Volunteer Opportunities
Every year, the Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center is supported by over 100 volunteers who collectively contribute thousands of hours – making the Museum a truly community-run enterprise! We offer a wide range of volunteer opportunities with on-the-job training provided by staff.
Besides receiving our deep appreciation, all volunteers are also invited to participate in bi-annual volunteer field trips – many of which give our volunteers a behind-the-scenes look at points of historical interest in the area. We also host an annual volunteer appreciation party in November to celebrate all you do for the Museum.
Take a look through our volunteer opportunities below and see if something might be a good fit for you! If so, please fill out our volunteer contact form and someone will be in contact with you soon.
All new volunteers must complete 30 hours of docenting before moving on to other projects.
Docent
Volunteer docents staff the Museum’s front desk during our open season (March through December). With the help of staff members, docents open and close the Museum, greet visitors, orient visitors to our galleries, run the gift shop, and answer questions about exhibits, our institution, and the Swannanoa Valley/Buncombe County area. Docents are the face of the Museum!
We need docents more than any category of volunteers. Docent shifts run 3.5 hours, from 10:00am – 1:30pm or from 1:30pm – 5:00pm, Tuesday – Saturday. Docents can choose to do as many or as few shifts as they would like. Many docents sign-up for one shift a week while others do several a few shifts a year. This is a great way from newcomers to the area to get to know our community and our history.
Committees
There are numerous opportunities to serve on various committees at the museum based on your interests and experience. Some of these committees include Collections (helping decide what comes in and out of the museum), Education (helping guide the educational programming and outreach at the museum), and Special Events (these fundraising events are educational and fun!).
Education
Education volunteers work with staff to design educational programming and lesson plans for school groups. This can include assisting with or co-leading walking tours, exhibit tours, and/or educational activities at the Museum as well as developing lesson plan materials for History-in-a-Box use in classrooms. We especially love filling our Education Committee with retired or aspiring teachers!
Marketing & Social Media
Volunteers interested in social media and marketing can work with staff to create social media posts for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, research effective social media methodologies, and expand outreach (digital and material) for ongoing events. Volunteers working in this field also have the opportunity to create press releases, write research articles for the Black Mountain News, and develop an online store for SVM’s digital products.