SW Museum Skills Fusion: Recruiting museum volunteers online

About the Session:

Our fusion sessions bring together two different but interrelated training courses to provide a holistic approach to a particular topic. You will leave with increased skills and knowledge in two diverse areas, and have the confidence to apply a range of new ideas and approaches in your museums.

This fusion session focuses on reaching new and wider audiences through volunteer recruitment and digital marketing.

Volunteers are a crucial part of the museum workforce, enabling museums to deliver their mission and reach audiences. This course will help you reach new audiences online and deliver equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) through workforce diversity as you engage and recruit new volunteers through effective digital marketing. By the end of this course, you will feel more confident about recruiting volunteers using your website and social media, and embedding EDI in your volunteer recruitment strategy.

Who should attend?

Volunteer coordinators or managers (or anyone responsible for recruiting and retaining volunteers), trustees, and people who manage your museum’s social media or website. You do not need to have an advanced understanding of social media to take part.

What will you learn?

By the end of the course, you will know how to:

• Make and optimise a volunteering webpage that introduces volunteer opportunities at your museum.

• Choose the right social media channels and tools to help with your volunteer recruitment.

• Address equality, diversity and inclusion in your workforce by appealing to a broader range of volunteers.
• Connect with other organisations and their websites to promote your volunteer opportunities.

How does this session relate to Arts Council England’s Accreditation Standard?

1.3 A satisfactory structure for your governance and management - clear agreements with your staff and volunteers, setting out their roles and responsibilities.

9.2 To communicate effectively with users and potential users through a range of access, marketing and promotional activities

Session Leader:

Eleanor Moore is the Sustainable Volunteering Officer for South West Museum Development. Her role involves the provision of advice and support to museums across the region to help develop volunteering practice. She works closely with the Museum Development Officers and through county network groups. Her background is in social and community history curatorship and advisory work within the museums sector, with experience of managing volunteer teams.

Polly Allen is the Digital Engagement Officer for South West Museum Development. She has a background in digital marketing, social media, SEO, journalism, and PR, covering everything from charity appeals to arts marketing.

How will this session be delivered and what equipment do I need?

This session will be delivered online using Zoom a cloud based video conferencing service. The service is free to use, all you need is either a laptop, tablet/ iPad or phone. Your device will need to be able to stream video and sound. If you are using a laptop you can simply connect via your web browser. If using a tablet/ iPad or phone you will need to download the app (free to download) to connect to the session. Full instructions on how to join the session will be issued direct to the email address provided at the point of booking before the session takes place. 

How do we use the data you supply us?

* For full details on how the information supplied to us as part of the booking process is used please see our Privacy Policy here: https://southwestmuseums.org.uk/privacy-policy/ By booking on you agree to have your data stored and used by us in accordance with this policy.