Volunteer

Volunteer Opportunities

Becoming a volunteer is a great way to explore New Mexico history while sharing your interest with others. Friends of History invites you to join us in these activities.

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Walking Tour Volunteer

Friends of History will conduct a 2024 training class for new walking tour guides. We begin with two free orientation sessions via Zoom: March 12 from 4 to 4:45PM and March 13 from 11am to 11:45am. (You need only attend one of these orientation sessions.) All sessions are recorded and available upon request if neither of these dates work for you. Anyone 21 years of age or older may attend. We embrace equality and are always looking to build a diversified group of tour guides.

Online-only training classes follow on three consecutive Saturdays: March 23 and 30 and April 6, all from 11 AM to 12:30 PM via Zoom. Each trainee will receive a digital copy of the official Friends of History “Walking Tours of Historic Downtown Santa Fe Training Manual.”

Those who complete five and a half hours of online docent training join an experienced docent on a series of training tours in April. Trainees then “shadow” at least three different docents on actual public tours to experience different styles of presentation and guest interaction. Throughout the year until December, new and experienced docents are asked to lead small group tours and receive invitations to special events. Docents are volunteer members of Friends of History and encouraged but not required to be annual members of the New Mexico History Museum.

To register for either of the two online introductory sessions in March for new Friends of History docents, email: [email protected].

For more information about Walking Tours of Historic Downtown Santa Fe, conducted through the Museum’s Friends of History, visit: https://friendsofhistorynm.org/walking-tours

Custom and groups tours may be requested for any date, providing a walking tour docent is available. For information contact [email protected].

 

Lecture Series

Speaker Wrangler

Meet and work with future speakers via email or telephone.  This opportunity includes:

  • Contacting prospective speakers to invite them to give a lecture.
  • Asking speakers for short, written summaries of their upcoming talk and their resume.
  • Asking speakers for contact information for organizations and individuals who should receive an announcement about their lecture.
  • Scheduling and facilitating the Zoom recording of the lecture.
  • Acting as host to the speakers when live lectures resume in the New Mexico History Museum auditorium.
  • Training and support for each of these tasks.
  • Work from home on your own schedule and on your own computer.

Volunteer time will average 10 to 12 hours per month.

Social Media Wrangler

Assist Friends of History with its social media accounts.  This opportunity includes:

    • Posting short, bi-weekly updates about First Wednesday lectures and other events on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
    • Training and support on how to post text and photos on the sites, and maximize the effectiveness of the posts.
    • The opportunity to write and create new posts based on information provided by Friends of History.
    • Work from home on your own schedule and on your own computer.

Volunteer time will average 4 to 6 hours per month.

Calendar Wrangler

Help Friends of History maintain publicity contacts.  This opportunity includes:

  • Sending short, monthly announcements about Friends of History lectures and events to newspaper and other media calendars.
  • Posting announcements of upcoming lectures and links to past lecture recordings on the Friends of History website.
  • The opportunity to write and create announcements based on information provided by Friends of History.
  • Training and support for each of these tasks.
  • Work from home on your own schedule and on your own computer.

Volunteer time will average 4 to 6 hours per month.

Learn More

To find out more, contact us via the Friends of History volunteer application or email [email protected].

Museum Volunteering

If you would like to work on location at the New Mexico History Museum, the staff offers a wide range of volunteer opportunities including:

  • Serving as a docent on tours of the museum and major exhibitions – Assisting with care and management of museum collections
  • Helping out in specialty departments including the Palace of the Governors Photo Archives, the Fray Angélico Chávez History Library, and the Palace Press
  • Greeting visitors and guests at special events
  • Preparing educational programs and working with school groups – Helping out with administration and support services
  • Filming and photographing live events and working on AV, multimedia, and web projects