VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Durham Museum Volunteers are an extraordinary group of individuals who take pride in our unique heritage and enjoy sharing their experiences with visitors from around the world. As a volunteer, you will have an opportunity to interact with a diverse array of visitors, as well as with other volunteers and staff who share similar interests and passions.

Visitor Experience

ADMISSION DESK ATTENDANT

If you love interacting with people, this is the spot for you! Be the first to welcome our guests from all over the world to The Durham Museum. This volunteer performs day-to-day duties at the admissions desk, including collecting admission, sharing the benefits of museum membership and answering questions about museum layout and programming. This role contributes to the mission of the museum through efficient daily operations and excellent customer experience.

MEMBERSHIP AMBASSADOR

Serve as an information hub for the museum’s membership program! Membership Ambassadors will host the membership information table, letting guests know about our “admission to membership” trade-in program and the features of various membership levels. They will help answer membership and museum related questions and even give away fun prizes! This role contributes to the mission of the museum through promotion of membership, which supports the museum in many ways.

MUSEUM SHOP ATTENDANT

The Durham’s Hitchcock Museum Shop is filled with items as unique as the museum itself. In our museum shop, you will help guests find the perfect piece of history to take home. From toy trains and museum memorabilia to autobiographies and educational games, there truly is something for every guest! This role contributes to the mission of the museum through efficient daily operations and excellent customer experience.

Visitor ENGAGEMENT

DAILY ACTIVITIES VOLUNTEER

Do you love visiting The Durham Museum’s permanent exhibits? The Daily Activities Volunteers welcome guests to the permanent exhibits with additional artifacts, activities, photos and engaging questions. Each day of the week includes daily activities in a different part of the museum, so volunteers can get to know multiple areas or stick with a favorite! Areas include the log cabin, one-room schoolhouse, earth lodge and much more! Plus, we offer train tours and tours of the Suzanne and Walter Scott Great Hall, so you can dip your toes into being a tour guide! This role contributes to the mission of the museum by providing educational and engaging content to our everyday visitors.

DOCENT

Do you love history and want to share that passion with others? A Museum Docent might be the perfect fit for you. Docents are needed year-round for both student field trips and adult groups that want a unique, guided experience at our National Historic Landmark. Docents receive training through printed and digital materials as well as ample opportunities to shadow and train with current staff and docents. Our visiting groups are consistently reporting their assigned docent is the best part of their experience! This role contributes to the mission of the museum by providing educational and engaging content to school groups, adults groups, and others.

EDUCATION AMBASSADOR

Do you want to go on a Field Trip?  The Durham Museum serves around 15,000 students and teachers just through our school-year field trip program. Our Education Ambassadors make that possible. This volunteer position works solely with field trips groups, guiding a class of students to their assigned rotations where a docent is waiting to present. We promise you will learn something new on your field trip to The Durham! This role contributes to the mission of the museum by providing a hassle-free and memorable field trip experience as classes visit multiple areas throughout the museum.

GALLERY GUIDE

History comes alive within The Durham Museum’s exhibitions. Gallery Guides move throughout the museum greeting and interacting with visitors. Spend your day amongst temporary exhibitions from all over the world or engage with guests in our permanent exhibitions. This role contributes to the mission of the museum by providing educational and engaging content to our everyday visitors with an excellent customer experience.

PLATFORM PATROL

Do you like trains, Legos and pool noodles? Then this is the job for you! The Platform, on the lower level of the museum, features an industrial, workshop-like aesthetic, with a focus on creating, building and innovating. Volunteers in this space will interact with children, families and adults to engage them in creative activities while keeping the area safe and organized. This role contributes to the mission of the museum by providing educational and engaging content to our everyday visitors.

TRAIN CAR HOST

“Last call…Union Pacific #1202 going west.” One of the most popular displays at The Durham are the train cars from the 1940s and 50s. Train Car Hosts greet guests as they climb aboard the train cars to take a trip back in time. Whether you’ve worked on the railroad, or simply love trains, share your passion for travel from days gone by. This role contributes to the mission of the museum by providing educational and engaging content to our everyday visitors coming to see our most popular attraction.

BEHIND THE SCENES

DURHAM SHINE SQUAD

It takes a lot of work to keep our museum exhibitions dust free and shiny for our guests. Join The Durham Shine Squad and put your cleaning skills to good use. You will be given all the supplies needed to dust exhibit props and wipe-away those pesky fingerprints from artifact cases. Volunteers are needed for 45-60 minutes each day throughout the week and schedules are flexible. Dust bunnies need not apply! This role contributes to the mission of the museum by providing behind-the-scenes care for our public areas, ensuring guests have a clean and welcoming experience.

EXHIBIT INSTALLATION VOLUNTEER

Be a part of the crew that makes our traveling exhibit program possible! The museum’s exhibit team needs your help installing and deinstalling the latest traveling exhibition to visit The Durham. These exhibits bring in visitors from miles away, and it all starts with a successful installation. While you don’t have to be an expert in exhibit installation, knowledge in any of these areas is a plus: audio-visual, power/hand tools, painting, technology, lighting/electrical, etc. This could be an area of interest based on your current career or just a hobby! This role contributes to the mission of the museum by providing behind-the-scenes support for our educational and engaging traveling exhibitions.

MUSEUM MAILING VOLUNTEER

Are you looking for a behind-the-scenes role that will make a big impact? Volunteer as a part of our monthly membership mailings! Each month, these mailings provide members with a helpful reminder to renew their membership, along with additional information. Volunteer help compile materials, label envelopes, and sort materials to be mailed. This role contributes to the mission of the museum through promotion of membership, which supports the museum in many ways.

PHOTO ARCHIVE VOLUNTEER

Are you interested in seeing the world in snapshot form? Do you love looking at photographs, either old or new? Then The Durham Museum’s Photo Archive is the place to be! Volunteers take part in the process of digitizing and researching photos from our collection of over 1 million images. This role contributes to the mission of the museum by providing behind-the-scenes support for our preservation work.

SPECIAL EVENTS

RECURRING SPECIAL EVENT VOLUNTEER

Love the museum’s events but can’t commit to a regular volunteer schedule? Become a special events volunteer! The Durham Museum hosts several special events throughout the year, including member previews of exhibitions, The Great Hall-oween Haunt and our annual Christmas at Union Station celebration. From greeters and ushers to ticket takers and traffic control, there are countless opportunities to lend a hand and make this year’s events the best yet. This role contributes to the mission of the museum by providing support for our engaging events for the community.

For Seasonal Volunteer OPPORTUNITIES, visit our SHare Omaha page!

Don’t see something you like? No problem! Contact us today and share your interests…
we are sure to find just the right volunteer opportunity for you!