Museum Skills: Building and Leading a Volunteer Team, Gold Hill Museum, 1 October 2015
Recruiting and retaining volunteers at Gold Hill Museum.
Gold Hill Museum is a small, independent museum with free admission which is entirely volunteerrun and opens from April to October each year. It re-opened four years ago, following a short break
for refurbishment with a Heritage Lottery Fund Grant. The umbrella organisation, which is run by a
committee, is the Historical Society. There is no curator as such so we rely on Vicky de Wit, the
Dorset Museums Advisor, for any professional advice.
Stewards form the majority of the workforce and it is with them that my case history is principally
concerned. I must at this point acknowledge that I had the extreme good fortune to be accepted for
a Museum Development South West-funded, three day volunteer management training course
which took place during the two months before we opened for my first season in the role and
without which I wouldn’t have understood what was required, let alone how to implement it. This is
my third season in the role.
Having become involved with the museum as a steward when it re-opened, I responded to an appeal
for someone to manage the shop, which subsequently involved being dragged kicking and screaming
onto the committee, and then heroically suggested that I take on the role of steward co-ordinator
the following season. I say heroically but, in truth, I had no idea what I was taking on; various
committee members had previously taken responsibility for the steward rota but there was no
formal induction or training in place. Many of the stewards, some of whom had been involved for
twenty years or more, were in their eighties and it was the norm for stewards to do shifts alone,
although there were some paired shifts of close friends or married couples.
There was a comprehensive Stewards’ Guide, kept in reception, but no handbook, no role
description and no volunteer policy. Nor was there a register of volunteers; in fact, apart from
phone numbers, no contact details were held.
Before refurbishment there had been an admission charge and it appeared that the steward role had
consisted of collecting the admission money and selling the occasional postcard or random tat in the
shop; this was recorded by hand, the money being placed in a tin. As they weren’t exactly
overwhelmed with visitors, most saw it as a good opportunity to sit in peace and read a book or do a
little embroidery.
Following refurbishment the stewards had to deal with a sophisticated intruder alarm and an
electronic cash register. This and the period of closure had caused some to depart and the pool to
be seriously diminished.
I further added to this problem by insisting that no-one should be in the building alone. I pointed
out that it was bad practice and unsafe on several counts including: personal safety was
compromised, especially given the age of the majority of stewards; as a registered charity, cashing
up should be done by two people; anomalies existed, eg visitors were not supposed to use the lift
without a member of staff but stewards were instructed not to go in the lift if they were alone in the
building (in case of breakdown or a power cut).
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I had written to the existing workforce to give them notice of my plans to formalise training and,
whilst there was some positive feedback, I decided that the best way to approach the potential
problem of resentment from experienced stewards was to invite them to a lunchtime brain
storming session. This would mean that they would feel involved in the process and I would be able
to identify any gaps in their knowledge of procedures and understanding of the role. I formed an
initial list of training needs as I saw them and circulated it to the other committee members, asking
for their comments/input and inviting them to the lunch. I should point out here that they were not
all necessarily singing from my hymn book.
I composed a volunteer policy, adapting the excellent RAMM, Exeter model, a steward role
description and a volunteer record form, compiled an induction checklist and put together the bare
bones of a steward’s handbook (containing condensed versions of the information in the Guide,
contact numbers etc).
At the buffet lunch I invited people to help themselves to food and drink and to take a seat at tables
on which were copies of all the paperwork that I had produced and pencils. I asked them to have a
look at the paperwork and to makes notes and add anything which I may have left out. I gave them
time to eat and to read and then asked for any comments. The brainstorming that followed was
better than I could have anticipated; many of them had plenty to say but, in general, everything was
well received. I then put forward various scenarios (and invited them to do the same), such as
arriving to open up and discovering that there was a power cut, and asked how they would cope.
From this we formed new strategies and came up with problems of which I had previously been
unaware such as: in the event of a power cut the phone doesn’t work.
As a result of this, not only were solutions found to all the potential problems but the existing
workforce, having felt included and valued, for the most part cooperated fully in the process.
There will always be those few who dislike change; the only surprise to me was who they were. I
continued the process by joining them individually during shifts and going through the checklist
which they had helped to develop to ensure that they felt confident with all aspects of the role, the
only major change being that they were now expected to take it in turns to patrol the galleries. I had
also asked them to ensure that certain areas, in particular the toilet, are kept clean. This last has
been fairly successful, particularly in relation to the toilet, although some are keener than others
and, frankly, the toilet habits of the general public never cease to amaze me. They’re not quite so
keen to wipe fingermarks from display cases even though I have simplified this (and made it more
ecologically sound) by using a well wrung-out micro fibre cloth – isn’t micro fibre technology
wonderful?
My original intention was to give new stewards an initial induction, involving an informal chat about
the nature of the role and the hours involved plus a tour of the museum and the staff facilities,
followed by a separate next stage when the volunteer record was filled out and, using the checklist,
basic training given, including an opportunity to use the cash register. However this proved rather
impractical in terms of the time taken especially when, at the beginning of last season, I managed to
induct 23 new stewards. The problem is that, although you can talk to quite a large group on the
initial induction, the second stage is difficult to manage with more than two potential stewards. So I
now limit the induction to a maximum of two people and combine the two stages. This can take up
to two hours and, depending on the volunteer’s perceived ability to assimilate what amounts to
quite a lot of information, another session might be planned, but usually the next step, having given
them the handbook, is to fit them into the rota with an experienced steward (or me) who can talk
them through the role on the job which is much the easiest way to take it all in. They are asked to
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read through the Guide, which also contains risk assessments and relevant policies, during their
initial shifts and to sign the declaration that they have done so.
I feel confident that I have established a formal induction process but that the training is still
evolving. I would like to include some knowledge of the various displays in the induction but I don’t
feel qualified to impart it and, in an organisation which is completely volunteer-run, this is proving
difficult to implement so, although I have received a positive response from our collection care
officer, nothing is planned as yet. In terms of management I have set up formal documentation
which didn’t previously exist and which is essential, not only for the efficient running of the museum,
but for accreditation.
I liaise with the allocated mentor to ensure that the new steward is fitting in without any problems;
the steward role itself is a fairly straightforward one requiring little in the way of ongoing training
apart from the occasional reminder about proper procedures etc. Communication is without doubt
the most important aspect of the Co-ordinator role: I make it clear to all stewards that the lines of
communication are always open via phone or email for anything that requires immediate attention
and the diary which is used for comments, suggestions etc. I ask stewards to approach me directly if
there is anything about which they are unhappy.
I tend to address failure to follow proper procedures impersonally, usually in the form of a note in
the diary: “May I remind stewards .........etc”, rather than pointing the finger.
Happily our staff turnover is very small although, having permanently filled all 42 shifts except those
on Saturday at the end of last season, it all went pear-shaped at the beginning of this season when
several elderly stewards had to give up owing to mobility issues.
I always organise a pre-season and an end-of-season social for the stewards and a Christmas social
for all volunteers. I try to hold at least one social during the season although that hasn’t happened
this year for various personal reasons. It’s really important to give volunteers the opportunity to get
together informally and to feed them. It also provides an opportunity to voice concerns in a more
relaxed atmosphere and for me to congratulate them and to remind them how valuable they are.
I actively encourage suggestions although always making it clear that, in my role as shop manager, I
do have the final say and I’ll always give reasons for rejecting ideas. Any suggestions about the
museum itself will invariably need committee consideration and approval and, as the liaison
between our stewards and the management committee, it’s important that I make their views or
concerns known to my fellow trustees. I encourage our volunteers to feel part of the organisation
and to take a pride in it.
I have tried, since I first took on this role, to persuade those trustees responsible for behind the
scenes activity to allow stewards who have expressed an interest to get involved - with limited
success. Certainly the Education team has expanded and the Great War Project, for which they
obtained a small Heritage Lottery Fund Grant, has taken on a great many volunteers to interview
people and to undertake research. Our Collection Care officer has welcomed my suggestion of
allocating a day a week during the closed season to supervising teams in order to sort and catalogue
the items in store and, fingers crossed, that will start at the end of this season – at last! However
there is in some respects something of a closed closed shop in some aspects of behind the scenes
work. My concern as the steward coordinator is that I know I’ve lost at least two stewards because
they couldn’t get involved in a behind the scenes area.
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Finding and recruiting volunteers is an ongoing problem of course and I have tried various methods
of attracting potential stewards. As far as I am aware, only one steward has arrived in response to
the details I left in the library and none from the resource centre – we don’t have a volunteer centre.
Two years ago I attended a Volunteer Fair, organised by the local Head of Sixth Form, where I
emphasised our need for a younger element and assured them that our elderly stewards would
welcome their input and have much to offer them, especially in terms of personal history. Only two
students showed any real interest, one of whom worked for us regularly until she went to university;
the other apparently decided to volunteer at the Abbey Museum. Obviously this is volunteering of a
more transient nature but I had felt that establishing a link with the school was quite an important
step; unfortunately the school has never asked for feedback and any interest appears to have fizzled
out. Posters seem to have little impact but, in our small town, what does work is personal invitation
and word of mouth.
Last season I joked that people were crossing the road to avoid me but most of those 23 new
recruits I mentioned came as a result of me asking and the knock-on effect from that, ie they
enjoyed the role so much that they spread the word. I regularly ask our stewards to enthuse about
their role in order to attract new people, after all they must enjoy what they do or they wouldn’t be
doing it. Also, as we are a museum of local history, I have made it my mission to recruit more true
“locals” who have a personal history and really add a new dimension to the role. The biggest
problem in our small town is that most people who want to volunteer have already taken advantage
of one or more of the many opportunities to do so. Shaftesbury is the embodiment of Mr Cameron’s
Big Society.
Last year I attended the Dorset Museums Association AGM at which Alison Bevan, who manages the
Royal West of England Academy of Art in Bristol, gave a very upbeat talk entitled The Happy
Museum. She listed the criteria necessary to a happy museum, all of which aid sustainability:
 create conditions for well-being
 pursue mutual relationships including key stakeholders
 value the environment and be a steward of the future as well as the past
 be an active citizen
 learn for resilience
 measure what matters.
I am confident that we operate a happy museum. Of course I make mistakes, I never stop learning
and there is always room for improvement but the many comments in our Visitors’ Book and the
reviews on the Trip Advisor site, referring to the warmth and friendliness of their welcome, show
me that our stewards are happy in their role and in their environment.
Elaine Barratt, Steward Coordinator
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