Do you have a passion for history, preservation, nature, working with your hands, engaging with your community, or meeting new people from all walks of life? Do you enjoy fresh air and beautiful views of open landscapes? If the answer is “yes” to any of these questions, then volunteering with the Renfrew Museum and Park might be for you! Here at Renfrew, there are opportunities to volunteer in many different areas. As a largely volunteer based organization with just three employees, our volunteers are at the core of everything we do. From daily operations to special event set up and execution, landscape maintenance to fence building, and everything in between, there is always an opportunity to become part of the Renfrew volunteer family!
An interest or background in history is always a plus, but not necessary to become a volunteer. Our volunteers come from many different backgrounds, with an enjoyment of working together on Renfrew’s many vital preservation and community projects at the core. Though our facilities are open to the public during seasonal hours, volunteer schedules are flexible and customizable. For example, some volunteers are present for a full day on a weekly basis, some for a few hours during days they are available, and others only during special events or field trips as needed. We are happy to discuss these many options and work with you to make the most of your time with us!
Volunteer opportunities include but are not limited to:
Collections & Accessions
Renfrew invites volunteers to assist with the cataloging and inventorying of its extensive collection of early American decorative arts, farm implements, and ephemera. Collections management involves both hand-written and/or computer work, careful handling and marking of objects, help with creating exhibits, and more. Assignments are based on the interest and skill level of the volunteers who participate. Renfrew staff will instruct collections volunteers in best practices for the proper care and storage of museum artifacts and archives. Ongoing research is also a large part of ensuring we uncover the amazing stories our collections have to tell so we can share them with our guests. Volunteers with an interest in scholarship, presentation, and archival management are also very welcome.
Community Relations
Renfrew is Waynesboro’s best kept secret – but we don’t want to be! Help us spread the word about all the wonderful amenities, programs, events, and special experiences Renfrew Museum and Park has to offer. Volunteers help with newsletter and campaign mailings, assist with membership recruitment, and serve at variety community events to promote our resources and bring awareness to new audiences.
Programs & Events
Renfrew host thousands of visitors each year at a variety of engaging programs and events. From lectures and workshops, to our summer concert series, Farmstead Taste & Tours, and annual signature events like Opening Day, Oktoberfest, and Christmas on the Farm – help is needed in planning and execution so our visitors enjoy the best experience possible here at Renfrew.
Property & Grounds
Renfrew’s 107-acre property is carefully maintained by our talented maintenance staff of three, but they can always use extra help! Volunteers with construction, landscaping, gardening, and maintenance experience or aptitude are very welcome. Renfrew regularly hosts volunteer work days to weed, clear brush, and keep our beautiful park looking its best.
Tours & Interpretation
Since its opening in 1975, Renfrew has relied on the services of volunteer tour guides, or docents, to greet the visiting public and show them through Renfrew Museum. Volunteer guides are trained by the museum’s professional staff to develop their own hour-long tour of the Visitors Center and Royer Farmstead buildings including the Summer Kitchen and Museum House. Training also includes content on the history of the property’s many other structures and features, collections items on exhibit, and broader themes of preservation and stewardship. Museum tours are offered on the hour at 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00pm Wednesday through Saturday during Renfrew’s regular season with other opportunities at our many special events. Our tour guides typically work one to two shifts, or between three and six hours, per month. There are currently no minimum service commitment requirements to be a docent at Renfrew. Dress code for public tours is business casual. Docents are not required to wear period clothing at special events unless they would like to.
Some of our guides are already skilled at, or are interested in learning, the art of living history interpretation. After successfully completing docent training and becoming comfortable with giving standard tours, these individuals have the opportunity to receive further instruction in authentically presenting historic activities such as heirloom gardening, historic cookery, period crafts, light agricultural work, etc. to Renfrew’s guests. Living history interpreters are provided with period clothing and taught how to present themselves appropriately as a representation of an individual from the early nineteenth century. Renfrew subscribes to third-person interpretive methodology so visitors have the benefit of both an authentic visual experience along with the ability to speak candidly to a 21st-century person who can help them make relevant connections to their own modern-day life. As Renfrew seeks to depict life on a historic farmstead, living history interpreters can expect to often be outdoors, in a variety of weather conditions, stand, walk, and bend frequently, and get their hands dirty.
Help us make a difference in our community and for the preservation of historic green spaces!