Volunteers’ Week 2024

We celebrated the sector’s wonderful volunteers from 3-9 June 2024

Volunteering has been an integral part of the museum sector for many years, with many museums being wholly volunteer run.

Volunteers’ Week is an annual celebration of the contribution that millions of people make across the UK through volunteering in their communities. In museums, we are grateful for the skills and experience they bring, the warmth and passion they share, and the commitment and loyalty they demonstrate.

In many museums, through moving away from a top-down prescription of roles and towards a bottom-up shaping of volunteering opportunities, we are seeing the sector increasingly value and recognise the role of volunteers.

Through thinking about volunteering differently, from micro to nano, from remote to digital volunteering, increasing flexibility opens up opportunities more widely, providing new platforms for engagement and participation in the sector.

Volunteers add diversity of experience, interest and opinion to the sector, and can help keep museums relevant and at the heart of their communities.

A huge thank you to all those who volunteer, from one hour a year to 100 hours a year: your contribution is valued and valuable.

During the week of 3-9 June we celebrated all things volunteering. As part of this, we spoke to volunteer managers and volunteers about their role and impact within the sector, and we shared their insights about what volunteering means for them and what it might mean for you.

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