Future of Museums: Engaging Volunteers

Volunteering in museums and galleries takes many different forms, ranging from front-of-house, events, and learning and engagement roles through to behind-the-scenes activities such as cataloguing, gardening, fundraising and much more.

The Vision for Volunteering defines a volunteer as someone doing something of their own choice that is designed to improve the world, a part of it, or community within it, without being paid.

At a time when the sector faces huge challenges to recruiting and retaining volunteers, this one-day conference is an opportunity to radically rethink how volunteers can contribute to your organisation and what you can offer them.

This event considers the changing nature of volunteering in museums and examines what the future may hold. Through case studies, provocations and panel discussions, you’ll hear how to make voluntary work more inclusive and champion diverse voices. Speakers will share new and innovative approaches to volunteering and discuss how museums can develop volunteering programmes that match their values and strategic vision.

This event is for people who work with, support and manage volunteers, and those who are interested in how volunteering can help museums change lives.

A full programme will be available in due course.

Please note that this event will be recorded and available exclusively to delegates for three months. After that time, it will be made available for members on the Museums Association website.  

Follow this event on Twitter: #MuseumVolunteers

We aim to present a diverse range of speakers from across the UK and internationally at our one-day conferences. If you are interested in speaking at one of our events, or have a project you’d like to see explored, please tell us more by emailing the Events Team. 

Event fees

Concessionary Member – £30
Member (Essential, Full, Institutional and Commercial members) – £40
Non-member – £60

Not a member? Join today and pay a discounted price for this event as well as receiving lots of other great benefits.

Inclusive event places 

The Benevolent Fund will provide five free places to this event to individual members who face barriers due to ethnicity, disability, socio-economic background, and gender identity or sexual orientation (LGBTQ). 

These free places are part of our wider work towards creating a more inclusive sector. We will also support any accessibility requests such as provision of British Sign Language (BSL), audio description or closed captioning. The deadline to apply for an Inclusive Place is 12 noon on 10 January 2024. 

Important booking information

Please sign in and check the email address on your profile before booking. Your confirmation and joining instruction emails will go to the email address you use to log in to the website. 

If you create a new record with a different email address your membership will not be recognised and you will be charged the incorrect fee. You can check and change your email address before booking.

Competency Framework

How attending this event helps your professional development.

Our competency framework supports your professional development. It clearly shows different areas of competency and 4 levels within those areas, which you should be aiming to achieve throughout your work.

Our events relate to certain areas of the framework, and we recommend you look at the competency area to help you target your learning and create focus in the event. You may find that attending an event helps you attain the competencies for a higher level, which may contribute to your AMA or other professional development.

This event – Future of Museums: Engaging Volunteers primarily relates to the Developing Self and Others; Leading and Change Making and Managing People, Money and Organisations competency areas.