The role of volunteers in museums

Within art and heritage house museums, the purpose of the volunteer and the “Friend’’ is to engage in a mutually beneficial relationship between parties with the intention of engaging with and promoting concepts of learning, culture and community. The specific purposes for acquiring volunteers or “Friends” will, however, differ among organisations according to their objectives and the volunteers’ needs, giving reason for recruitment guidance through clear policies. Furthermore, common ground should be established between museum and volunteer, such as the shared desire to establish and maintain community connection and cultural heritage, to create a strong foundation for a reciprocal working relationship. Following strategic recruitment, the “Friend” or volunteer’s tasks are defined according to what is appropriate to the institution and the skillsets of the volunteers, while also being guided by the intention to retain the volunteer’s devotion. Alongside a critical analysis of the purpose of volunteers and recommendations for valuable volunteer programs, this essay will explore two case studies which illustrate the benefits and scepticisms of volunteers and “Friends”. Whilst both examples refer to small scale institutions, they are representative of many advantages and problems associated with volunteer and “Friends” programs in house museums, in particular.  The case studies, “Friends of Urrbrae House”, a “Friends” groups dedicated to promoting cultural life on a heritage listed property on the University of Adelaide’s Waite Campus, and the volunteering cohort of the Cookworthy Museum, a house museum in Devon (UK) run almost entirely by volunteer labour, both feature community engagement as a core value but their differently orientated roles illustrate varying benefits.

Museums invest in volunteers and “Friends of” groups for the purpose of extending cultural heritage and identity through fervent community involvement with underlying financial motives. Arguably, museums have consistently relied on the goodwill of the community to foster civic pride since the dawn of the cabinets of curiosities[1]. In addition to this, in order to survive and thrive, many museums rely on volunteers and “Friends” for day-to-day operations and financial contributions, especially in small scale institutions with budgets that restrict paid staff, such as the Cookworthy Museum and Urrbrae House[2]. The advantageous return from community involvement is exemplified in a “Friends of Urrbrae House” newsletter which discusses how the “Friends” conducting cultural events funded the renovation project of two bedrooms within Urrbrae House[3]. Moreover, as museums carry the responsibility of providing cultural engagement to their communities, volunteers and “Friends” are a solution to encourage community participation whilst being subject to the demands of limiting budgets[4]. It should also be noted that while larger institutions may not financially rely on the man-power of volunteers they still commonly seek them in order to strengthen their links to the community. Furthermore, the museum’s overarching purpose of attracting volunteers and “Friends” is to establish a relationship with their communities to extend the museum’s purpose of establishing cultural identity.

Nevertheless, volunteers and “Friends of” groups need to have a specific purpose outside of aspirations of extending the community hub of the museum to increase the overall effectiveness of the institution. Policy planning ensures volunteers and “Friends” are pursued as potential resources for the institution[5]. For instance, policy planning is central to Cookworthy’s successful volunteering programme as careful planning around volunteer involvement has ensured that the museum can run efficiently at rock bottom cost whilst upholding the main ideal of safeguarding the community’s history and heritage[6]. Another useful purpose of volunteer and “Friends” engagement is through understanding them as the museum’s most frequent visitors, rather than unpaid employees, to capitalise their expertise in visitor experience to sharpen the museum’s branding[7]. This can be seen in the active promotion of Urrbrae House through “the Friends” cultivating community interest in regular fundraising events, such as the popular Twilight Concert, in which they can bring friends and family and effectively raise the public profile of the institution[8]. Moreover, the “Friends” participation is used as a marketing and branding device, exemplifying how a mutually beneficial relationship results from the utilisation of the “Friend” as a purposed resource to its institution, rather than merely existing for the sake of public engagement.

Together with the importance of museums defining their own needs when considering volunteer and “Friends” involvement, institutions can analyse the volunteer market and the needs of their future volunteers to recruit successfully and create engaging programs. Volunteer involvement is often an individual’s, or cultural citizen’s, means of expressing cultural ownership and responsibility over the institution; moreover, they are by no means “outsiders” but integral to the museum community[9]. Volunteers are often motivated by the idea of communal ownership through community involvement in museums in order to manifest their cultural identity[10]. The Cookworthy Museum is considered to be an icon of cultural identity and, thus, volunteers flock to the position to be recognised as supporting their community[11]. Understanding segmented volunteer groups is imperative; retirees, who make up 46% of museum volunteers, are more inclined to give up their time based on values of socialising and helping others[12].  Reflecting this, a retired member of Friends of Urrbrae House attributed her decision to join the group to the increasing isolation she felt following retirement[13]. Motivations among age groups can differ immensely, such as young university students feeling more motivated by career investment opportunities rather than socialising prospects of retirees, revealing the diversity of volunteer groups who are seeking the ideal museum to fulfil their needs[14]. Moreover, museums recognising the cultural importance of the volunteer’s desire to dedicate their time alongside more specific motivations, will allow for their role to be appropriately structured and their involvement to be more dynamic and purposeful.

The purpose of volunteers, which is understood through the needs of both institution and volunteer, can be solidified through a strategic recruitment policy. Due to volunteers being a risky expense to their institutions[15] there should be an intention to recruit “serious” volunteers only[16].  Recommended recruitment policies include telephone screenings and application forms to find the applicant that fits the brand[17]. Moreover, recruitment should aim to find volunteers whose values are befitting of the institution rather than recruiting those whose passions are not equally aligned. For instance, the Cookworthy Museum places a strong emphasis on recruitment, induction and training in order to carefully select volunteers that they “trust”, usually chosen from a long waiting list and subject to lengthy processes[18]. This recruitment process is critical to the “smooth running” of the museum as it relies on the management of its selected volunteers[19]. Contrastingly, however, to join the Friends of Urrbrae House, all that is needed is contact and payment details, reflecting the typical all-inclusive structure of “Friends of” groups which often, however, lack the ability to find active members who are greatly beneficial to the organisation on the basis of practical help[20].  Furthermore, establishing clear volunteer recruitment policies enables good synergy between institution and volunteer which will lead to advantageous personal investment from the volunteer and, ultimately, valuable and satisfactory outcomes for the institution[21].

The role of the volunteer and “Friend” must be clearly and appropriately defined in order to establish their function and maintain their benefit to the museum. Formal roles created for volunteers will avoid disappointment for those with unrealistic notions of the tasks they will undertake and avoid the risk of the institution investing in fruitless volunteer and “Friends’’ relationships[22].  Many risks associated with volunteer programs are avoidable through museums endorsing set budgets for volunteer programs, allocating tasks that are meaningful but do not take away from the roles of paid staff with an ultimate aim to add value to the cultural collections[23]. Furthermore, it is suggested that roles set out clearly defined projects with a thinking component and a degree of flexibility which furthers the organisation’s objectives whilst giving the volunteer a sense of ownership and empowerment as part of the museum[24]. This will avoid uncertainty and conflict and give the volunteer a sense of belonging through attainable achievements and create an effective exchange[25]. Cookworthy clearly elaborates their expectations of the volunteer through their volunteer handbook, Museums Projects: A Handbook for Volunteers, Work Experience and Temporary Staff, which comprehensively covers, among other things, volunteers’ tasks and the museum’s objectives as well as giving the volunteers defined roles within teams defined by tasks such as management, stewarding and curatorship[26]. This handbook ensures smooth running amongst a large team of volunteers and allows them to complete, “Virtually everything. They run the Museum with curatorial guidance from me (2 days a week),” according to the one paid staff member[27].

If the volunteer and “Friend” have a purposed role within the institution, effective retention techniques should be practised in order to maximise the reciprocal relationship and the effectiveness of their contribution.  Not only is recruiting new volunteers costly and time consuming[28] but it is at the volunteer’s discretion to leave the relationship at any time based on satisfaction and, thus, it is in the best interest of the organisation to ensure the longevity of their services[29]. Reciprocity based on giving and reward is a strength of the Friends of Urrbrae House who are rewarded for their financial contributions which fund the conservation and restoration of the heritage site with regular social events alongside public acknowledgements of “Friends” who have made significant contributions in regular newsletters[30]. Retention through a heightened sense of importance is seen in a newsletter where the president urges membership renewals through reminding current “Friends” how their membership can give them a sense of pride for “keep[ing] this beautiful house open” when seeing restoration projects that their membership funded[31]. This indicates how membership benefits can reinforce a relationship with the institution which can lead to more effective and enduring support from the “Friends” group[32]. The concept of reward can also assist in managing volunteer expectations and can help reinforce their aspirations to be part of the institution[33]. Arguably, intangible rewards, such as written thankyou notes, access to lunch rooms and invitations to meetings, heightens a volunteer’s sense of importance within the institution and will reinforce their place within the museum team[34]. Whilst the Cookworthy Museum does not indicate any form of tangible reward system, the strength of their volunteers’ commitment could be attributed to their acknowledgement of skill and worth within media[35] and the museum’s website[36]. Moreover, efficient volunteer management through effective retention increases positive outcomes for volunteer involvement within an institution.

The two case studies illustrate the different roles of volunteers and “Friends” within heritage house museums, in particular, and also illustrate the difference in structure between volunteer and “Friends” programs. Urrbrae House and the Cookworthy Museum demonstrate the appeal of house museums to locals who seek ways to express cultural identity and also illustrate how house museums sincerely welcome assistance as management involves extensive tasks that surpass the services of paid staff[37]. The roles within the team of 140 volunteers at Cookworthy Museum include managerial, curatorial, gardening and stewarding tasks[38] and are described as a self-assured and confident team in which their assistance ensures a sustainable future for the community of Devon[39]. The Friends of Urrbrae House also aim to promote the heritage of the house museum but through social activities, skill specific services, such as the financial services of a retired accountant[40], and fundraising activities rather than generalised labour attributed to volunteering[41]. Whilst “The Friends of Urrbrae House” are offered volunteering duties such as flower arranging and tour guiding, they are optional in nature which has led to many “sleeping volunteers” who are accruing the benefits of membership whilst not providing beneficial and practical help[42]. This is evident in letter from the President in a newsletter in which he urges the “Friends” to lend their skills to ensure the survival of the institution whilst also enjoying the more relaxed aspects of their membership[43].  The difference between the structured volunteering programme at Cookworthy and the more lenient involvement at Urrbrae House illustrates how different roles elicit varying degrees of effectiveness in harbouring consistent support and contribution from volunteers and “Friends”.

Art and house museums will work closely with volunteers and “Friends” for a variety of reasons and according to versatile relationship agreements. The purpose and role of the volunteer and “Friend” is far more complex than recruiting “free” labour and relies on multifaceted purpose, needs, and objectives of the institution and volunteer which will define distinctive, constructive roles.  A significant and overarching purpose of museums involving volunteers and “Friends” is to extend the cultural identity of the museum into their respective communities but will also be motivated by diverse reasons and benefits, such as reducing costs and museum branding.  However, it is important to solidify the purpose of volunteers and “Friends” through understanding their own motivations and needs and matching these to the institution through a thorough recruitment policy. Tasks for volunteers and “Friends” are shaped broadly by the institution’s needs and the volunteer’s interests and should be formalised through giving the volunteer and “Friend” prescribed roles in the institution, which are regularly positively reinforced through retention strategies. Moreover, the two case studies reveal how, in house museums in particular, the involvement of volunteers and “Friends” can effectively achieve community identity but will have varying levels of achievement of fulfilling the baseline needs of the institution through their articulated roles and expectations.

Bibliography

Arnoldi, Helen. Managing volunteers in museums & cultural collections: ten things you should know. Parkville, Vic: University of Melbourne Library, 2010.

Bowbridge, Nina, and Mark Creyton. Willing & able: recruiting, managing and retaining volunteers in museums and galleries. Fortitude Valley, Qld.: Museums Australia (Qld)/Regional Galleries Association of Queensland Partnership Program, 2002.

Cheshire, Vicki , ed. ” President’s Report.” Friends of Urrbrae House, February 2015,

Cheshire, Vicki , ed. “Volunteer profiles: Ramute Stankevicius.” The Friends of Urrbrae House, February 2016.

Deery, Margaret, Leo Jago, and Judith Mair. “Volunteering for Museums: The Variation in Motives across Volunteer Age Groups.” Curator: The Museum Journal 54, no. 3 (2011): 313-25.

Holmes, Kirsten, and Karen Smith. “Rewarding and Retaining Volunteers.” In Managing Volunteers in Tourism , 121-35. Oxford: Linacre House, 2009.

Kindrade, Leigh. “Culturing Volunteers: Volunteer Programs in Collecting Institutions.” INSITE Magazine, July & Aug. 2013, 5.

“Kingsbridge Cookworthy Museum.” Local Giving. Accessed April 22, 2017. https://localgiving.org/charity/kingsbridge-cookworthy-museum/.

Jones, Nigel. “The Cookworthy Museum at Kingsbridge.” The Devonshire Magazine, June & july 2014, 28-29. June 17, 2014. Accessed April 23, 2017. http://devonshiremagazine.co.uk/the-cookworthy-museum-at-kingsbridge/.

Middleton, Joy. “President’s Report.” Friends of Urrbrae House, January 2017, 1.

Renton, Tim. Volunteers in museums and heritage organisations: policy, planning and management. London: Office of Arts and Libraries, 1991.

United Kingdom. National Archives. Using Friends Groups to support fundraising. 2012.

Wallace, Bill. “President’s Notes.” Edited by Vicki Cheshire. The Friends Of Urrbrae House , November 2009, 1.

Wallace, M.A. “Volunteers: Your Face to the Public.” In Museum Branding: How to Create and Maintain Image, Loyalty and Support, 33-42. Lanham, New York, Toronto, Oxford: Altamira Press, 2006.

Young, Linda. “Is There a Museum in the House? Historic Houses as a Species of Museum.” Museum Management and Curatorship 22, no. 1 (2007): 59-77.

FOOTNOTES

[1]Nina Bowbridge and Mark Creyton, Willing & able: recruiting, managing and retaining volunteers in museums and galleries (Fortitude Valley, Qld.: Museums Australia (Qld)/Regional Galleries Association of Queensland Partnership Program, 2002), 1.

[2] Leigh Kindrade, “Culturing Volunteers: Volunteer Programs in Collecting Institutions,” INSITE Magazine (July & Aug 2013), 5.

[3] Bill Wallace, “President’s Notes,” edited by Vicki Cheshire, The Friends Of Urrbrae House , November 2009, 1.

[4] Bowbridge and Creyton, Willing & able, 9.

[5] Bowbridge and Creyton, Willing & able, V.

[6] “Kingsbridge Cookworthy Museum,” Local Giving, accessed April 22, 2017, https://localgiving.org/charity/kingsbridge-cookworthy-museum/.

[7] M.A. Wallace, “Volunteers: Your Face to the Public” in Museum Branding: How to Create and Maintain Image, Loyalty and Support (Lanham, New York, Toronto, Oxford: Altamira Press, 2006), 33.

[8] Bowbridge and Creyton, Willing & able, 2.

[9] Tim Renton, Volunteers in museums and heritage organisations: policy, planning and management (London: Office of Arts and Libraries, 1991), 5.

[10] Renton, Volunteers in museums and heritage organisations, 8.

[11] Nigel Jones, “The Cookworthy Museum at Kingsbridge,” The Devonshire Magazine (June 17, 2014), accessed April 23, 2017, http://devonshiremagazine.co.uk/the-cookworthy-museum-at-kingsbridge/.

[12] Margaret Deery, Leo Jago and Judith Mair, “Volunteering for Museums: The Variation in Motives across Volunteer Age Groups,” Curator: The Museum Journal 54, no. 3 (2011), 318.

[13] Vicki Cheshire, “Volunteer profiles: Ramute Stankevicius,” The Friends of Urrbrae House, February 2016, 4.

[14] Deery, Jago and Mair, “Volunteering for Museums”, 321.

[15] Helen Arnoldi, Managing volunteers in museums & cultural collections: ten things you should know (Parkville, Vic: University of Melbourne Library, 2010), 27.

[16] Wallace, “Volunteers: Your Face to the Public,” 34.

[17] Wallace, “Volunteers: Your Face to the Public,” 34.

[18] Renton, Volunteers in museums and heritage organisations, 83.

[19] Renton, Volunteers in museums and heritage organisations, 83.

[20] Bowbridge and Creyton, Willing & able, 2.

[21] Arnoldi, Managing volunteers in museums & cultural collections, 28.

[22] Kindrade, “Culturing Volunteers”, 5.

[23] Kindrade, “Culturing Volunteers”, 5.

[24] Arnoldi, Managing volunteers in museums & cultural collections, 35.

[25] Arnoldi, Managing volunteers in museums & cultural collections, 35.

[26] Renton, Volunteers in museums and heritage organisations, 84.

[27] Renton, Volunteers in museums and heritage organisations, 83.

[28] Kirsten Holmes and Karen Smith, “Rewarding and Retaining Volunteers” in Managing Volunteers in Tourism (Oxford: Linacre House, 2009), 121.

[29] Holmes and Smith, “Rewarding and Retaining Volunteers,” 121.

[30] Joy Middleton, “President’s Report,” Friends of Urrbrae House, January 2017, 1.Wallace, “President’s Notes,”1.

[31] Middleton, “President’s Report,” , 1.

[32] United Kingdom, National Archives, Using Friends Groups to support fundraising (2012), 12.

[33] Holmes and Smith, “Rewarding and Retaining Volunteers,” 123.

[34] Wallace, “Volunteers: Your Face to the Public,” 37-40.

[35]  Renton, Volunteers in museums and heritage organisations, 84.

[36]  Renton, Volunteers in museums and heritage organisations, 84.

[37]  Linda Young, “Is There a Museum in the House? Historic Houses as a Species of Museum,” Museum Management and Curatorship 22, no. 1 (2007), 75.

[38]  Renton, Volunteers in museums and heritage organisations, 83.

[39] “Kingsbridge Cookworthy Museum,” last accessed 23 April 2017.

[40] Cheshire, “Volunteer profiles: Ramute Stankevicius”, 4.

[41] Renton, Volunteers in museums and heritage organisations, 13.

[42] Renton, Volunteers in museums and heritage organisations, 13.

[43]Vicki Cheshire, ed, “President’s Report,” Friends of Urrbrae House, February 2015, 1.