Volunteer and Outreach Manager at the B&O Railroad Museum

POSITION DESCRIPTION: This is a critical position for the Museum. The Volunteer and Outreach Manager is a critical position for the Museum and is responsible for maintaining and growing a robust volunteer program which touches upon all aspects of the Museum’s operations and visitor experience in the Museum and in the community at outreach, special events and camps. The Volunteer Manager will revitalize, manage, and foster a sense of community in a volunteer program that provides engagement, meaningful impact and relationship with the organization, strengthens community connections and rewards and challenges volunteers.

Responsibilities broadly include program planning, recruitment, outreach, training, evaluation, maintaining database records, recognition, and supporting teams across museum departments in recruiting and managing their volunteers. The Volunteer Manager ensures that the volunteer program supports the Museum’s mission and vision, as well as values accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Volunteer and Outreach Manager will be responsible for working with staff across all Museum departments to determine needs and roles for volunteers to ensure the best use of this vital resource – volunteers. This is a program that needs to be revitalized. We seek a visionary, energetic and creative new team member to revitalize, reimagine, and expand on our current volunteer program. This position will be charged with scaling our volunteer program in terms quantity, demographics, and skill-sets.

As a Museum representative you will be immersed in a fun, lively environment rich with the voices of delighted children and hands-on exhibits. You will be a part of a beloved community institution that is people-centered, community-focused, and mission driven.

Position will remain open until filled, however, resumes received by March 1, 2022 will receive first consideration. Send resumes to HR1@borail.org

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Key Responsibilities:

• Recruitment: Plan and proactively implement recruitment strategies to ensure an ample and diverse team of volunteers; volunteers for both on-going positions, and one-off special events. Proactively collaborate with department heads to identify volunteer needs for museum activities and develop relevant volunteer job descriptions. Annually, recruit and coordinate high school and college volunteers to serve as Interns. Build and maintain relationships with community partners and corporate members as volunteer recruitment sources. The Museum currently has 100 volunteers on its roster and would like to see this program double.
• Recognition and Community: Ensure ongoing volunteer engagement and appreciation. Promote a welcoming organization-wide atmosphere. Develop a creative, comprehensive recognition program. Foster a sense of community among our highly-valued volunteers.
• Retention: Develop, implement, and manage a volunteer strategy for the Museum that offers volunteers a meaningful, long-term relationship with the organization. Develop and implement an orientation program, and ongoing training opportunities. Develop tools to assess volunteer progress, achievement, and areas requiring further training. Build relationships with volunteers. Schedule volunteers in engaging opportunities. Ensure volunteers comply with all health and safety procedures.
• Community Outreach: Identify key community partners for recruiting volunteers and other partnership opportunities with the Museum. Serve as an ambassador for the Museum attending community events manning information tables, etc.

● Maintain a flexible work schedule to ensure weekend volunteers are incorporated into planning and retention.

● Attend Museum staff meetings, become a full participant of the Museum’s programming committee

● Implement safety, emergency, and lost child procedures. Ensure that museum-wide safety protocol is continuously being met.

● Other duties as assigned.

INTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS: Maintain close communication with Museum staff serving as a champion and advocate for the volunteers and ensuring that department needs are being met and supporting colleagues in managing their cohort of volunteers.

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Requirements

REQUIRED SKILLS:

● Reliable with strong work ethic

● Friendly and positive attitude; demonstrated ability to communicate, motivate, lead, and relate effectively to a variety of people. The Museum has many generations of employees and volunteers, this person must be adept at creating a welcoming environment for all.

● Experience working with youth and/or families, senior citizens, and corporate volunteers

● Demonstrated ability to work independently in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment, and work collaboratively and proactively across departments

● Creativity in developing and implementing effective programs

● Bachelor’s degree and 3 – 5 years work experience or equivalent combination of work experience in museums, tourism, education, volunteer management, or working with nonprofit organizations

● Experience supervising people of varied ages and from diverse backgrounds

● Volunteering experience

● Computer proficiency in Microsoft Suite, with ability to learn and use Volgistics database software

● Physical capability to sit, stand, walk and wear a mask that covers the nose and mouth for extended periods of time (e.g., five hours), climb stairs and ladders, lift 30 pounds; and function in high-energy environment throughout the day.

● Commitment to ideals of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion

● Red Cross certification in CPR and First Aid, or willingness to become certified

● Proof of eligibility to work in the US Proof of COVID-19 vaccination

● An affinity for History and Science preferred, but not required

● Proficiency with volunteer tracking systems, such as Volgistics

● Working knowledge of best practices in volunteer program management

Bottom line, if you have high energy, are flexible, change-adept, positive, proactive and creative, enjoy small work environments, and view scaling a volunteer program as an exciting challenge and opportunity, this may be the position for you.

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TO APPLY:

Please submit a resume and cover letter. In your cover letter please address one of the following prompts:

○ How would you promote the value of volunteerism to your organization?

○ How would you show appreciation for volunteers and maintain a healthy multi-generational volunteer force?

○ What innovative ways would you use to recruit new volunteers?

Position will remain open until filled, however, resumes received by March 1, 2022 will receive first consideration. Send resumes to HR1@borail.org