I would second the approach for making the "job descriptions" as specific as possible if you can identify projects with the skills that people might have. For instance, we got a great response when we let it be known that we wanted skilled people to sew repro period clothing, than had a couple of sewing bees. People came to learn, and share their skills with others and we now have a core group of ladies & one gentleman who can sew just about anything we need. Also when we had a particularly challenging hands-on activity that we wanted, we posted "volunteer opportunities" on our web site for people with mechanical or engineering background to help us work out what to do. We got a retired machinist who I think is having fun applying his skills in a new way. Ditto for carpentry projects, gardening, and retired educators. Ella Aderman Site Supervisor Pennypacker mills www.historicsites.montcopa.org <http://www.historicsites.montcopa.org/> ________________________________ From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Tamara Lange Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 2:18 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Where to get volunteers? I would second working with local businesses, especially any that have a volunteer program where people give a few hours of time (often work time) to the community. We also have a large contingent of retired educators who work with the Museum on our education programs. My other thought relates to the idea of making postings "interesting." Even though it is tempting to offer up opportunities that are wide ranging, I am finding that many of my most positive responses have been to fairly targeted volunteer opportunities, rather than very open ended advertisements. Perhaps more so than making a posting interesting, it is making several postings that would appeal to different personalities / interests. All that being said, I think word of mouth is one of the most successful recruitment tools available. Perhaps have a "Bring a Friend" event that invites current volunteers to bring a friend they feel might be interested n helping out in some way. Tamara Sent from my iPad On Feb 2, 2011, at 6:53 AM, las <[log in to unmask]> wrote: I know this question is probably one of the 6 questions that gets recycled all the time, but I could use your (great) input regarding what you have used as effective resources for getting volunteers. I am a curator at a history museum where we staff the permanat gallery with volunteers at the reception desk near the front door for 4 hour shifts, each committ to once a week. Many love that time that they use for themselves to read, write, do follow up study notes on "last night's bible study" or their homework. Others like us to give them work to do from the archives upstairs. Either way, it's an important job, though not always the most exciting because anyone who walks in the door must see this person first. Part concierge, part security, part museum gift shop sales "employee," part basic "tour guide." We have used the usual resources and I need some fresh ideas. Can you help? Best, Laurie ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at <http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/> http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to <mailto:[log in to unmask]> [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to <mailto:[log in to unmask]> [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).