Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums: an overview with recommendations for future sustainability and growth - OpenArch Conference, Cardiff 2015
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by Andy Spencer, Ironbridge Institute, UK
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Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums: an overview with recommendations for future sustainability and growth - OpenArch Conference, Cardiff 2015
- 1. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums 11 An overview with recommendations for future sustainability and growth
- 2. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums AOAM = Archaeological Open-Air Museum
- 3. 3 Participating institutions… Ancient Technology Centre Bauspielplatz Roter Hahn e.V. Boyne Currach Heritage group Butser Ancient Farm Celtic Harmony Center of Living History “Oleshye" Ciutadella Ibèrica de Calafell Curia Vítkov Eindhoven Museum Fördererkreis Museumsdorf Düppel e. V. Fotevikens Museum Gallische Hoeve History Matters Lofotr Viking Museum Matrica Museum & Archaeological Park Oerlinghausen Parco Archeologico del Forcello Parco Archeologico didattico del Livelet Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen Sagnlandet Lejre Stiklestad National Culturecentre Stone Age Park in Dithmarschen Somerset CC Heritage Service Storholmen AOAM The Scottish Crannog Centre Veien Cultural Heritage Park Wikinger Museum Haithabu
- 4. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums Does your organisation use volunteers? 44 Yes No 90% 10%
- 5. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums How many volunteers? 55 0-20 21-40 41-60 61-80 81-100 100+ 55% 55% of AOAMs have 20 volunteers or less
- 6. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums How often do they volunteer? 66 Regular volunteer, at least once a week 29% Regular volunteer, at least once a month 14% Regular volunteer, less than once a month 10% Episodic volunteer, more than 1 event per year 28% Episodic volunteer, 1 event per year 27%
- 7. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums How many volunteer hours per week? 77 0-20 21-40 41-60 61-80 81-100 100-150 151-200 200+ 45% 45% of AOAMs receive 20 or less volunteer hours per week
- 8. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums 88 % of volunteers by age group 61-70 0-20 21-30 31-40 51-60 41-50 70+ 8% 17% 32% 19% 8% 11% 5% 68% 68% of volunteers are under the age of 41 years
- 9. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums 99 Volunteer work: Interpretation 70% of AOAMs use volunteers in interpretation 70%
- 10. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums 1010 Volunteer work: Service 22% 67% 48% 37% 26% 33% 10% Archives Display / Exhibition Reconstruction Research Fundraising Conservation / Restoration Other
- 11. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums The wider volunteer contribution 1111
- 12. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums Volunteer management 1212 70% of institutions have a specific person in charge of volunteers 70%
- 13. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums Volunteer management: Recruitment 1313 Word of mouth They approach us Friends groups Links with institutions In-house advertising External advertising Intermediaries 81% 74% 48% 44% 30% 30% 26% Recruiting volunteers is most challenging 50%
- 14. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums Volunteer management: Training 1414 Volunteers receive formal training 80% Volunteers receive a formal orientation 70%
- 15. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums Volunteer management: Reward 1515 Lunches, dinners etc Informal or verbal appreciation 85% 56% Awards or certificates 7% Other Discounts 20% 41%Volunteers receive recognition 75%
- 16. Matching reward with motivation 1616 Why do I volunteer? Confidence Personal growth LearningSocial Values 7% 28% 35% Career 14% 7% 14% Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums
- 17. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums I was taught a lesson in motivation... 1717
- 18. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums Volunteer management: Evaluation 1818 Only 24% of our volunteers receive regular evaluation 24%
- 19. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums Volunteers & the small AOAM 1919 17% of AOAMs are completely volunteer run 17% AOAMs with annual attendances of 5,000 or less 18%
- 20. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums Working with volunteers can be intimidating… 2020
- 21. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums We don’t work with volunteers… 2121
- 22. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums Challenges 2222 A unique proposition Patterns of volunteerism Engaging with the local community / tourist destination? Staff / Volunteer ‘conflict’
- 23. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums Volunteers: Greatest Insight 2323
- 24. Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer use within Archaeological Open-Air Museums Growth & Sustainability 2424
Editor's Notes
- 1. For many archaeological open-air museums, volunteers are an essential and highly visible component of an effective institution. 2. Volunteers bring museums to life with meaningful interpretive contacts and offer institutions the opportunity to broaden their mission and complete tasks that may not otherwise be possible. 3. Current trends in heritage institutions predict ever-shrinking budgets and with extra demands on staff it is likely that museums will depend more and more on volunteers. Indeed many museums already depend on them just to keep the lights on while others are completely staffed by volunteers. 4. The goal of this study is to report how volunteers are currently used within archaeological open-air museums and to continue the discussion regarding some best practises regarding volunteer management.
- 1. ‘Archaeological open-air museums’ is quite a mouthful. So going forward I will be using the acronym AOAMs. 2. This presentation came out a case study that I did as part of my postgraduate work at the University of Birmingham. 3. My primary methodology was an online survey: 32 EXARC institutions took part (a 43% response rate) with an additional 11 institutions taking part in a supplemental survey. 4. As you can see, the respondents represented 14 European countries with the most heavily represented countries being the United Kingdom (25%) and Germany (19%). 5. I compared my findings with other museum volunteer surveys including: Institute for Volunteering Research Volunteers in Museums and Cultural Heritage: A European Handbook 6. I would like to stress that this is an introductory study: its purpose is more to continue a discussion about how volunteers are currently used and what kind of management practises we could be using to develop and professionalise the management of our volunteers.
- 1. As you can see, a wide range of institutions took part and I would like to say thank you to all of these EXARC members. 2. Considering the wide variety of day to day realities within our museums we should remember that one size does not fit all and that any recommendations must take this into consideration. Different countries, different sizes, different audiences, and different missions. 3. Now, if your institution’s name is not up here (y’know like St Fagan’s) and you missed your chance to complete one of my online surveys then don’t worry - I will be using online surveys to complete my dissertation which will focus of aspects of interpretation and authenticity; and the changing nature of AOAMs and their relationships with the heritage visitor. 4. So if you are willing to help out, I’d really appreciate it Please let me know via email or I have cards up here if you would like to participate. 5. I do share all my findings with participating institutions.
- 1. I’d like to start the presentation with some demographic information and then talk briefly about some suggested best practices of volunteer management… 2. As you can see… Volunteers are widely used within AOAMs (with over 90% of AOAMs working with volunteers in some capacity). This demonstrates the importance of volunteers through our community.
- 1. Obviously there is a great variety within the AOAMs of EXARC and this is reflected in the varied number and use of volunteers. 2. While some institutions have longstanding traditions of volunteer use (often with over 100 volunteers): a majority of our institutions are small and often quite new facilities, working with 20 volunteers or less.
- 1. Looking at the graphic we see that a majority of volunteers (about 55%) are episodic – meaning they volunteer for specific events rather than volunteering on a regular basis. 2. Volunteering for specific events is a much larger part of AOAMs than regular museums. This may be due to the large amount of specific calendar-based events that appeal to volunteers with specific skills or interests such as Viking markets, Iron Age days or Roman events or it may be due to the sheer number of volunteers utilized at events or a combination of both. 3. One avenue of increasing volunteer commitment and growth is to encourage episodic volunteers to become regularly contributing volunteers – a new volunteer may contribute to a single event but with encouragement and a positive experience that volunteer can be involved in several events and may transition into becoming a regular volunteer. 4. Moving episodic volunteers (around what I call the ‘wheel of commitment’, indicated here) into becoming regular volunteers can be challenging due to the individual motivations of the volunteer. However research shows that engaged regular volunteers are much more likely to contribute in other ways through membership and financial support.
- 1. The total volunteer service for institutions ranged from 1-20 hours per week to over 200 volunteer hours per week. Across all institutions the average service was about 40 hours per week total with 45% of participating AOAMs receiving less than 20 hours per week. 2. According to comparative surveys, the average volunteer commitment for museums in general is significantly higher with an average of 65 volunteer hours per week (as opposed to 40). 3. As we think about increasing the time commitment of volunteers it is important to be aware of a couple of larger issues facing volunteerism in the modern world: Time Poverty: Potential volunteers are facing increasingly complex demands on their time with multiple time constraints. The traditional models of volunteer service may be less appropriate than in the past. Competition: a side effect of the growing number of non-profit entities has been the competition amongst museums for limited volunteers. The institutions with organized and vibrant volunteer programs are more likely to attract more volunteers. Changing expectations: younger volunteers are motivated by a wide variety of issues, concerns and drives and we must be flexible enough to address these concerns and support the needs of younger volunteers. 4. We must find new ways of engaging individuals through more flexible volunteering options, devolving elements of responsibility and leadership, creating family and friends-friendly options, and clearly identifying and promoting the personal benefits of volunteering.
- 1. Generally speaking volunteers within the heritage sector are typically older, retired individuals and the act of retirement was found to have a significant impact on their decision to volunteer. Indeed most research indicates that the average age of general museum volunteers is about 55. 2. My research suggests AOAM volunteers are typically younger with an average age around 30. Why should this be? 3. I speculate that strong connections within university-based experimental archaeology programs encourage college-age volunteers and the physical, active and social nature of participation is attractive to younger people. 4. A final demographic concerns gender: about 45% of museums responded that they have a 50/50 balance of male and female volunteers while the remaining responses produced a typical bell-curve of participation. (More research is needed on this topic). 5. So what do all these volunteers actually do?
- 1. In general volunteers provide two types of work: interpretation and service. While both are essential: interpretive work is much more visible. 2. This includes all forms of information presentation including costumed and non-costumed interpretation, 1st person and 3rd person interpretation, tour guides, and the presentation of traditional crafts.. 3. Interpretation is incredibly person-intensive –but is essential for today’s visitor. We all know that static displays are not enough to engage, educate and entertain the visitor 4. The method of interpretation is split 50 / 50 between: 1st person costumed interpreters, and: 3rd person non-costumed interpreters. This ‘either-or’ methodology is recommended by LiveArch. 5. The time involved in recruiting and training volunteers – specifically 1st person costumed interpreters is enormous and it make sense to protect and nurture that investment through the wise use of volunteer best practices. Institutions invest a lot more time into these interpreters making it even more essential to retain experienced volunteers.
- 1. Service work is equally important as it accomplishes a range of tasks that may otherwise remain undone. As well as support work, a large number of volunteers are actively involved in the creation and reconstruction of buildings, exhibits and environments – elements that are critical to the success of most AOAMs. 2. When asked, 75% of respondents stated that using volunteers allowed the institution to complete projects that could not otherwise be done. The use of volunteers also saved money and promoted community involvement. 3. Utilizing volunteers facilitates the growth of institutions: looking at this list, think about how many of these types of things you could accomplish but are unable to because of limited staff.
- 1. Above and beyond these specific activities, volunteers support a number of critical functions that can enhance sustainability. 2. These include: Offering specialist knowledge especially in the area of traditional skills, crafts and construction that staff may not have. A direct link to visitors: for example, 20 interpretive volunteers see and hear a great deal of visitor feedback and this can be relayed to management to affect positive change. Volunteers can also advocate for the institution: for example, happy volunteers can tell your story and encourage others to visit and indeed volunteer. 3. Of course the reverse can also be true: disgruntled volunteers can quickly damage the reputation of the institution. 4. While volunteers contribute a great deal, it is essential that the museum provides a safe and nurturing environment in which volunteers feel comfortable and needed. A well-organised volunteer program provides the structure that ensures volunteers can be as effective and happy as possible.
- 1. So let’s take a look at volunteer management: how can we develop our volunteer programs, increase volunteer commitment and contribute to the sustainability of our institutions? 2. There are few basic concepts of volunteer management that constitute best practise within the heritage sector. These include: Having an identified staff person responsible for volunteers Using active and fair recruitment practices Providing ongoing training Providing appropriate rewards Providing regular evaluation 3. Let’s take a look at each of these and see how AOAMs do in implementing these best practices. 4. As you can see, 70% do have a person responsible for volunteers. Compare that to a recent survey of Scottish museums: only about 3% of Scottish museums have a paid person dedicated to volunteer management. 5. Whatever their title, a volunteer manager is vital to the long term success of any volunteer program. With the multitude of demands on all members of staff there is a danger that the priority of the volunteer program can be lost. This can result in negative effects on volunteer commitment and morale.
- 1. Recruiting volunteers is challenging and time-consuming. Yet it is absolutely critical in sustaining a volunteer program. Without ongoing recruitment a volunteer program can stall. Indeed a majority of respondents indicated that they did not have enough volunteers to allow them to do what they wanted to do (55%). 2. AOAMs employ a variety of methods to recruit volunteers. These methods can be categorised as ACTIVE and PASSIVE. ACTIVE methodologies involve the expenditure of financial resources and focus on external advertising through press agencies etc. These are highlighted so… Active recruitment costs time and money. PASSIVE methodologies do not rely on additional resources or time but their success depends on the reputation of the institution. They include: ‘Word of mouth’, ‘volunteers approach us’ and the work of ‘Friends groups’. 3. These activities are widely utilized by the participants and can be very successful. While passive recruitment is seemingly free, institutions with stronger reputations have more of this ‘cultural capital’ to spend. As a consequence an institution with a good reputation and a happy volunteer group will find it easier to attract new volunteers. And engaged volunteers are themselves powerful recruiting tools (word of mouth). 4. It is recommended that museums utilize a variety of methods to recruit volunteers. Do what works for you. Remember recruitment is essential even if you have all the right volunteers – even volunteers get old and move on.
- 1. Once a volunteer has signed on then they should be provided with training - beginning with a formal induction – this is crucial as it not only provides volunteers with the institution’s history and background but it can be critical step in the retention of newer volunteers. All volunteers should receive an orientation to the museum so that they can articulate the values and mission of the institution to visitors. 2. Associated with this is complete and up to date documentation including application forms, task descriptions, health & safety, and if needed, a volunteer handbook. Accurate records should be kept to show the scope and breadth of volunteer involvement in the life of the institution. 3. Best practise volunteer training includes both specific role training and organizational training / orientation. 4. Ongoing training can increase volunteer satisfaction and improve volunteer retention. All volunteers should receive training that prepares them to perform their work to the best of their abilities.
- 1. Reward is critical when working with unpaid volunteers. Volunteers should be recognized and rewarded for the quality of work and commitment of their time. 2. The importance of informal appreciation cannot be overstated and volunteer satisfaction is highest when communication between staff and volunteers is effective and frequent. 3. While the vast majority of institutions offer some type of informal appreciation, other types of rewards for volunteers include: - Allowances and stipends, - Accommodation and food, - Free entry, workshops, - Visiting other museums and sometimes accommodation. 4. But the most important part of reward is making sure it is appropriate and valued by the individual…
- 1. So what motivates volunteers to give freely of their time and skills? Considering our wide geographical and socio-economic situations it is difficult to generalize about motivations. You can’t control the motivations of volunteers and you can’t expect every volunteer to work simply for the ‘good of the organisation’. 2. Having a general understanding of your volunteers’ motivations can significantly increase the retention of experienced volunteers and attract new ones. 3. It has been shown that volunteers who received benefits that matched their motivations were more satisfied with their volunteer experience. 4. Using this model my research shows that the most important motivations for AOAM volunteers in this survey are: - Social opportunities / strengthening relationships; - And also learning new skills through direct, hands-on experience. 5. Focussing on the appropriate types of reward can improve volunteer satisfaction and commitment. 6. Remember that positive social interactions are not just with other volunteers but with staff and, perhaps most importantly with visitors
- 1. If I may share a brief personal story about motivation… A couple of lifetimes ago… Raptor demonstration – 2. I learned that motivation is deeply personal and is often not completely understood by the individual. The effective volunteer manager shapes reward to reflect the motivations and drives of a variety of volunteers. 3. Understanding a volunteer’s motivations can increase their happiness and their commitment. It can be key not only in retaining experienced individuals But also attracting new volunteers.
- 1. Evaluating volunteers is difficult, time-consuming and potentially uncomfortable for everyone involved. Not everyone likes to be critiqued or indeed to critique other people. But evaluation can provide an opportunity to give positive reinforcement and creates an awareness of potential conflicts. 2. Volunteers should be evaluated for the quality of work they perform, and they should have the opportunity to evaluate their experience. Their critiques and suggestions should be taken seriously by staff. The best evaluation is a two-way street. 3. With only a quarter of our institutions performing regular evaluation more support could be offered to museums interested in using evaluation as a best practice tool.
- 1. For many AOAMs, volunteers are a must - not only to maximise interpretive impact for the visitors but simply to keep the doors open. With relatively small attendance rates and even smaller budgets, many of our AOAMs could not exist without volunteers. As such, a organised volunteer program is a must for smaller or new sites. 2. We should also remember that a significant number of our institutions are completely run by volunteers. Without their dedication we would not have the rich a variety of institutions that we currently enjoy. 3. As a heritage community we must find innovative ways of supporting new institutions through the sharing of knowledge and experience. EXARC is a great foundation but more can be done.
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- CAKE It is amazing to me how many times ‘cake’ is referenced in the responses from the survey. For example references include: ‘Copious opportunities to eat cake!’ ‘They eat a lot of cake’ ‘Volunteers survive on a heady mix of cake, tea, chat, hard work and dedication’ ‘Cake’ ‘Biscuits and cakes’ But perhaps best of all… ‘Free beer’ (which if you think about it, is just a kind of liquid cake) (So to prove the power of cake I am wondering if there is someone who will volunteer to help me eat this cake…)
- In conclusion… While this study is limited in scope and every institution works in a unique environment there are a few findings that can help to develop volunteer capacity and sustainability including: A designated volunteer coordinator is both an effective use of organizational funds and vital for the continued success of the volunteer program and museum. Active recruitment that uses methodologies that work for you High quality orientation and ongoing training is essential in retaining and improving the morale of volunteers. Ongoing two-way evaluation can improve volunteer satisfaction and provide much needed communication between staff and volunteers. A wider variety of flexible non-traditional volunteering options. Increased sharing of information, data, and best practices through EXARC (organizational standards). With volunteers we just do more, we are more.
- In closing I would like to thank the following for their generous support and encouragement : Steve Burrow and St. Fagan’s Dr. Roger White, University of Birmingham And Roeland Paardekooper and EXARC THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH!