Audrey,
I think this is a critically important issue. Our honoring has evolved over the past few years.
- Several years ago we launched what is now a volunteer appreciation dinner. Besides just a dinner and many thanks, we review the accomplishments of the volunteers over the past year and plans for the future. The intent is to provide an overview of how
the volunteer work fits into and is an integral part of the museum operation.
- Last year we shifted the focus a bit. We considered volunteers as a type of staff. We computed the hours of what we called "irregular" staff that included students, interns, volunteers, and community service learning groups. We found that their total
hours for the year (7600) nearly equaled that of our small full time staff (7900). Just in terms of sheer number of hours, these "irregular" staff were absolutely essential to the operation of our museum.
- Flowing from that, this year we changed the name of the event to the Volunteer/Staff Appreciation Dinner. We feel that this reconfiguration recognizes volunteers more as stakeholders at the institution. We also launched an annual service award that will
be given each year to a volunteer, regular staff member, or other advocate. This year the award went to the president of our friends group who has been active at the museum for many years.
Where we seem to be evolving is in recognizing that volunteers are absolutely as critical to the day-to-day functioning of our museum as the regular staff. By celebrating with the regular staff and not at an event distinct from the regular staff, that
recognition seems more effectively stated.
Thanks for listening,
Robert
--
Robert P. Connolly, PhD
Director, C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa
1987 Indian Village Drive, Memphis, Tennessee 38109
901-785-3160, ext. 15
Associate Professor, Anthropology
The University of Memphis 38152
901-678-3331
http://www.memphis.edu/chucalissa/
http://rcnnolly.wordpress.com/
The mission of the C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa, a division of
the University of Memphis, is to protect and interpret the Chucalissa archaeological site’s cultural and natural environments, and to provide the University Community and the public with exceptional educational, participatory, and research opportunities on
the landscape’s past and present Native American and traditional cultures.
We have a wonderful group of volunteers that have been doing some amazing work for us lately. We want to honor them in some way, but are trying to think of things to do that don't just involve buying everyone
lunch one day. What does everyone do for their volunteers to let them know how much they are appreciated?
Audrey Gayou
Collections Manager
University of Missouri Museum of Anthropology
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