Was your New Year’s resolution to give back to your community? Volunteers play a crucial role at the Museum of Durham History through research, communications, guest interaction, and so much more. With thousands of visitors walking through our doors each year, our diverse group of volunteers provides a personal touch to the experience.  As 2019 will be an exciting year for Durham and the Museum as we commemorate the city’s sesquicentennial, we need your help to make it possible.

Aside from becoming part of a dedicated group of community members, our volunteers are able to gain real-world experience in their chosen field or major by putting skills into practice and will have material for their portfolios and as well as experience for their resume. 

If you are interested in joining our team, check out the key responsibilities for our positions below and fill out an application today!

Guest Experience Volunteer:

• Assists with general museum reception and visitor services, meets and greets the general public at the reception desk
• Provides general information about the museum, exhibits and the community
• Answers the telephone and fields calls to appropriate staff members
• Relays accurate information about planned programs/events
• Ensures all exhibit areas are tidy and functioning
• Assists visitors with recording their personal memories in the Story Room
• Collects visitor feedback and communicates to staff
• May assist in special projects such as developing and providing programs, researching exhibits, and processing Story Room collections

Social Media Volunteer:

• Assist the Director of Operations in evaluating and implementing the MoDH’s social media strategy
• Work with the Director of Operations to establish key metrics and report them regularly to the team
• Establishing a long-term social media plan
• Writing and posting updates, tweets, events, videos, etc. for our blog, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram
• Tracking the growth and impact of social media on our non-profit

Story Squad Coordinator Volunteer:

• Coordinate and communicate with the Story Squad group regarding scheduling interview sessions.
• Promote the Museum’s oral history program to relevant groups in the community.
• Upload and document stories recorded in the Museum’s Story Room.
• Work with other volunteers on Oral History projects.

The Story Room is a recording booth at the museum where our visitors can record their own memories and experiences of Durham. The story manager will coordinator our group of volunteers that are trained in the art of interviewing. These volunteers are periodically trained in interview skills. We currently have 2 volunteers on staff that help upload our stories and edit them. We just recently had a story room squad training in the beginning of March.  The manager will track the requests, allocate interviews, work with the volunteers and work on specific story room projects.

VOLUNTEER APPLICATION