SDCHM Volunteer Program
About the Volunteer Program:
Are you someone who appreciates the importance of preserving San Diego's cultural heritage? Are you seeking meaningful ways to utilize your time and skills? Join us as a volunteer at the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum (SDCHM) and join us on our mission.
Volunteering with us offers a range of valuable opportunities to make a difference and enrich your own journey:
- Guided Tours: Share your passion for history by helping provide tours of our exhibitions, introducing visitors to San Diego's past.
- Collections Assistance: Assist with the cataloging, documenting and preservation of our collections, ensuring their accessibility for future generations.
- Facilities Maintenance: Help keep our museum a welcoming space by contributing to maintenance tasks around our facilities and in our garden.
By joining our community of volunteers, you'll have the chance to meet like-minded individuals, expand your knowledge, and contribute to the storytelling of our community's history.
Reach out to us today and discover how you can join our team at SDCHM. Together, let's work towards preserving and sharing the rich cultural heritage of Asian Pacific History in San Diego!
Volunteer opportunities
Docents
Docents lead interactive tours of our museum and San Diego's historic Chinatown. A one-year commitment is required, and training is provided. Training includes:
- Mentorship by a senior docent
- Online resources for self-paced learning
- Observation of tours for three months
- Evaluation through a sample tour
Operations Support
Operations volunteers may assist with various tasks involved in running the museum, including front desk admissions, gift shop management, and other administrative duties.
Education Programming
Education program volunteers support the museum's offerings for schools and groups by assisting with classroom exhibit presentations and hands-on workshops. Please check out our webpage for more information about workshops and CEPs.
Collections
Collections volunteers work closely with staff on data entry and cataloging of the SDCHM's collections, which may include everyday objects, historic clothing and textiles, decorative and fine art and historical documents. Knowledge of museum terminology, computer skills, attention to detail, and legible handwriting are beneficial for this role.
Support for Chuang Garden
Garden team members assist with landscaping and maintenance projects in the museum garden to ensure a pleasant experience for museum visitors.
Special events
Every year, we celebrate the Chinese New Year Street Fair (January/February), our Annual Banquet (Spring), the Dragon Boat Festival (May), and the Fallback Festival (November). We need volunteer support to staff these events!
These volunteer opportunities offer a chance to contribute to the preservation and sharing of San Diego's cultural heritage while gaining valuable experience and making meaningful connections. If you're interested in any of these roles, don't hesitate to reach out and start your volunteering journey with SDCHM today!