Museum Volunteers
Benicia Historical Museum
Gallery Docent
Volunteer in the traditional role of Gallery Docent. Assistant museum visitors with wayfinding, museum information, general gallery questions, and by working the admission/gift shop counter. A wiliness to become familiar with our museum and our practices is a must. Enjoy a typical 3-hour shift interacting with our museum guests while sharing your interest in history, education, or something more specific to our gallery space. Wednesday – Sunday shifts available. Docent work is typically split into gallery docent as described above and tour guide. If you are interested in taking on gallery and historic site tours, please let us know. The Benicia Historical Museum complex is one of the most historic spots remaining in the arsenal area. We have a long and exciting history to share with school kids and adults alike. Give a gallery tour or work with our education programming and present fun and enriching programs to school groups on topics such as Early California, The California Gold Rush, California in the Civil War, and more.
Garden and Grounds
Do you have a special skill or work experience that you are willing to put to work at the museum? We are always looking for willing and enthusiastic volunteers who can give the gift of time and experience to our historic site. Our garden is home to wild turkeys, jackrabbits, and more and our garden needs constant attention because of it. We are always doing our best to keep our flowers in bloom and our bushes trimmed just so. It’s time for a little color elsewhere on the grounds too and we are ready to take a look at the bigger picture. Let us know if you can help.
Facilities Maintenance
The Benicia Historical Museum is located in 4 of the original Benicia Arsenal buildings and as with any historic site, comes with a unique list of special needs. Facilities volunteers do more than just simple construction projects, they help build and construct the framework for exhibits, paint where needed, and countless other tasks to keep us looking and functioning at our best. If your talents lie in getting maintenance or construction projects nailed down please consider contacting the Benicia Historical Museum.
Museum Collections
The Benicia Historical Museum is the caretaker of over 30 thousand artifacts and taking care of them is no small task. If you are interested in what goes on behind the scenes of a working museum, volunteering with collections management might be the right opportunity for you. Whether it’s doing data entry, working directly with historic artifacts, photography, or getting ready for an upcoming exhibition, our collections volunteers work diligently and professionally to get it done. We have a large task in front of us each day and volunteering in collections management will have you joining a unique team of back-of-the-house volunteers.
Special Events
Only have a few hours to give to volunteering every once in a while, but want to do something helpful and meaningful for your local museum? Consider volunteering for special events. With the success of our monthly events, such as First Fridays At The Museum or History Talks, coupled with our assistance needed for our annual events, we are always looking for a few extra hands. Don’t be shy and think a few hours doesn’t matter. Volunteers give the gift of time and we appreciate all that you can give. Have fun working the sales floor at our White Camel Sale, running games or activities at Halloween, selling tickets at First Fridays or any one of the myriad of tasks that are needed to make each and every event a success.
Office/Admin
If you are a data-loving, office person, a willing volunteer eager to stuff envelops for annual campaigns, monthly newsletters, or work to aid in developing membership? Maybe you have a passion for graphics design or marketing, Social Media, or fundraising experience? If so, helping out in the office on a regular schedule or on an as-needed basis is always appreciated. We are constantly looking for volunteering willing to tackle the behind-the-scenes work that helps to keep our museum running its best, relative, and connected to the community as a whole.