SMA 2026

Traveling to York, PA: Launching Shifting Volunteer Expectations at the Small Museum Association

There is something fitting about launching a year-long presentation series in a room full of small museum professionals. This week, we’re traveling to York, Pennsylvania, for the annual conference of the Small Museum Association (SMA), and we are thrilled to be presenting Shifting Volunteer Expectations as the first of four presentations we’ll deliver in 2026.

Small museums are not losing volunteers.
They’re outgrowing outdated systems.

This message feels especially appropriate at SMA, an organization dedicated specifically to the realities, challenges, and strengths of small institutions. These are museums that operate with limited staff, constrained budgets, and immense community responsibility. They are powered not by scale, but by relationship. And the relationship is exactly where volunteerism is shifting.

We hope to see you soon!