Volunteer

Thank you for your interest in the volunteer program.

Our volunteers have diverse backgrounds with different skills and interests. Volunteers provide critical support for the visitor experience, whether it be welcoming guests, engaging visitors with hands-on activities, or participating in HMSC festivals and programs.

Please note, HMSC volunteers do not work with collections or behind-the-scenes with the research museums.

Can I volunteer if I can’t be there every week?

Yes. There is a wide range of volunteer positions with varying shifts.  We ask volunteers to commit to a minimum of five hours per month.

I love museums, but I don’t have any content training. Can I still volunteer?

Of course! We offer multiple training sessions for our museum gallery content-focused positions, but we also have other roles that do not require content knowledge.

Can I volunteer in the collections department?

Unfortunately, there are no positions that work with the collections department. Please contact individual research museums for those opportunities.

I’m in the Boston area for a month. Is there an opportunity for me to volunteer during this time?

 Unfortunately not.  We ask new volunteers to make a minimum three-month time commitment.

I speak another language besides English. Is that useful as a volunteer?

Absolutely! We need speakers of other languages, particularly Spanish. We hope visitors from all language backgrounds will feel welcome. Your language abilities in greeting and assisting our visitors are necessary!

Volunteer Opportunities

Festival Facilitator and Event Ambassador

These opportunities are for people who want to volunteer on occasion to promote HMSC special events on weekends and evenings. Training is specific to the role. At HMSC family festivals such as I ♥ Science, HMSC Summer Solstice, and Day of the Dead, Festival Facilitators engage visitors with hands-on educational and craft activities. At HMSC fall and spring events such as lectures and author talks, Event Ambassadors welcome guests, provide directional assistance, and staff the HMSC information table. Training is offered twice a year.

Glass Flowers Greeter

This opportunity is for people to welcome visitors to the Glass Flowers exhibit, answer questions, anticipate and prevent precarious situations, and encourage the visitors to explore the gallery. Glass Flowers Greeters select a morning or afternoon shift on a weekday or weekend. Training is offered twice a year, and experienced Greeters may train to become Glass Flowers tour leaders.

Gallery Activity Facilitator

This opportunity is for people to engage visitors in a conversational way in the museum exhibits, often through facilitating hands-on activities at discovery carts. Multiple-session training courses are offered twice a year. Gallery Activity Facilitators select a regular morning or afternoon shift on a weekday or weekend.

HMSC Story Time Program Reader

This opportunity is for people who love to share children’s storybooks with the youngest visitors and their families on weekend mornings at 11:00 am and afternoons at 2:00 pm. After reading, HMSC Story Time Program Readers guide families to visit related specimens in the galleries. Training is offered individually and in small group workshops. Readers may sign up for one or more story readings per month.

Sketching Facilitator

This opportunity is for people who like to draw to encourage visitors of all ages to look more closely at exhibits by modeling and inviting visitors to draw in the galleries. Sketching Facilitators select a morning or afternoon shift on a weekday or weekend. No artistic training or skill is required; training is offered individually.

Earth & Planetary Sciences Gallery Greeter

This opportunity is for people to welcome visitors to the Earth & Planetary Sciences exhibit, answer questions, and encourage the visitors to explore the gallery. EPS Gallery Greeters select a morning or afternoon shift on a weekday or weekend. Training is offered twice a year.

How to Apply

Workplace Accommodation

The Harvard Museums of Science & Culture is committed to an inclusive museum experience and invites everyone to participate in programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation to participate as a volunteer, please contact us at carolcarlson@hmsc.harvard.edu.