Management of volunteer programs in museums - outsourcing museum’s mission through volunteer programs-

Management of volunteer programs in museums -outsourcing museum’s mission through volunteer programs- MA Višnja Kisić, Marketing and Management of Museums, City Museum Novi Sad,25.05.2011.

Key words: • volunteers • strategic planning • museum’s outreach • local communities • sustainable development

Rethinking museum’s mission • CORE MISSION: • in the service of society and its development • METHODS: • acquiring • conserving • researching • communicating • exhibiting • facilitates responsible growth and improvement of community • corrective and counter-active mechanism in dealing with current issues

Second vs Third generation museum Second Generation Museum Third Generation Museum • education • knowledge/treasure temple • presentation • one directional information • Image • Ode and pride • Museum space = musem building, display and collection • (life long) learning • Meeting point • Animation, mediation • Communication, interpretation • Identity safeguard • Development • = network of people who produce, participate in or consume museum-featured memory

Museum network • museum employees and they expertise • nongovernmental organizations • Freelancers • community unions • Business sector • small and medium enterprises • Tourist sector • Educational sector • Museums friends • Donors • foundations • volunteers

Volunteering... • “an activity undertaken out of a person’s free will, choice and motivation without concern for financial gain in an organised setting with the aim to benefit to someone other than the volunteer and to society at large, contributing to values of general interest”

Volunteers... • whoever is ready to help • diverse backgrounds • more in common with the person being served (age, race, economic background or experience) • Motivation (to learn more, get closer to culture feel useful, make new friendships...) • volunteers as “mobile, living spaces of memory”

Volunteers... • unique role • common factor for museum employees, museum audience and wider community • act as a bridge among them • spreading the influence of museum and its mission

Five capitals of volunteering* Key groups: Key capitals: • Museum • Volunteers • Visitors/audience • Communitiy groups • Phisical • Human • Economic • Social • Cultural

Phisical capital • Museums = product/output achieved through volunteer effort: • increase in the number of services:guided tours, new programs, information services, educational workshops, data collected, documented and digitalized, objects conserved, etc; • increase in the quality of services: more enthusiastic visitor reception, museum guards which are always present in the gallery, regular site security checking, services in cafeteria and museum shop, tours available for different target groups, better collection management through use of volunteers who knows to work with new technology, or better community outreach through use of volunteers in marketing and public relations for specific groups similar to volunteers profile, etc; • increased degree of innovation in services: digitalization of collection, administrating museum’s website and providing it with online collections and exhibitions, providing museum shop with new products and souvenirs, etc.

Phisical capital • Volunteers = tangible benefits they have from volunteer involvement • number of training courses attended • certificates received • social events they participated in • Audience= tangible improvments in museum services • enhanced qualityof services • enhanced quantity of services • Wider community = direct and indirect way • Newcommunity outreach services • better quality of life created within the community • expansion of tourist industry - local business related to tourism

Human capital • acquisition of skills and personal development: raising the competencies of all key groups affected • Museum: • introduction of very specific professional skills • diversification of workforce in terms of age, ethnicity, ability or social background • intercultural and intergenerational sensibilization of museum staff • creation of a more tolerant environment and mutual understanding

Human capital • Volunteers: • sensibility and understanding of different people • increased confidence and self-esteem • new vocational skills acquired: IT literacy, team work, public speaking etc, skills and knowledge related to specific museum jobs • acquire practical skills, qualifications and specific training • enhance their study and increase their employabilityphysical and mental health of volunteers • feeling of being useful, needed and integrated in the community

Human capital • Audience and community: • better delivery of education and learning • improvement of the access to culture and social inclusion of particularly vulnerable groups of society • developed feeling of solidarity within the community • increased tolerance and supported intercultural cooperation

Economic capital • market value of the work done by volunteers and financial and economic effects which result from volunteering • Museum = value of volunteering minus the cost of volunteering • Volunteers: individual value of volunteering minus individual costs of volunteering • Audience: access to services which would have to be paid for • Community: enhanced value for money in public services

Social capital • creating a more cohesive community through building relationships, networks and bonds of trust between people • Museum: • increased status and reputation of museum in the community • enhanced recruitment and retention of staff and volunteers • Volunteers: • increased trust in museum, its staff and other volunteers • increased participation in public affairs • raised social awareness • expanded social intelligence • enjoyment in social interactions • increased feeling of relatedness and companionship • built social connections and ties, expanded networks of people

Social capital • audience and wider community • enhanced trust in museums and participation in its activities • inter-connection of museum and local community • promotion of social coexistence of diverse identities and interests • support in overcoming cultural inequality and social exclusion

Cultural capital • assets such as a shared sense of cultural, religious, ethnic, national or local identity • Museum: • existence of services more reflective of cultural diversity within community • creation of an open, inclusive and diverse organizational culture • Empowered intercultural and intergenerational cooperation, mutual tolerance and respect • brought new perspectives and insights to museum (elderly volunteers as transfer of knowledge, memories and perished tradition)

Cultural capital • Volunteers: • attachment to cultural identity • appreciation and respect for their own and others’ culture • increased awareness of their own and others’ heritage • broader access to values and knowledge surrounding museum artefacts • new cultural insights and knowledge in interaction with other volunteers • Audience and community: • appreciation and understanding of other people’s and their own culture • identity-building

I a nutshell... • implies sustainable development, community participation, democratization, access to culture, education, life-long learning, raising competencies of the community, social inclusion, cultural diversity and upraise of the overall quality of life of one community • cultivates a broader base of supporters for the agency and its mission • helps museum and community merge and transforms museum into an institution which contributes to the contemporary society and lives with its community • more democratic and deetatisized and able to communicate ideas and spread its mission in the current time, while at the same time preserving the common heritage for the future

What affects management and impact of volunteering in museums? • cultures of volunteering existing in different countries and regions • legal frameworks • differences in mission, organizational culture, level of openness, policies and management practices of different museums

Steps for successful volunteer programs management • Planning volunteer program as a part of overall strategic planning • Creating clear guidelines about volunteers' integration into current museum management policies • Defining volunteers’ tasks • Calculating volunteer related expenses • Securing finances • Creating recruitment strategy and recruitment • Training volunteers • Creating a system of motivation and support • Record keeping and evaluation • Updating and making changes based on feedback • Continuously advocating for support to volunteer programs

1. Plan VP as a part of overall strategic planning! • examine organizational mission and objectives • whether and in which ways volunteer program can contribute to these objectives • examine organizational structure to see where and how volunteers would fit the best in it • examine available resources (both human and financial) in order to be able to define the scope of the program • Based on this write down aims of the overall VP and detailed objectives of each of the aims • WHY? To assure that volunteer program will be in harmony with museum’s management plan, which is a primary precondition for having satisfied staff and volunteers

2. Creating clear guidelines about volunteers' integration into current museum management policies • Internal lobbying and careful consultations and communication with the staff, in order to convince them in the importance of volunteer program for museum, gain their trust and support and motivate them in joining their resources and skills and thus contribute to successfulness of program • Trust and support of museum staff is precondition for good volunteer program (they welcome, support and train volunteers or create conflicts with them if felt threatened and not asked for opinion

2. Creating clear guidelines about volunteers' integration into current museum management policies • Include museum staff in the process from the very beginning • They should • make requests for volunteers needed in their departments • write job descriptions for volunteers within their departments • require specific and specialized skills of volunteers for certain positions • Think of a volunteer coordinator position: • person deployed for this position specifically (on honorary basis or as volunteer) • a person from museum staff to act as a volunteer coordinator. (from educational department, project manager or PR, or any curator willing to do coordination of volunteers in whole museum, not only his/her department)

2. Creating clear guidelines about volunteers' integration into current museum management policies • create policies and procedures related to volunteers • codes of behavior • responsibilities • obligations • rights • guidelines • reimbursement • WHY? • It defines what staff has to do in relation to volunteers and what are specificities of being a volunteer • prevent conflicts of interests among volunteers, museum staff, museum management and visitors

Define volunteers’ tasks and scope of involvment • on basis on set aims and objectives of the program, management plan, and requests from museum staff • on basis of task descriptions calculate number of volunteers/volunteer hours needed • defined tasks will indicate resources needed : coordinator’s time, training, supervision, finances, access to literature, space, administrative procedures... • calculate the cost of volunteer hour (all costs of volunteering divided by number of volunteer hours) and see whether program can be sustainable from beginning until the end

Calculate the cost of VP • all costs museum have had related to volunteers (cost of staff’s working hours needed for coordination of volunteers, cost of training, travel and food expenses, rewards, parties or events organized for volunteers, gifts, certificates, pocket money, insurance • Monthly cost of staff’s working hours equals total number of working hours spent on volunteer program multiplied by a market value of a working hour • Economic value of volunteering equals number of volunteer hours per week multiplied with number of weeks multiplied with a market value of a working hour (average national monthly wage divided by number of working hours in a month). • Total economic capital of volunteering equals the value of volunteering minus the cost of volunteering.

Secure finances • Depending on target groups and beneficiaries of volunteer program (search for Ministries, regional, local and municipal authorities and local, national and international donors, associations and foundations) • Sponsoring such program can be interesting for private sector, since its outreach is much larger than when sponsoring an exhibition • As program develops, it might be a good strategy for attracting funds because it creates a broader network of supporters (both financial and motivational)

Create recruitment strategy and recruit volunteers: • know who the group to target is and how many volunteers are needed • this will depend upon the skills and profile needed for performing particular volunteer tasks • provide good and detailed description and information in order to decrease selecting procedure: majority of volunteers will select themselves • on basis of all this select appropriate advertising media for attracting volunteers

Recruitment channels: • Sign-posting call for volunteers in museum and on museum’s website • Cooperate with local and national volunteer centers • Cooperate with relevant local non-governmental organizations • Connect with formal education institutions (schools, high-schools, universities and student organizations) for promoting the practice as significant informal learning opportunity • Connect and cooperate with organizations, associations and unions of the elderly (Syndicate Independence, Union of retired people, Third Age University, Gerontologial Institute) • Cooperate with National Employment Biro in terms of having a pool of unemployed people willing to volunteer • Advertise call for volunteers in cultural magazines and newspapers • Advertise the call on local radio or television • Use European Volunteer Service scheme

Train and enable volunteers • Implement an introductory training for all volunteers – through which volunteers would get familiar with museum’s mission and vision, basics of its history and development and policies (behavioral, security, dress code, etc) • Short training on security and health policies and procedures • Good practice is to have a Volunteer Handbook/Manual which will include basic polices procedures and expectations related to volunteers. • This is the task of volunteer coordinator and in the future it can be passed on to more experienced volunteers • Staff forum

Train and enable volunteers • Based on the tasks they will perform volunteers should pass through training session, designed to enable them to do the job • This can be: • on-the-job guidance with person delegated as supervisor • formal training which lasts for specific time-period • “Old volunteers” tour • training for docents should include tips related to public speaking, control of the audience in the gallery space, and similar technicalities • good practice is to have a Docent Manual for each exhibition which volunteers will interpret. This manual should include much more data and context related to exhibition, than those which can be found in the catalogue. • Design “professional development program” for volunteers with lectures they can attend from time to time

Ensure good communication channels, coordination and supervision • Communicate with volunteers which sort of support/supervision museum offers and who to contact for what issue • Mailing list • List of museum staff names with email addresses, department and position • List of volunteers with email addresses and phone numbers • Primary communication should go through volunteer coordinator and he/she should be always informed about future delegation of volunteers tasks and positions • Daily and weekly schedules with volunteers’ names, time on duty and position/task put on information board and send through mailing list • Volunteer information board • Coordinator regularly checks quality of volunteer performance

Create a system of motivation and support for volunteers • Understanding and capitalizing motivational drivers of volunteers is a way to increase their number, morale and effectiveness and lower the rate of those who quit • Make volunteers feel valued and appreciated • Extrinsic motivational incentives: • certificates, diplomas • presents • greeting cards • newsletters • discounts in museum shop • free entry for the family • reimbursement policy • access to museum events and celebrations • excursions for volunteers

Create a system of motivation and support for volunteers • Intrinsic motivational incentives: • meaningful tasks • good volunteer management • welcoming attitude of museum staff • smooth communication and coordination • support through supervision • advance in responsibilities • asking for opinion and suggestions • volunteer meetings: expressing gratefulness • For short-term volunteer programs: nurture contacts with volunteers

Record keeping and evaluation • Shows whether objectives of the program have been reached, whether all sides included are satisfied with it and what can be done in order to improve the program and its impacts • Can be done through: • informal chats with volunteers, staff and audience • through more formal ways such as short anonymous questionnaires • give questionnaires or talk with those who do not want to participate in program anymore (volunteers who have stopped volunteering and staff who does not want to cooperate and work with volunteers anymore) because it can give an insight into shortcomings of the practice which are maybe affecting others as well but are not that strong motivational factor for quitting

Reacting to the feedback • update and make changes in volunteer program based on evaluation, feedback and other new inputs • when impossible to respond to suggestions and feedbacks explain to volunteers and staff reasons and restrictions due to which it is not possible to realize these

Advocate for support to volunteer programs • improvement of the conditions and support for volunteering is not likely to be done top-down (from the state level to organizations and volunteers) • volunteering is specific form of civic participation, and fights for its recognition and building of infrastructure should simultaneously go “bottom-up” • overtake the role of promoter and advocate of volunteering • network and cooperate with other museums, cultural institutions, youth offices, civic sector and other stakeholder in raising awareness about potentials of volunteering • take active part in suggesting changes in legislation, funding policies and training needs to the Ministry of Culture • Do it by “the power of example”!

Respecting the law on volunteering • regulates basic terms related with volunteering, principles of volunteering, contract on volunteering, rights and obligations of volunteers and organizer of volunteering and supervision of implementation of this Law • volunteering is to be promoted as activity of public interest for Republic of Serbia which contributes to active involvement of citizens in social processes and development of more human and democratic society of equal opportunities, as well as to improvement of quality of life of all citizens (acta 5).

Respecting the law on volunteering • volunteer can be any private subject, citizen of Serbia or a foreign citizen • organizer of volunteering can be any non profit legal subject, state, province, regional, local and municipal authorities but also business and public company if volunteering is not aimed at their generation of profit. • the law prohibits volunteering which subsidizes work of paid staff as prescribed by labor regulations. (acta 8)

Respecting the law on volunteering • “Ad hoc” volunteering: actions which last up to 10 hours per week for no longer than 30 days with or without break within one year • Short term volunteering: lasts for up to 10 hours per week for up to three months • Long term volunteering lasts for more than 10 hours per week for at least three months without break

Respecting the law on volunteering • “Ad hoc” Not under procedures and regulations of Law! • Short term • Contract only if volunteer is juvenile, foreign citizen or on the request of volunteer, organizer or beneficiary of volunteering(acta 15) • organizer is obliged to provide a volunteer with security insurance in the case of injury or professional disease during volunteering only if it is specified in the contract. (acta 27.) • Long term • written contract between the organizer of volunteering and a volunteer • organizer of volunteering is obliged to provide a volunteer with security insurance in the case of injury or professional disease during volunteering • pocket money given to volunteer is not considered as material gain This pocket money can be up to 30% of minimal net monthly salary for full time job

Respecting the law on volunteering • remuneration of expenses related to volunteer job is desirable • Organizer of volunteering has to guarantee for volunteer’s security and health during performing of volunteer services and activities, give confirmation of volunteer activity if requested by volunteer, secure resources for performing volunteer services and activities, secure secrecy of personal data of volunteer and privacy protection and secure other conditions for volunteering and rights of volunteer prescribed by this law and volunteer contract. (act 25.) • volunteer has a volunteer booklet with records of all of his volunteer engagements

Respecting the law on volunteering • first time when organizing volunteer activity, the organizer of volunteering is obliged to apply to the Ministry of Labor who keeps record on volunteering and thus be inscribed as organization which has the right to organize volunteering • Every business or public company who is the organizer of volunteering has to give description of volunteer program and other necessary documentation to the Ministry of Labour every time when it organizes volunteer actions in order to get the approval for the program (acta 15). • Organizer is obliged to keep a record on volunteer program from the starting until the ending day of volunteer program

Respecting the law on volunteering • Organizer is obliged to give report on all volunteer programs it have been organizing during passing year until the 31 March of following year. (acta 29) • Record for long term volunteering contains description of volunteer program, duration of volunteering, number of volunteers engaged in volunteer program, data about the user of volunteering, personal data of volunteers, data about volunteer training and other data of important for volunteering. • Record for short term volunteering contains only description of volunteer program, duration of volunteering, number of volunteers engaged in volunteer program. (act 28).

Museum’s little helpers...

Audience or volunteers?

HVALA NA PAŽNJI!Thank you for the attention!PITANJA?/Questions? MA Višnja Kisić, Spaces of Memory: architecture, heritage, art Belgrade, 13.04.2011. vikac986@gmail.com

Management of volunteer programs in museums - outsourcing museum’s mission through volunteer programs-