Every museum says it: “We couldn’t function without our volunteers.” But for some institutions, it’s even more fundamental than that—they wouldn’t even exist without them.
Volunteers help a museum operate. Volunteer employees make a museum viable.
Both volunteers and volunteer employees offer their time and skills without expecting compensation. But here’s the difference: without the volunteer employee—someone not on payroll but absolutely critical—the museum would grind to a halt.
And yet, these vital individuals are not considered employees by the institution or under labor law. That means no minimum wage, no overtime pay, no benefits. Still, their absence would mean drastic consequences: reduced public hours, canceled programs, stalled exhibitions, and halted restoration work.
So how can you help your board or leadership understand their value?
Translate their time and talent into dollars.
Here’s a simple starting point: What would it cost to replace your volunteers with paid staff?
- Docents? At minimum wage, that’s $7.25/hour.
- Docents with Programming experience? $26.06/hour
- Children’s educators or adult program leaders with an associate degree? Around $26.06 to $34.00/hour.
- Exhibit carpenters or cabinet makers? Roughly $19.94 to $33.00/hour.
- A retired English teacher writing and editing exhibit labels? That’s about $28.17 to $38.17/hour.
- Antique tractor restorers like mine? Those skills run from $34.98 to $90.01/hour.
Suddenly, your “free labor” looks like a six-figure line item. That’s the power of data-driven storytelling.
Valuing your volunteers isn’t just about counting hours—it’s about translating skill and knowledge into economic impact. When you do that, you don’t just make a case for appreciation. You make a case for strategic support, thoughtful engagement, and real institutional investment in your most generous resource.
Need help assessing your volunteer program or want to track the value of your volunteers better? Try downloading the Volunteer Employee Mini-Toolkit to get started. You can also comment below or email: insight@kaleidoscopehf.com
Alt Text: Watercolor illustration of a blue male silhouette and a purple female silhouette facing each other, with decorative swirling flourishes—blue and teal on the left, orange and red on the right—emerging from green leafy bases.
Next Sunday features the article, The Third Choice, as well as a Decision-Making Mini-Toolkit.
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