Hello Everyone,

Soon, we will begin scheduling volunteers once again in our galleries.

As we discuss the issues and nuances of scheduling volunteers, we are acknowledging how volunteer staffing needs are sometimes seasonal.  School group visits are low in Jan. and Feb., but rock and roll during high field trip season in May.

Does anyone have suggestions of strategies of how to keep volunteers engaged during slower seasons--something other than not scheduling them entirely?

A couple ideas we already have are:  have professional development materials on hand for volunteers to view/study during slower days; or have program materials that need to be prepped (e.g. cutting, sorting, sharpening...)

At first these seem like excellent ideas; but, then the question becomes--who is going to prep the materials; and do we really have an endless need for materials to be cut, hole-punched in February?

Thank you for your suggestions.     

~Marne Bariso, Volunteer and Intern Manager, Chicago History Museum