Eleven museums, from Liskeard to Swindon, have been working alongside each other for the last nine months to review their volunteer involvement as part of the Volunteering Fit 4 the Future programme. During the programme, participating museums have been supported by Eleanor Moore, our Sustainable Volunteering Officer, and their local, place-based Museum Development Officers (MDOs).
Now that this fully funded programme is drawing to a close, and museums are putting their thinking into action, we’re taking a look back at what’s been achieved:
- 12 museums were invited onto the programme following a light touch expression of interest process
- 11 museums took up the opportunity
- 11 volunteering questionnaires were completed
- 11 individual meetings took place between Eleanor and participant museums, often with their MDO, to discuss current challenges around volunteering. Two of these were combined with in person site visits.
- 11 reports were produced by Eleanor which provided museum-specific recommendations for actions to take forward and resources to support development.
Then, from January this year, participant museums had the opportunity to attend up to seven online ‘surgeries’, on Zoom, to network with each other, Eleanor and the MDOs on a specific topic or issue, or to tap into general support.
Together, we’ve explored:
- Role descriptions – why they are helpful and how to develop them; reviewing your policy.
- All things recruitment and induction – including open days!
- All things retention! From co-ordinating and directing via supporting and encouraging to thanking and communicating impact.
Participant museums have gone on to develop action plans to take their ambitions forward. Taking inspiration from each other’s work, with clear timescales and identified resources, these plans will guide museums as they set out to:
- Gather feedback from current volunteers – via a new survey or a whole team meeting
- Advertise for volunteers differently and in in new places – posters within the museum itself, at their local college or university, at local bus stops or with an animated film at their local cinema!
- Hold Open Days to recruit for a specific role or project
- Work with freelance volunteer co-ordinators
- Try new approaches to achieving tasks – working groups, student volunteering placements, shadowing, distance volunteering
- Trial ‘bite sized’ training with the team
- Audit the skills in the team to help plan recruitment
- Review induction and update the Handbook
- Refresh policies, agreements and role profiles
- Visit other museums for inspiration and as a social opportunity for the team
- Work with a mentor
- Apply for funding to support them to develop volunteering
Working with each other and with MDSW has been a catalyst for change:
Thank you for running the course. It’s been illuminating and invaluable.
Tavistock Museum