Volunteer
Volunteers provide vital support to the tours, programs, special events, and daily operations of the Westcott House. We would not be able to manage the museum without them! Their passion helps fuel the celebration of preservation, architecture, design and innovation in Springfield. Invest in the Westcott House today, and help to educate visitors of all ages about the beauty and importance of preserving our architectural and cultural heritage. All are expected to be reliable and prompt and adhere to the same professional standards as museum staff.
NOW RECRUITING DOCENTS AND MUSEUM STORE VOLUNTEERS!
Docent
Docents are volunteers who conduct tours and interpret the Westcott House to the public. Our volunteers come from all walks of life, many with little or no previous formal education on the subject of architecture and design.
The Westcott House Foundation Docent Program is devised to prepare you for the role of docent at the Westcott House. Beginning February 18, there will be four sessions conducted on Saturdays 9am to 12pm. All trainees learn how to lead one-hour tour of the Westcott House. In addition to four sessions, our training requires some homework assignments, reading, shadowing experienced docents and practicing your own tour. Each docent in training will be required to give 10 tours in the first year. The 10 tours must be completed by December 31, of the year the course is taken. Tours are scheduled based upon a trainee’s availability. After the first year, all docents are required to give 48 hours per year. This time commitment includes tours, continued education activities and additional volunteer duties such as orientation and update meetings with staff and other volunteers. Some docents choose to combine tour program with other volunteer activities such as museum store and visitor services, special events and research. The staff will assist you to arrange for the schedule that works for you.
Museum Store Volunteer
Our Museum Store Volunteers are essential to our museum daily operation. They help to manage the museum store, greet and assist visitors with ticket and merchandise sales. Museum store volunteers are encouraged to participate in the Docent Training Program, but this training is not required to become a museum store volunteer. Each candidate for this position is trained on individual basis by one of our experienced volunteers. You will be trained to operate POS system, learn about our inventory and visitor service. Museum store volunteers are encouraged to take multiple tours of the house to learn basics of the house history.
Benefits
Active volunteers receive many nice perks with the job, including free Westcott House Foundation membership (gained after one year of service), volunteer-only access to weekly e-updates, invitation to the annual Volunteer Recognition Night event, volunteer-only gatherings and programs.
Training Cost
All volunteer trainees are required to become an Individual Member of the Westcott House Foundation. After one year of service, active volunteers receive free Family Membership in appreciation of their services.
For more information about volunteering, submit the online volunteer application, or call 937.327.9291.