Hi Kay,
At the American Jazz Museum we do monthly meetings that have a celebration aspect to them as well as housekeeping, there is typically food provided.
We ask volunteers to purchase a membership to the museum; however, I personally have mixed opinions on that. The volunteers do get an additional discount in the museum shop than the membership provides. Our campus and community district is all free parking, so making that a benefit doesn't make sense for us.
One of the fringe benefits that is part of volunteering is seeing free concert for assistance with ushering. Additionally, invitations to exhibition openings and events.
When I was in grad school I volunteered at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and they have a very comprehensive volunteer program, and it is very competitive to get a spot there with an intense interview process. They did quarterly luncheons, free parking, anniversary gifts, free personal membership, bonus entrance tickets for a few people a year, additional discounts in the gift shops, opportunities to do community events like comic con (with admission for volunteers helping with the activities) or local festivals where they tabled and did activities. You also got free or discounted admission to lectures and educational events put on in the museum.
------------------------------
Chloe Willett
Exhibition Coordinator
American Jazz Museum
Kansas City MO
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 09-11-2025 05:22 PM
From: Kelsey Chung
Subject: Volunteer Benefits
Hi Kay!
I'm the Volunteer Coordinator at the Cantor at Stanford University and below are some benefits/ways to celebrate our volunteers:
-The Cantor has free admission for all, but we invite our volunteers to member-only opening receptions (once or twice a year)
-Parking is paid on campus, but we provide a complimentary parking permit for volunteers to use during their shift
-For birthdays/anniversaries, we write a card and give a little gift (small candies). For bigger anniversaries (1 year, 5 year, 10 year) we have Cantor branded swag (water bottles, notebooks, tote bags).
-Every year we hold an annual Volunteer Recognition, where we invite volunteers to celebrate their accomplishments. We hold it at the museum and cater some light bites and drinks.
This is what we currently offer, but we are also looking for ways to improve our program and open to new ideas to give back to our volunteers! Hope this helps!
------------------------------
Kelsey Chung
Visitor Services Coordinator
Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University
Stanford CA
Original Message:
Sent: 09-10-2025 01:30 PM
From: Karlina Juelch
Subject: Volunteer Benefits
Hello, I'm the volunteer coordinator of a very small art museum and we've begun overhauling our volunteer program structure. We have a small pool of regular volunteers who work with us weekly in short 2-hour shifts but also a much larger pool who volunteer sporadically with events, maillings, and installations.
I'm wondering, how do your institutions reward/celebrate your volunteers? Do you offer benefits like memberships or free admissions?
Thank you for your time!
Sincerely,
Kay