Open Forum

Hello all,

I work at a small  Museum in Washington state that focuses on electrical invention. We have been open for about 17 years and our volunteers have predominantly been retired men from  electrical engineering backgrounds or similar fields. In the last year or so we have made great strides towards building our education program. Along with this, we have needed to grow our volunteer base to accommodate our school field trips. As it stands right now, we only have about 4 docents who can or are willing to work with school groups and it takes about 3 to do every school group. Sometimes we have 15-20 school groups in a month and that is too much to ask of our volunteers.

I have tried all the normal methods of recruitment, announcements in house, volunteer websites, posters at the local university, etc., but so far response has been minimal. Does anyone have any suggestions for effective volunteer recruitment for child oriented docents?

Thanks,

------------------------------
Abigail Russell
SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention
Bellingham WA
------------------------------

When I was opening a new museum in Greenville, SC and needed to develop a docent team very quickly I reached out to the local retired teachers association and asked them to consider recruiting docents for the museum as a chapter project. This worked out so well that we were able to move into full operation of a school group program immediately after the museum's opening.  Now that I work at an academic museum, I have cultivated relationships with university faculty members in Education, History, Anthropology/Sociology, and Parks & Recreation management who are wiling to consider student docent work as class projects or part of an internship work plan.

------------------------------
Pamela Meister
Director
Mountain Heritage Center - Western Carolina University
Cullowhee NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-01-2018 12:58 PM
From: Abigail Russell
Subject: Volunteer Recruitment question

Hello all,

I work at a small  Museum in Washington state that focuses on electrical invention. We have been open for about 17 years and our volunteers have predominantly been retired men from  electrical engineering backgrounds or similar fields. In the last year or so we have made great strides towards building our education program. Along with this, we have needed to grow our volunteer base to accommodate our school field trips. As it stands right now, we only have about 4 docents who can or are willing to work with school groups and it takes about 3 to do every school group. Sometimes we have 15-20 school groups in a month and that is too much to ask of our volunteers.

I have tried all the normal methods of recruitment, announcements in house, volunteer websites, posters at the local university, etc., but so far response has been minimal. Does anyone have any suggestions for effective volunteer recruitment for child oriented docents?

Thanks,

------------------------------
Abigail Russell
SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention
Bellingham WA
------------------------------

I think everything Pamela said was great; it does take more time, but making specific point of contact so those professors/association presidents/etc. reach the people you'd like to inform with better impact.
A half baked idea -- If you think college-aged or recent grads would make excellent volunteers for the program and you think school visits are a large part of what makes your museum successful, is there a way you could create a mentorship (or something similar) program that gives some docent and museum ed. training and maybe a networking opportunity as a part of being a long-term volunteer (thinking 6 months to a year) in a way that keeps the quality of docents high and the burden on museum staff relatively low. That way you are incentivizing folks to stay with you and you might find that there are some really sharp volunteers who enjoy giving back at your museum. I know all those things take time though. Best of luck!

------------------------------
Elizabeth Davis
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-04-2018 09:06 AM
From: Pamela Meister
Subject: Volunteer Recruitment question

When I was opening a new museum in Greenville, SC and needed to develop a docent team very quickly I reached out to the local retired teachers association and asked them to consider recruiting docents for the museum as a chapter project. This worked out so well that we were able to move into full operation of a school group program immediately after the museum's opening.  Now that I work at an academic museum, I have cultivated relationships with university faculty members in Education, History, Anthropology/Sociology, and Parks & Recreation management who are wiling to consider student docent work as class projects or part of an internship work plan.

------------------------------
Pamela Meister
Director
Mountain Heritage Center - Western Carolina University
Cullowhee NC

Original Message:
Sent: 06-01-2018 12:58 PM
From: Abigail Russell
Subject: Volunteer Recruitment question

Hello all,

I work at a small  Museum in Washington state that focuses on electrical invention. We have been open for about 17 years and our volunteers have predominantly been retired men from  electrical engineering backgrounds or similar fields. In the last year or so we have made great strides towards building our education program. Along with this, we have needed to grow our volunteer base to accommodate our school field trips. As it stands right now, we only have about 4 docents who can or are willing to work with school groups and it takes about 3 to do every school group. Sometimes we have 15-20 school groups in a month and that is too much to ask of our volunteers.

I have tried all the normal methods of recruitment, announcements in house, volunteer websites, posters at the local university, etc., but so far response has been minimal. Does anyone have any suggestions for effective volunteer recruitment for child oriented docents?

Thanks,

------------------------------
Abigail Russell
SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention
Bellingham WA
------------------------------

You might see if there's a retired teacher association in your area to promote this opportunity.  This is an audience that has the skill set for working with children, and you can train them up in the content for your tours.  Some retired teachers may not be excited about working with children again, but some miss it and may be interested in this opportunity.

------------------------------
[Jim] [Covel]
[Director, Guest Experience Training]
[Monterey Bay Aquarium]
[Monterey] [CA]
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-01-2018 12:58 PM
From: Abigail Russell
Subject: Volunteer Recruitment question

Hello all,

I work at a small  Museum in Washington state that focuses on electrical invention. We have been open for about 17 years and our volunteers have predominantly been retired men from  electrical engineering backgrounds or similar fields. In the last year or so we have made great strides towards building our education program. Along with this, we have needed to grow our volunteer base to accommodate our school field trips. As it stands right now, we only have about 4 docents who can or are willing to work with school groups and it takes about 3 to do every school group. Sometimes we have 15-20 school groups in a month and that is too much to ask of our volunteers.

I have tried all the normal methods of recruitment, announcements in house, volunteer websites, posters at the local university, etc., but so far response has been minimal. Does anyone have any suggestions for effective volunteer recruitment for child oriented docents?

Thanks,

------------------------------
Abigail Russell
SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention
Bellingham WA
------------------------------

My suggestion would be to reach out to the Retired Teachers Association. If you have a pool of them engaged then you can have a rotating schedule so they don't have to commit so many hours.


------------------------------
Pamela Riles
HR Generalists
The DoSeum
San Antonio TX
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-01-2018 12:58 PM
From: Abigail Russell
Subject: Volunteer Recruitment question

Hello all,

I work at a small  Museum in Washington state that focuses on electrical invention. We have been open for about 17 years and our volunteers have predominantly been retired men from  electrical engineering backgrounds or similar fields. In the last year or so we have made great strides towards building our education program. Along with this, we have needed to grow our volunteer base to accommodate our school field trips. As it stands right now, we only have about 4 docents who can or are willing to work with school groups and it takes about 3 to do every school group. Sometimes we have 15-20 school groups in a month and that is too much to ask of our volunteers.

I have tried all the normal methods of recruitment, announcements in house, volunteer websites, posters at the local university, etc., but so far response has been minimal. Does anyone have any suggestions for effective volunteer recruitment for child oriented docents?

Thanks,

------------------------------
Abigail Russell
SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention
Bellingham WA
------------------------------

​Hi Abigail,

Try posting an ad in your state's Retired Senior Volunteer Program. (RSVP).

------------------------------
Betsy Vazquez
Public Programs and Volunteer Manager
Buffalo Museum of Science
Buffalo NY
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-01-2018 12:58 PM
From: Abigail Russell
Subject: Volunteer Recruitment question

Hello all,

I work at a small  Museum in Washington state that focuses on electrical invention. We have been open for about 17 years and our volunteers have predominantly been retired men from  electrical engineering backgrounds or similar fields. In the last year or so we have made great strides towards building our education program. Along with this, we have needed to grow our volunteer base to accommodate our school field trips. As it stands right now, we only have about 4 docents who can or are willing to work with school groups and it takes about 3 to do every school group. Sometimes we have 15-20 school groups in a month and that is too much to ask of our volunteers.

I have tried all the normal methods of recruitment, announcements in house, volunteer websites, posters at the local university, etc., but so far response has been minimal. Does anyone have any suggestions for effective volunteer recruitment for child oriented docents?

Thanks,

------------------------------
Abigail Russell
SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention
Bellingham WA
------------------------------

​Have you considered contacting some of the tech and manufacturing companies in and around Bellingham? You might invite them to assign employees for a couple of hours a week during your busy school season. It would be community service, and you could offer to acknowledge their participation through print and social media and a big easel poster on "their" days at the museum.

------------------------------
Jennifer Reynolds
Marketing Specialist
San Bernardino County Museum
Redlands CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-01-2018 12:58 PM
From: Abigail Russell
Subject: Volunteer Recruitment question

Hello all,

I work at a small  Museum in Washington state that focuses on electrical invention. We have been open for about 17 years and our volunteers have predominantly been retired men from  electrical engineering backgrounds or similar fields. In the last year or so we have made great strides towards building our education program. Along with this, we have needed to grow our volunteer base to accommodate our school field trips. As it stands right now, we only have about 4 docents who can or are willing to work with school groups and it takes about 3 to do every school group. Sometimes we have 15-20 school groups in a month and that is too much to ask of our volunteers.

I have tried all the normal methods of recruitment, announcements in house, volunteer websites, posters at the local university, etc., but so far response has been minimal. Does anyone have any suggestions for effective volunteer recruitment for child oriented docents?

Thanks,

------------------------------
Abigail Russell
SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention
Bellingham WA
------------------------------