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History Colorado Center Volunteer Opportunities

Located in Denver, volunteers at the History Colorado Center perform administrative projects, assist our collections staff, facilitate education programs and tours, assist with visitor information services, and more!

Hands On History Camp Volunteer

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Warm and caring volunteers needed to support the History Colorado break camps!! Hands-on History Camps are a 5-day experience for young people ages 6 to 12 years old that brings history to life and connects to our larger world in engaging and exciting ways!

Schedule: There are opportunities during winter, spring, and summer break. Exact dates are TBD every year. Available Shifts (M-F)  9:00 - 1:00 pm and/or 12:00 - 4:00 pm.

Description and Desired Skills: 

  • Assist with daily camp activities including crafts, games, lessons and exhibit exploration.  
  • Support camp staff in creating an emotionally and physically safe experience for campers.
  • Assist campers at snack and lunchtime (heating food, opening containers)
  • Bring your unique talents, genuine heart, endless enthusiasm, and best self. 
  • Must be at least 16 years of age. 
Teen Museum Corps: Hands On History Volunteer

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The History Colorado Center is looking for high school students to assist the museum’s Hands on History Camp program. The student will assist in educational programming, organization, planning, and other camp related activities. Teens must be 14 or older to apply and/or be an incoming 9th grade student for the 2023-2024 school year.

Each member of the Teen Museum Corp must be able to commit to two weeks which adds up to 50 hours of camp (25 hours per week). Shift options for the two weeks are Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM OR 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM. Participants will earn great real-world experience and over 50 hours for school-related community service credit. We will also provide a stipend of $200 for teens who participate at the completion of their service.

There are three options of camps to choose from:

  1. Winter break Camp which runs December 18 - 22, 2023
  2. Spring Break Camp which runs March 25 - 29th (and possible March 18 - 22nd, tbd)
  3. Summer Break Camp which runs June 10 - August 9th (excluding the week of July 4th)

All qualified applicants will be invited to attend an individual interview. Participants who are selected for the Teen Museum Corps will be required to attend an orientation prior to starting.

Deadlines to apply:

  • Winter Break - apply by December 2, 2023
  • Spring Break - apply by March 2, 2024
  • Summer Break - apply by May 25, 2024

All qualified applicants will be invited to attend a group & individual interview. Participants who are selected for the Teen Museum Corps will be required to attend an orientation prior to starting on either March 18th or June 2nd from 10-2pm. 

Lecture Volunteers

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The Rosenberry Lecture Series brings speakers from around Colorado and the United States to shed new light on topics in Colorado history on the third Wednesdays of the month. Volunteers will help with greeting people into the space and will support the snack and beverage table by refreshing cookies, and refilling water pitchers throughout the event. If needed, the volunteer might be asked to run the mic during Q&A.

Schedule: Shift 1: 12:30-1:30p, Shift 2: 12:30-2:30p

Skills: Friendliness, customer service, food or event hosting experience. It is all very simple and other than your smiles, we can train you on the spot!

Destination Colorado Gallery Host

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Schedule:

Shifts are available Monday through Friday from 10:00 am-1:00 pm or 11:00 am-2:00 pm. Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 am-1:00 pm. We request that you do two shifts per month at minimum.

Job Description:

Our exhibit, Destination Colorado, in the History Colorado Center, is highly engaging and  interactive. As such, it needs extra love and attention! 

Be the general store owner within the now ghost town, Keota, Colorado. Step back in time when Keota was a flourishing community and the town’s general store was at the center of that  community. Help visitors collect eggs for “money” to buy groceries. Ensure the visitor has a great experience by resetting the exhibit, answering visitor’s questions informally, keeping lines moving in high-traffic areas, and conducting exhibit maintenance sweeps (reviewing exhibits, picking up trash, reporting problems with the interactives, burned-out light bulbs, or broken exhibit elements).

Engagement Guide

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Job Description:

Engagement Guides will lead scheduled adult tours of the exhibits through the group sales program. This facilitated experience will help audiences engage with our core exhibits more thoroughly than if they explored on their own, including behind-the-scenes information not mentioned in our labels. Experiences will be tailored to specific audiences and Engagement Guides will need to adapt based on the audience and their needs. Tours are scheduled as needed based on request from groups or evening events through rentals.

Training will be provided to include engaging visitors through an inquiry-based method that allows visitors to evaluate and experience the content of the exhibitions and partake in the learning process. Additional training on customer service, exhibit content, general Colorado history, experience facilitation, inquiry, and basic museum education will be provided.

Philanthropy Stewardship Volunteer - Remote Role

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Desired Schedule: Minimum of three shifts per month, make 15-30 calls per shift, remote position, must be comfortable with using your own phone.

Position Description:
The Philanthropy Stewardship Volunteer assists the philanthropy and membership department by making weekly thank you calls to our members and donors. If you like to be social, this is the position for you!

Desired Skills:

  • Ability to communicate in a friendly, clear and professional manner
  • Willingness to make member and donor stewardship thank you phone calls (script will be included, but ability to make it your own is allowed)
  • Experience working with Google Sheets (similar to Microsoft Excel) or feel comfortable to learn how to use it (our phone list will be sent to callers through Google sheets. Training & coaching will be included.)
  • Comfortable with computers and internet search engines
  • Ability to recognize and maintain confidentiality of donor and member data and sensitive information

Examples of specific tasks include:

  • Member & donor thank you phone calls
  • Ability to help on Colorado Gives Day - second Tuesday of December
Philanthropy Office Volunteer

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Desired Schedule: Minimum of two shifts per month, 3 hours per shift (any time between 9 AM – 4 PM Monday - Friday), onsite at HC in the Philanthropy Office.

Position Description:
Assist the Membership and Philanthropy Department with administrative tasks to support History Colorado. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about non-profit management and expand administrative skills while learning about the Museum.

Interested volunteers should be detail oriented, comfortable with filing systems and assisting with mailings, and expect to help with other administrative tasks.

Desired Skills:

  • Ability to communicate in a friendly, clear and professional manner
  • Organized, attentive to detail and able to work in a team-oriented environment
  • Ability to recognize and maintain confidentiality of donor and member data and sensitive information

Examples of specific tasks include:

  • Folding and stuffing weekly acknowledgement letters
  • Folding and stuffing renewal notices (every 3rd Tuesday of the month)
  • Stuffing renewal envelopes (as needed)
  • Filing and supplies organization
  • History Buff Day prep (examples: cutting buttons for craft, and packet stuffing)
  • Major gift mailing support
  • Philanthropy event prep (example: putting name tags together)
  • Scanning checks/cc information for membership & filing them
  • Office supply organization and inventory
  • Member lounge clean up
  • Other tasks as needed

No computer or email access necessary

Museum Host Volunteer

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Desired Schedule (minimum hour/week, day, hours, etc):
Minimum 6 hours per month. Shifts will be available from 11:00am-2:00pm on weekends and daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day and school holidays.

Job Description:
The Guest Services Department is seeking volunteers to enhance the visitor experience. The host will greet and direct museum visitors and guests and help guests orient themselves to the building. This position roams throughout all museum galleries with the intent and purpose of interacting with all museum guests during their visit. For example, the Museum Host may spend time in the Anschutz Hamilton Hall, greeting visitors and helping them use the time machines or navigate to the exhibit galleries. Then they may walk through the first and second floor galleries, checking on visitors and answering questions that may come up. They may also check in and interact with volunteer and staff facilitators, resetters, performers, and so on.

The host will help serve the mission of History Colorado by encouraging visitors to find wonder and meaning in our past during their visit and ensure that all visitors feel welcome, safe, and smart while they are at the museum.

Duties Include:

  • Be knowledgeable about all museum activities such as programs, events, classes, and museum theater performances.
  • Answer questions and provide assistance to museum visitors, making suggestions about exhibits and helping facilitate the visitor experience.

Desired Skills:

  • Excellent customer service skills.
  • Passion for history and for the mission of History Colorado.
  • Project a friendly and helpful presence.
  • Self-motivated and able to work with little supervision.
School Program Facilitator Volunteer

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Desired Schedule:

Minimum 10 hours per month. Shifts are available Monday-Friday from late August through early June.at 9:15 – 11:30 AM and 11:15 – 2 PM.

Job description:

Be a part of an amazing community of educators that ensure every student visitor feels welcome, safe, and smart.  School Program Facilitators actively engage school groups through their entire visit to the History Colorado Center. Volunteers facilitate a hands-on, fun learning experience and work with students through gallery-based programming which involves facilitating a high quality learning experience at each History Station.

As a School Program Facilitator, volunteers get to see their enormous impact on students first-hand:

"Our school, Mountain View Academy, had an amazing time at the History Colorado Museum this past school year! It such a joy that the students got to experience fun and interesting activities about the state in which they live. Most of our students do not get to experience things outside of their neighborhoods, so the fact that they were able to see things they may have never seen before was very beneficial."

Teacher, Mountain View Academy

"Thanks for having us! It was an AWESOME field trip. You were such a great host / guide. The kids were engaged and learned a ton. The guide made the trip! The guide gave our students an opportunity to explore the beautiful History Colorado Center as well as gain a ton of knowledge. Without, our school would not have been able to make the trip and our kids would have missed out on a once in a lifetime experience.

Sean, Teacher at Kullerstrand Elementary

Training on exhibit content, program facilitation, general museum education, and child development theory will be provided.

Desired skills:

Enjoy working with children, lively and enthusiastic, flexibility, creative problem solving, ability to work with a team, desire to help children experience and have fun with history and to see themselves in the story, experience working with elementary-aged children (6-12 year olds).

Special Event Volunteer

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Desired Schedule (minimum hour/week, day, hours, etc): Hours vary based on the event; must commit to a minimum of 2 events per year. Includes evening and weekend shifts.

Job Description:
Do you enjoy working as a team, interacting with the public, and being an ambassador of fun? Special Event Volunteers offer a customer service experience at our membership, community, and fundraising events that visitors will never forget. Our annual events, such as Colorado Day (August 1), Night at the Museum (first Saturday of November), Día del Niño (last Sunday of April), and more require volunteer assistance. This is the perfect opportunity for anyone interested in bringing history to life for our visitors.

The host will help serve the mission of History Colorado by encouraging visitors to find wonder and meaning in our past during their visit and ensure that all visitors feel welcome, safe, and smart while they are at the museum.

Volunteer responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Event Set-up & Breakdown
  • Welcome visitors
  • Help visitors with questions or directions
  • Other duties as appropriate that deal with providing customer service to guests of the History Colorado Center.

Desired Skills:

  • Ability to stand or sit for long periods of time
  • Friendly and warm personality
  • Ability to follow directions and be adaptable with last minute changes if they occur
  • Ambassadors for History Colorado
  • Comfortable in high energy environments
Front Desk Engagement Volunteer

Our front desk engagement volunteers are the first point of contact with the public. In this role, volunteers will greet museum visitors, collect admission fees, provide membership information, help sell retail items, answer questions, and provide support to the Guest Services staff. Are you friendly and enjoy talking to people? This could be the position for you!

Desired Schedule: Shifts are available daily from 9:45 - 1 PM Monday-Saturday.  Volunteers are asked to commit to a minimum of  3 shifts per month as an opt out system.

Apply here →

Winter Warriors Gallery Guide Volunteer

The Winter Warriors Gallery Guide Volunteer will assist the Guest Services Department in enhancing the visitor experience for the Winter Warriors: the 10th Mountain Division in World War II exhibition. These guides will offer additional insights and hands-on history activities to visitors. This exhibition tells the incredible story of the 10th Mountain Division in World War II – from its origins in faraway Finland through its training in the Colorado Rocky Mountains to its fateful combat deployment in Italy. It is told through the deeply personal lens of the soldiers themselves – their stories, artifacts, and photographs shine a new light on World War II.

With more than 5,000-square-feet of exhibition space in our new marquee gallery, Winter Warriors expands visitors' understanding of the 10th Mountain Division by examining the frontline accomplishments of the division and illuminating the fighting force’s origins and lasting legacy. Volunteers will help the Guest Services staff and Curatorial staff to provide an enriching and elevated experience as guests explore the exhibit and will help facilitate and showcase institutional information about the 10th Mountain division, the exhibit, artifacts, and potential programming related to the exhibit.

Desired Skills:

  • Excellent customer service skills.
  • Passion for history and the mission of History Colorado.
  • Passion for 10th Mountain Division/Military History
  • Project a friendly and helpful presence.
  • Self-motivated and able to work with little supervision

Apply here →