Volunteer

Volunteers play a vital role in the operation of the Museum.

Your time and expertise help advance our mission to advocate for the historic and cultural preservation and education of California’s multi-cultural heritage. We are seeking enthusiastic individuals to introduce local residents and visitors to the museum, our exceptional exhibitions, and our festive community events.

Join our Museum family and support our community. There are so many ways to become involved:

• Become a member of our docent program
• Sign up for one of our Committees
• Work in the Museum Shop
• Become a Student Intern for school credit
• Work with us on Special Events
• Help us in our main office with administrative tasks and social media
• Just socialize and disseminate information about us

Assisting with tours, events, fundraising and advocacy, is also an opportunity to meet other community members who share your same interests. Although no special experience is required, volunteers should:

• Have excellent communication and social skills
• Enjoy speaking with individuals as well as large groups
• Be able to respond to questions comfortably
• Create interactive discussions that stimulate visitor curiosity and imagination
• Actively encourage questions and engage visitors in lively discourse. 

During training volunteers will:

• Gain an introduction to the Roy Jones family “the Founding Family of Santa Monica”
• Study the origin of the house - architects and historians regularly disagree about its design principals and variety of architectural styles
• Learn how local life was a century ago - Did you know that Ocean Park was home to an enormous Ostrich Farm in 1893?  Did you know that the Merle Norman empire was established on Main Street? 
• Learn about past and current museum exhibitions
• Become proficient at tailoring conversations to reach a diverse audience; local residents, tourists, historians, collectors, educators, and students, amongst them

Docent Schedules

After training, docents conduct individual or group tours 1-4 times per month, from 11am to 3:30pm, Wednesdays through Sundays.

Join one of our Committees

Do you have skills, education and/or experience that would enhance one of our committees? If you would like to work with us on any of the following, please complete the museum application form (below) and mail, scan/email or fax it to us.  

• Community & Fundraising Events
• Grants, Donations & Fundraising
• Retail Sales (in-museum shop and online store)
• School & Educational Outreach (arrange free school tours for students)
• Social Media
• Community Outreach (be an advocate for the museum, exhibition and community events  through contacting and/or distributing cards & free passes to local stores, tourist boards, hotel concierges, and visitors at our weekly events on our lawn)