Webinars

American Association of Museums
The Museum Summit
Virtual Conference
October 15–16

The Museum Summit – October 15-16, 2025

James, volunteering is changing. Are you ready for what’s next?

Traditional volunteer models are under pressure—from shifting demographics and economic realities to evolving expectations about time, labor, and equity.

At The Museum Summit this October, join hundreds of museum professionals as we take a closer look at what these changes mean for museums and your work.

Whether you manage volunteers, develop an engagement strategy, or are reimagining how your museum connects with its community, this is a professional development opportunity you won’t want to miss.

You can expect:

✅ Insights from peers across the field

✅ Ideas you can actually use

✅ Inspiration to help you recharge

Last year, one attendee said it simply:

“I walked away with concrete ideas that not only align with the broader goals of enhancing visitor experience at my museum, but also address emerging societal needs, making it a highly rewarding experience overall.”

This year’s virtual Summit (October 15–16) will focus on:

🧭 Mission, Values, and the Politics of Pressure

👐 The Next Era of Volunteerism

If you’re looking for real-world strategies and fresh ideas you can bring back to your museum, this is for you. Registration opens soon.

👉 Join the LinkedIn event to get updates as the program develops.

What Does Your Volunteer Program Need Most Right Now?
Watch peers from across the country for a candid, collaborative conversation. Together, we’ll explore how to identify and prioritize your program’s most urgent needs—whether that means rethinking recruitment, amplifying impact, or building a stronger case for support.

Critical Conversations with Volunteers

Critical conversations with volunteers help address concerns, clarify expectations, and resolve issues. When handled with empathy and clear communication, these discussions build trust and support a positive volunteer experience.

Bridging Staff and Volunteers

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A collaborative webinar exploring case studies and strategies for fostering better understanding and collaboration between staff members and the volunteers they work with.

Creating Conference Proposals Slides

A collaborative webinar for creating conference proposals around topics participants would like to see addressed at upcoming conferences.

Volunteers in the Time of COVID

This webinar examines how volunteer programs are currently managing through the impacts of COVID, and also looks to the future with some predictions on what we can expect and how we can plan for the future now. This webinar was presented in conjunction with the Ohio Museums Association.

In partnership with the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), we have created a series of Webinars on different parts of managing a volunteer program. These are available to access from AAM’s Webinar Library.

Recruiting, Selecting and Placing Museum Volunteers

This webinar addresses key elements of recruiting, selecting and placing volunteers, from resources and strategies for articulating the benefits of volunteering and recruiting for diversity; to background checks, interviewing and placing volunteers, and saying “no.”

Supporting, Retaining, and Recognizing Volunteers

This webinar offers practical guidance on how to effectively support, retain and recognize volunteers as an essential part of maintaining your volunteer program, getting the most out of those who dedicate their time to your institution, and building a program that attracts new volunteers.

Training Museum Volunteers

This webinar addresses key elements of volunteer program staffing and management, including establishing policies and procedures, recruiting, training, coaching, ongoing professional development, and evaluation of volunteers and the program.

How to Manage Volunteers in Collections, 2023 (Video)

DEAI and Volunteers: Taking Action, 2022, (Video) passcode: &%qW=6e=

Somehow I Manage – Panel with the National Emerging Museum Professional Network, 2021 (Video)

Evaluating Volunteers and the Volunteer Program – 2017 (slides)