced student interns.
- If you notice an issue with a sponsored tree that requires attention, please contact us and our staff will address your concerns.
- If you are interested in supporting the overall care and maintenance of Rutgers Gardens, please consider enrolling in our Volunteer Program.
What are the benefits to becoming a member?
- You can review this year's benefits at our Membership webpage.
- Memberships help support the Rutgers Gardens Student Internship Program and experiential learning opportunities for students.
Do you offer discounts for students, seniors, or Rutgers alumni?
- There are no discounted membership levels for 2026, only the Individual or Dual member levels. Please stay tuned for updates to the 2027 membership program.
When does a membership start and expire?
- Memberships are active from the date you receive a confirmation email through December 31st of that year. Memberships are non-transferable.
- Registrations will be accepted in a calendar year while the number of available benefits is still greater than the benefits that are no longer accessible or have passed.
- Register early to make the most of your benefits!
- 2027 membership registrations should become available by the end of 2026 and will be announced to existing members and through the Friends of Rutgers Gardens e-newsletter.
- These memberships will become active on January 1, 2027.
What is your refund policy?
- Membership fees and donations to Rutgers Gardens are non-refundable.
Can I give someone a Rutgers Gardens membership as a gift?
- Yes! When registering, you have the option to purchase a gift membership and share the recipient's full name and email address. Our staff can even provide you, the donor, with a personalized certificate to present to your friend or family member.
What is the Budding Beds program?
- Budding Beds donors sponsor ten feet of colorful flowering annuals that are planted in the late spring and bloom through the summer in the Donald B. Lacey Display Garden.
- The design of the beds changes each year. Both the layout and the plants used in the displays are selected by Rutgers Gardens staff and students who gain hands-on experience throughout the process.
- Donors are assigned a bed at random.
- The donation amount is set at $150 for a Budding Bed, which includes a 3" by 5" staked plaque installed in the bed.
- Annual flowers have only one bloom cycle, after which the plants are removed and the plaque may be given to the donor.
How do I join the Volunteer Program?
- The first step is to visit our Volunteer Program webpage and complete the 2026 Volunteer Interest Form linked there.
- When we receive your interest form, if your availability matches our volunteer schedule, our staff will follow up with a liability waiver for you to complete.
- Upon completion of the waiver, your email address will be added to our volunteer events list. Invitations are shared with waivered volunteers only, approximately once a month.
- In that email, you will see an RSVP link to sign up for any volunteer activity that interests you and fits with your schedule.
- All volunteers must be pre-registered to attend outings.
- Walk-ins are not permitted.
- Volunteers must always be under the direct supervision of a Rutgers Gardens staff member.
- When are volunteer events scheduled?
- Rutgers Gardens typically welcomes volunteers on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays before 4pm as staff schedules permit.
- Summer volunteer outings occur primarily in the mornings to keep everyone as cool as possible.
- Rutgers Gardens is closed to visitors every Monday, and volunteer outings are not scheduled at the main site off Ryders Lane on Mondays.
- We do not typically offer weekend volunteer activities.
- What some examples of tasks that volunteers perform?
- Volunteer tasks can include planting, weeding, removing invasive plants and clearing out overgrowth, seasonal cleanup, mulching, harvesting vegetables, preparing beds in the farm fields for new crop plantings, washing and bagging harvested produce so it can be sold at the Rutgers Community Farmers Market, and more!
- Are volunteers required to perform a certain number of service hours?
- Volunteers can join our scheduled activities as often as they wish, but there isn't a minimum number of hours needed per year. We do hope you enjoy your experience and would like to volunteer regularly!
- Volunteers who engage with our teams at least three times in a year receive a special t-shirt.
- If you repeatedly sign up to attend a volunteer outing and fail to show up without notice, our staff will reach out to see if you're no longer interested in receiving the monthly volunteer announcements.
Still have questions? Please email Moira Keihm, Senior Program Coordinator: Education and Engagement, at moira.keihm@rutgers.edu.
