Volunteers play a special role in helping museums connect to their communities. Before we explore the role of volunteers at museums lately, let’s talk ethics. The American Alliance of Museums has written extensively about volunteers in the sector: “Our field is grappling with the problematic distinction between volunteers and unpaid interns, how volunteer labor may affect museum salaries, and who does and does not volunteer for museums.”¹ It’s well worth the ongoing consideration — at its core, free labor is problematic.
A general guideline might be: Don’t use a volunteer for work that a staff member or contractor would normally be paid to do. Volunteers are for support, lightening the load, allowing people to gain experience and get a foot in the door, giving retirees a way to stay engaged with purposeful work. Would paying folks in all these situations be ideal? Yes. But it’s also a reality that some museums or projects are run mostly or entirely by volunteers, and a passion to keep things going wins out despite the lack of funds. An excellent case study Breaking Down Barriers to Volunteering from Museums Association notes, “Best practice is heavily dependent on the wider context.”
As we examine the museum-volunteer ecosystem, we’re holding three thoughts at once: 1) It’s important to pay people for their time and efforts. 2) Volunteers are a vital component of most museums. 3) The concept and act of volunteering is meaningful in our culture.
A Boost to Visitor Engagement
Volunteers often serve as the first point of contact for visitors and can set the tone for their entire experience. A docent’s personal enthusiasm and knowledge might turn a standard visit into something inspiring!
If you’re looking to shore things up in the docent department, you might be interested in these free, on-demand webinars from the National Docent Symposium Council.
Having trouble with unruly docents? Make sure you have a comprehensive volunteer handbook, and make sure you’re managing people properly (i.e., assigning roles based on a volunteer’s interest and strengths, and intentionally avoiding misplacements that might cause headaches).
Program Support and Behind-the-Scenes Contributions
Lots of museums rely on volunteers to assist with youth education. The American Museum of Natural History has Teaching Volunteers to facilitate hands-on learning activities for children on field trips. The Blanton Museum of Art in Austin recruits volunteers for its Gallery Teacher Program, which educates student groups of all ages. Despite requiring a 2-year commitment, it’s a competitive and in-demand program, which is always interesting to hear. What can we learn from this?
Volunteering is not just about public facing roles, of course. The Field Museum engages volunteers in tasks like cataloging specimens or assisting with research projects. Community scientists have digitized more than a quarter-million items and records, and the “Collections Club” initiative now serves as a blueprint for how community scientists can help researchers around the world.
Recommended resource: Collections Care Toolkit: A Resource Guide for Volunteer-Based Museums
The rise of digital tech has opened avenues for virtual volunteering. Smithsonian Digital Volunteers at the Transcription Center are transcribing historical documents from all over the world. Volunteers “have collaboratively transcribed and reviewed over a million pages of field notes, diaries, ledgers, logbooks, currency proof sheets, photo albums, manuscripts, biodiversity specimen labels, and historic audio recording.” This past year, volunteer transcribers were instrumental in The American Soldier in WWII, a project that “makes freely available online more than 65,000 handwritten responses to questionnaires distributed by the U.S. Army to soldiers during World War II.”²
How can you optimize your volunteer program?
Investing in volunteer training and development is worth it. Thoughtful training programs means volunteers come in well-prepared and feeling valued. A supportive and engaging training process can even lead to better retention rates.
We have certain perceptions of a museum volunteer, and they tend to be a bit homogenous. But there’s a lot of value in recruiting people from diverse backgrounds. It paves the way for better public engagement and makes museums more inclusive and reflective of the communities they serve. Once again, AAM has done some very considered and persuasive writing on the importance of casting a wide net — Museums and Equity: Volunteers is a must-read.
On the flip side, DEI training for volunteers is also appropriate when visitor interaction is frequent. You can bring in a professional to do this or find an online training course like this one from the American Diversity Initiative.
Recommended read: How to Promote Diversity and Inclusion at Your Volunteer Organization
Casting a Wide Net
One way to encourage diversity in your program: Offer a range of volunteer opportunities that can be done at various times. The National Museum of the Pacific War is a great example, providing an array of options for people with different interests and skill sets. If you’re brainstorming projects for volunteers at your museum, check out the link above for details on their specific volunteer tasks related to:
- Education/docents and living history
- Behind-the-scenes
- Visitor services/gallery attendant and welcome desk
- Administrative help
- Special events
- Memorials and tributes
- Maintenance and facilities
- Group and corporate opportunities
Feedback Matters
When you think about it, volunteers are uniquely positioned to give insight into museum operations and visitor interactions. Don’t overlook that. Regularly soliciting their feedback can help improve your programs, exhibits, and the volunteer experience in general. Aside from focus groups and check-ins, you could consider establishing a volunteer advisory council or implementing software volunteers can use to log reflections (here’s one example of such software that also includes a great list of volunteer survey questions).
It’s also good to inquire with the departments that use volunteer assistance. Find out how things are going with individual volunteers — from staff they work with and even from those who view things at a bit of distance. Use what you learn and offer volunteer reviews to share positive reinforcement, constructive feedback, and opportunities for advancement in responsibilities.
Recognizing Volunteer Contributions
And finally, acknowledging the efforts of volunteers is paramount for maintaining morale and motivation. Think about what your museum can offer as perks — free entry, gift shop discounts, exclusive shirts or cool swag. Look into ways to make the role feel special and desirable, and reward your volunteers however you are able. I like this excerpt from and oldie-but-goodie article on on recruiting and retaining volunteers:
Museums must remember to recognize the contributions of their volunteers. Thank them often; send each docent a thank-you letter at the conclusion of the touring season. Pass along “fan mail” sent by school groups or other visitors. Feature volunteer profiles in your museum newsletter, and print occasional articles recognizing volunteer efforts. List docent names in the museum’s annual report, perhaps by docent class year or years of service. Present service pins recognizing milestones like two, five, and ten years. Host a volunteer potluck or recognition picnic. Submit names for local Volunteer of the Year recognitions. Even if they don’t win, it’s nice to know that one’s efforts are appreciated. (Source: Museum-Ed)
Further resource to consider: Designing a Museum Volunteer Program Toolkit (Second Edition) — From $29.99
Everyone knows about this AAM toolkit, but it really is a comprehensive breakdown of the things your museum should consider when starting or refining a volunteer program. Sometimes it’s nice to have everything precisely laid out in front of you.
