Volunteer

Hello volunteers,

Volunteers have been supporting the RBCM since 1886 when it first opened in the Legislative Buildings as the Provincial Museum and the program ran continuously until 2020, when Covid-19 paused the organizational operations.

In 2022 we restarted the onsite volunteer program with small cohorts and are currently supporting a gradual return of all volunteers. If you are interested in supporting the Royal BC Museum as a volunteer, please contact us.

Thank you.

Every year volunteers at the Royal BC Museum contribute over 46,000 hours of their time by:
- leading school programs;
- assisting visitors in our retail operations and coat check area;
- engaging and leading through our learning programs;
- acting as hosts and ambassadors; and,
- supporting the museum and archives collections and research areas.
Our volunteers are a diverse and talented group of people who enjoy sharing their knowledge and experience with others, building partnerships and being part of one of the most exciting and rewarding volunteer programs in the province.
It’s easy—simply complete an online application form that tells us about your background, interests, education, volunteer and/or work experience, skills and hobbies, your availability and any special requirements or challenges we can support.

For volunteers 19 years of age or over we require two references and a Police Information Check. For volunteers under the age of 19 a consent form is required. Click here to see all of our volunteer opportunities and apply as a volunteer.

Applications can also be picked up at the Royal BC Museum at the Volunteer Services office or Box Office during business hours.

We do receive a high volume of volunteer applications and sometimes it takes a while for us to process them as we look for a good fit between your interests and our available positions. We appreciate your patience and will be in touch as soon as we are able.
Administrative

Volunteer Services, Marketing and Business Development and Development are areas that require administrative support. There are opportunities across the organization as we strive to make our collections accessible globally.

Front of House

The first line of contact with visitors is often the Information Desk, Coat Check, or with a museum host in our lobby where volunteers provide museum information and orientation service as well as visitor support.

Learning

120 adult learning team volunteers and 20 youth learning team volunteers inspire, and get inspired by, visitors of all ages at the Royal BC Museum. Their roles include public program events, gallery animation, tours and community outreach.

See the Learning Team Volunteer Self Assessment Form

Collections

Volunteers work in a wide variety of areas depending on current projects. Activities include assisting with data entry, sorting and preparing specimens, research and collections maintenance.

Royal British Columbia Museum Foundation

The Foundation has a voluntary board that sets policy and direction for the organization. Foundation Volunteers can also be found in the following areas: Foundation Finance office, Royal Museum Shops and Receiving.
Because we want you to find your experience as rewarding and enjoyable as possible, we carefully match your interests and skills with suitable volunteer positions and opportunities. This can take a bit of time as interest in some areas can be very high and, as a consequence, some volunteer positions may not arise quickly. However, we do keep all volunteer applications on file for approximately two years and will contact you as soon as an appropriate position becomes available.

Potential volunteers with a background in research from other museums, archives or educational institutions may be placed on an individual basis depending on their specific knowledge, skills and interests. Please contact Volunteer Services for further information.

When a suitable position does become available, we will ask you to come in and talk to us to see if the assignment is one of interest, or if there are other placements that may have arisen that are a better fit with your needs and experience. This may mean more than one visit. You should consider carefully whether the opportunity is a good fit and if the time commitment involved will work for you. The minimum commitment is six months, although some of our volunteers have been with us for many years because they enjoy it so much.

We are also pleased to work with schools in our community or volunteers who want to contribute though E-volunteeris
We are also pleased to work with schools in our community or volunteers who want to contribute though E-volunteeris

Once you are accepted as a Royal BC Museum volunteer we will give you a written job description for your position and schedule your orientation and training session. Depending on the position, initial training may take anywhere from a few hours to several months. We will continue to support and train you throughout your involvement at the museum and archives, where you can expect guidance and supervision to help you perform your duties with confidence and skill. Volunteering is an opportunity for you to learn new skills and discover hidden talents.

In return, we expect each of our volunteers to understand and support the Royal BC Museum’s mission, vision and values, and to be ambassadors for the museum in the community. The Royal BC Museum is a unique organization, with staff and volunteers that are dedicated to maintaining high professional standards in their work.

Our corporate values are Accountability, Community, Creativity, Diversity, Partnerships and Service.