This document discusses volunteering opportunities in cultural heritage institutions. It defines volunteering and outlines common volunteering roles including administrative support, customer service, and governance. Benefits of volunteering are described for both individuals and institutions. Institutions benefit from volunteers taking on roles that organizations lack resources to fulfill. Volunteers gain new skills and experience. The document also reviews relevant legislation and best practices for managing volunteers, such as developing clear policies and providing training and support. Crowdsourcing is discussed as an emerging way for cultural organizations to engage online volunteers.

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Management Module
Topic 5d
Volunteering in
your Country

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Learning Outcomes
 To understand the opportunities for undertaking
voluntary work in the cultural heritage sector.
 To identify the motivations and benefits of volunteering
 To understand the role of volunteers within cultural
heritage institutions
 To understand the relevant policy and legislation cultural
institutions must take into account when recruiting
volunteers

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What is Volunteering?
Any activity that involves spending
time, unpaid, doing something that
aims to benefit the environment or
someone (individuals or groups)
other than, or in addition to, close
relatives.
(Volunteering England)

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Volunteering Roles
There are a number of different volunteering roles within
different organisations, including but not limited to:
 Internships
 Administrative support
 Customer service
 Mentoring and Befriending
 Trustees and governance
 Volunteer Driving

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Why Volunteer?
 For Leisure
 Free time
 Social reasons
 Academic path
 Personal learning and enrichment
 To pursue a career (e.g. interest in gaining access to
museums, galleries and heritage sector)

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Volunteering Statistics
 In 2008/09 41% of adults volunteered formally (giving unpaid help
through a group, club or organisation) and 62% volunteered
informally (giving unpaid help as an individual to someone who is not
a relative)(2008/09 DCLG Citizenship Survey).
 In 2007/08 formal volunteers contributed an estimated £22.7 billion
to the UK economy (UK Civil Society Almanac).
 The average number of hours spent volunteering per volunteer
declined by 30% between 1997 and 2007 (Helping Out, 2007).
 Evidence also suggests that there is a trend towards more episodic
volunteering (The UK Civil Society Almanac 2009).
(Institute for Volunteering Research: http://www.ivr.org.uk/ivr-volunteering-
stats)

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Who Volunteers?
 Volunteers are involved in a range of sectors. In 2008/09 the most popular
sectors for formal volunteers were: sport/exercise (53%), hobbies,
recreation/arts/ social clubs (42%). religion (36%), children’s
education/schools (34%), youth children’s activities (outside school) (32%),
health, disability and social welfare (25%), local community or
neighbourhood groups (24%), the environment, animals (20%) (2008/09
DCLG Citizenship Survey).
 Volunteers carry out a range of activities in their roles. In 2008/09 the most
popular activities for formal volunteers were: organising or helping to run an
event (55%), raising or handling money/ taking part in sponsored events
(52%), leading the group/ member of committee (37%), providing transport/
driving (26%), giving information/advice/counselling (24%), visiting people
(24%), secretarial, clerical or admin work (23%), befriending or mentoring people
(21%) (2008/09 DCLG Citizenship Survey).
(Institute for Volunteering Research: http://www.ivr.org.uk/ivr-volunteering-stats )

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Volunteering and Employment
 87% of employers think that volunteering can have a generally
positive effect on career progression for people aged 16-25.
However, nearly 30% felt that volunteering was irrelevant when
considering a particular job application. A further 30% felt that
volunteering was only relevant if linked directly to the field of work
(Youth Volunteering: Attitudes and Perceptions, 2008, v).
 In 2007/08 over 2 million people in England volunteered through an
employer supported volunteering scheme. A quarter (25%) of
employees are offered a scheme by their employer, with 43% of
those offered a scheme taking part at least once in the last year
(2008/09 DCLG Citizenship Survey).
(Institute for Volunteering Research: http://www.ivr.org.uk/ivr-volunteering-
stats )

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A Volunteer’s Perspective
 Have you volunteered in a museum/gallery/heritage site? (If
not, try to find someone who has and ask them the following
questions):
1. Why did you do it?
2. What type of jobs did you do?
3. What did you get out of it?
4. Was the experience disappointing in any way?
5. Was too much or too little asked of you?
6. What contribution did you feel you gave?
7. Did you feel appreciated/valued, or unappreciated? How was
this expressed?
8. Did you feel ‘managed’? In what ways?

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Benefits of Volunteering - Personal
 Enhancing study
 Contributing to a cause
 Gaining new knowledge, skills and experience
 Developing existing skills and knowledge
 Enhancing a CV
 Improving employability
 Meeting new people
 Using one's professional skills and knowledge to benefit others

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Task One (1 hour):
Benefits of Volunteering - Institutional
Read Chapter 2 of the following publication:
Goodlad, S. and McIvor, S. (1998) Museum Volunteers:
Good Practice in the Management of Volunteers. London:
Routledge
Take a few moments to write down a few reasons why
cultural institutions use volunteers. Things to consider:
 What roles do volunteers carry out?
 How are these roles beneficial for cultural institutions?
 What problems may arise?
 How can volunteers be managed successfully to prevent these
problems from arising?

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The Role of Volunteers within
Museums and Cultural Institutions
 Assist museums in meeting their core aims and objectives
 A significant and influential audience
 To undertake specific, tailored projects such as documenting
and researching collections
 To act as ambassadors for the institution
 To undertake work that institutions may not have the funding,
staff or resources to dedicate to e.g. tackling backlogs.
 To provide a direct link with the local community

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Volunteer Policies – Considerations
Why involve volunteers? Museums and heritage institutions must
carefully consider their reasons for offering volunteer opportunities
and how they will support volunteers in their roles. Many develop
volunteer policies that outline key factors that must be considered
before embarking on volunteering projects. These include:
 Recruitment of Volunteers
 Induction and training
 Expenses
 Supervision and Support
 Health and Safety
 Problem Solving and managing disputes
‘Developing a Volunteer Policy’ Museum Practice, November 2010:

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Task Two (1 hour)
In order to develop a better understanding of current
practice in volunteering in the cultural and heritage
sector, search for relevant information about
volunteering at museum and heritage sites in your own
country and share your findings with fellow course mates
through a wiki. Things to consider:
 Available opportunities
 Volunteering statistics
 Relevant policies and legal frameworks
 Challenges and opportunities for organisations

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Good Practice for Managing Volunteers
 Devise mini-projects with a definite life-span
 Prepare tailored job descriptions for recruitment of volunteers
 Take into account the volunteer’s requirements as well as the institution
 Evaluate the extent to which volunteers can be offered training and, in
some cases, responsibility
 Make sure relevant staff members are are available for shadowing and
supervision
 Log what volunteers do and the hours they commit (e.g. via a signing in
book)
 Evaluate volunteer performance through written reports and formal
meetings
 Outline any training needs and assess the contribution of volunteers

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What should institutions offer their
volunteers?
 The opportunity to contribute
 Induction and training sessions
 A manageable workload and appropriate responsibility
 A sense of belonging and appreciation
 Confidentiality of personal information
 Insurance within the workplace
 Refund expenses incurred for transport and food (often dependent
upon number of hours worked)

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Legal Obligations for Institutions
 Reimbursement
 Health and Safety
 Insurance:
 Data Protection
 Copyright
 Complaint’s Procedure
 Risk Assessment
‘Volunteers: Your Legal Obligations’ Museum Practice, November 2010:
http://www.museumsassociation.org/museum-practice/volunteers/15112010-volunteers-legal-
obligations

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Working with Volunteers –
adhering to UK Legislation
Institutions must consider the following UK
legislation when recruiting and working with
volunteers
Equal Opportunities Policy
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
Children Act 1989
Disability Discrimination Act 1995

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Volunteering Online –
Crowdsourcing Projects
What is crowdsourcing?
‘The act of taking a job traditionally performed by
a designated agent (usually an employee) and
outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large
group of people in the form of an open call’
Jeff Howe, Wired Magazine

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Types of Crowdsourcing Projects
facilitated by Cultural Institutions
 Correction and Transcription: E.g. correcting and/or transcribing outputs
of digitisation
 Contextualisation: E.g. adding contextual knowledge to objects
 Complementing Collections: E.g. pursuing objects to be included in an
exhibit or collection
 Classification: E.g. gathering descriptive metadata related to the objects
in a collection
 Co-curation: E.g. collaborating with non -museum professionals to create
exhibits
 Crowdfunding: E.g. pooling money and other resources together to
support efforts initiated by others
(Oomen, J. Aroyo, L. (2011) Crowdsourcing in the Cultural Heritage Domain: Opportunities and Challenges)

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Examples of Successful Online Volunteering
Projects in Cultural Institutions
What different types of crowdsourcing are
reflected in the following examples?
 Old Weather (National Maritime Museum, National Archives
etc.) http://www.oldweather.org
 UK Soundmap (British Library) http://sounds.bl.uk/Sound-
Maps/UK-Soundmap
 What’s on the Menu? (New York Public Library)
http://menus.nypl.org
 Citizen Archivist (American National Archives)
http://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist/

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Task Three (I hour)
Drawing upon the key themes of this topic, research a successful
volunteering project (onsite or online) within a cultural heritage
institution from your own country and present your findings in a blog
post (1000 words max). If volunteering is not a common activity in
your country, select a project from another country to complete the
task.
Things to consider:
 What does the institution do? (Mission statement, vision etc.)
 What did the volunteering project entail?
 In what way did it involve volunteers?
 What was the role of the volunteers and what was the role of the institution
within the project? How did the project benefit both parties?
 In what way was the project successful?

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Volunteering Resources
 Institute for Volunteering Research: http://www.ivr.org.uk
 Volunteering England: http://www.volunteering.org.uk
 American Association for Museum Volunteers (AAMV):
http://www.aamv.org/about-aamv/
 Time Bank – Volunteering Stats: http://timebank.org.uk/key-facts
 Museums Association:
http://www.museumsassociation.org/careers/volunteering
 Volunteering England ‘Good Practice Bank’:
http://www.volunteering.org.uk/goodpractice/themes

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Bibliography
 British Association of Friends of Museums (1999) The Handbook for Heritage
Volunteer Managers and Administrators. BAFM/Carnegie Trust
 Da Milano, C. Gibbs, K.and Sani, M. (eds.) (2009) Volunteers in museums and cultural
heritage : a European handbook. Ljubljana : Slovenian Museum Association. [Onine]
Available at: http://www.amitie.it/voch/VoCH_Final_Publication_EN.pdf
 Giles H. and Wolfenden, I.(1996) For Love, not Money: the role and organisation of
volunteers in art galleries and museums. University of Manchester
 Goodland, S. and McIvor,S. (1998) Museum Volunteers: Good Practice in the
Management of Volunteers. London: Routledge
 Green, T. and Stuart, M. (1998) The Good Practice Guide for Everyone Who Works with
Volunteers. The National Centre for Volunteering, London
 Heaton, D. (1992) Museums Among Friends: the wider museum community. Museums
and Galleries Commission. HMSO, London
 Holmes, K. (1999) Changing Times: Volunteering in the Heritage Sector 1984-1999.
Voluntary Action 1(2):21-35. Available at:
http://www.ivr.org.uk/images/stories/Institute-of-Volunteering-Research/VA-
Documents/VA1_2/article2_holmes.pdf
 IVR (2006) Exhibiting Support... Developing Volunteering in Museums, Institute for
Volunteering Research: London. Available at:
http://www.ivr.org.uk/images/stories/Institute-of-Volunteering-Research/Migrated-
Resources/Documents/E/Exhibiting_Support.pdf

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Bibliography
 IVR (2005) Volunteering in Museums, Libraries and Archives, Institute for
Volunteering Research: London
 IVR (2008) Volunteers in Museums: Key Findings and Issues from the
Literature. [Online] Available at:
http://www.baringfoundation.org.uk/litreview.pdf
 Millar, S (1991) Volunteers in Museums and Heritage Organisations:
Policy, Planning and Management. London: HMSO
 National Centre for Volunteering (2002) Getting it Right from the Start,
Volunteer Policies – the Key to Diverse Volunteer Involvement, National
Centre for Volunteering: London
 Office of Arts and Libraries 1991 Volunteers in Museums and Heritage
Organisations: policy, planning, management. HMSO, London
 Oomen, J. Aroyo, L. (2011) Crowdsourcing in the Cultural Heritage
Domain: Opportunities and Challenges.
 Wasserman, C. (1990) Protecting Volunteers: guidelines for volunteer
organisers in voluntary and statutory agencies. The Volunteer Centre,
Berkhampstead