We also use Tee and Polo shirts here at the Academy of Natural Sciences and when it's a busy day this helps visitors identify staff and volunteers more easily. In the past we used aprons which had the advantage of having pockets for objects volunteers used out on the floor. They also had the advantage of being something we could leave here for volunteers to use when they came. Someone did need to launder them from time to time. They weren't as comfortable as a shirt would be and are not as easy to find as they were 15 to 20 years ago!
I can see the argument for a more casual look where volunteers can wear what they want and an accessory would serve to add a unifying and identifying look to those on the floor of the museum. I have not seen anyone do this except at an AAM conference where the volunteers had a Tee shirt but also a colorful bandana. For women, a scarf makes sense but a bandana also works for men. But without a Tee shirt, this might not serve to add the visibility you are seeking.
Good luck.
Lois Kuter
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Lois Kuter
Manager of Volunteer Services
Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
Philadelphia PA
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-25-2017 10:58 AM
From: Deborah Price
Subject: Volunteer "Uniforms"
We provide polo's with the museum logo stitched on; there are two signature colors. Mostly staff/volunteers wear them for special events, such as free days or concert events however, they can be worn for everyday use as well. All volunteers have name badges.
Wearing these for events helps the public identify who are staff/volunteer members
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Deborah Price
Guest Services & Volunteer Manager
Museum of the Shenandoah Valley
Winchester VA
Original Message:
Sent: 08-25-2017 10:30 AM
From: Michelle Mileham
Subject: Volunteer "Uniforms"
We offer both t-shirts and name tags to volunteers. The name tags look quite different than our staff ones, being blue rather than white, are larger, and have our volunteer program logo rather than just our organization logo. We ordered them through camaloon.com and you can get 50 for just over $1 each (custom rectangular design). We use a label maker for volunteer names.
Over the past two years we've had a $10 deposit system in place for the t-shirts, which helps us off-set the costs. I always tell volunteers to let me know if that is financially burdensome and I'll waive it, which hasn't happened yet. We offer $5 back if they return the shirt in good condition; however, over the two years and nearly 60 shirts, I've only had one person ask for the deposit back.
Because we are a fairly small organization and don't have a full time volunteer coordinator, we don't do a spectacular job at tracking and asking for volunteer gear back. That might be more important to other organizations and might mean you do refund the deposit more often.
I hope that helps! Best of luck!
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Michelle Mileham
Director of Education
Tracy Aviary
Salt Lake City UT
Original Message:
Sent: 08-24-2017 02:53 PM
From: Kenneth Libben
Subject: Volunteer "Uniforms"
Great question, Laurel!
We've been pondering the same thing, as currently our workers simply have a black badge with the museum logo and a label (volunteer, staff, curator, etc) on it. We've discussed shirts, preferably polos, but unfortunately that appears cost prohibitive...especially with most of our volunteers only staffing the museum for 8-15 hours a year.
I'm afraid I don't have much in the way of a solution, but I'll be following along in hopes of getting ideas!
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Kenny Libben , Curator
Cleo Redd Fisher Museum - Mohican Historical Society
Loudonville OH
Original Message:
Sent: 08-24-2017 01:34 PM
From: Laurel Drasner
Subject: Volunteer "Uniforms"
Hello Everyone,
I'm looking to gather some ideas about volunteer "uniforms." Presently, the only uniform has been a bright orange lanyard with a badge including their picture, name, and status as a volunteer. Our leadership team feels that this is no longer eye-catching enough for our visitors, and I've been asked to come up with a more visible alternative. There has been talk of including our front-end staff in this change as well since all staff members also wear the orange lanyards. The go-to option that everyone keeps mentioning is a vest, but personally, most of the ones I've found feel really cheesy (or they're made of fleece, which would be too hot in the summer). Does anyone use a vest that they really love and that staff and/or volunteers genuinely don't mind wearing? Or better yet, does anyone use anything that's NOT a vest?! An eye catching badge, a hat, a scarf, etc. Preferably some sort of accessory so that people can still wear what they want to wear. I really want this to be something cool and not just a uniform because I'm trying to be very sensitive to how this will make volunteers feel. We are a very casual museum, and I'd like to keep that culture.
Any input or ideas would be much appreciated! I'm stumped on this one. Feel free to email me directly, if you'd prefer. My email is ldrasner@fcmod.org
Thank you,
Laurel