Volunteer

Share your talents and enthusiasm! Meet other community and college volunteers who assist with all aspects of our operation. Individuals, families, couples, and group volunteer teams of all ages are encouraged to participate. 

Whether you prefer to work at your own pace from home or have a regular schedule at the museum, OHC has projects! Please tell us about your special interests and talents, and we’ll find a way to put them to good use.

To become a volunteer at the Oberlin Heritage Center:

  1. Complete and return the Volunteer Application Form by mail (P.O. Box 0455, Oberlin, OH 44074), email the Museum Education & Tour Manager, or drop it off at the Monroe House.
  2. If you do not hear back from an OHC staff member within 3 weeks, please follow up with us by either calling (440) 774-1700 or email the Museum Education & Tour Manager. Please note that OHC prefers to accept and start new student volunteers at the beginning of the semester or the summer, so students should plan their own application deadlines accordingly.

Most positions allow for flexible schedules, although recurring commitment is appreciated. All positions include the benefits of camaraderie and life-long learning. We can also work with volunteers to achieve required organizational, school, or service hours.

Current Priority Volunteer Opportunities Include:

Tour Guides 

Tour guides educate guests to the Oberlin Heritage Center’s historic sites by providing information about the community’s rich heritage and sharing stories about the people who lived and worked in the buildings. Some guides lead house tours while others prefer to engage visitors on one of OHC’s thematic history walks. Check out our Guided Tours page for more information about the variety of tour opportunities at OHC.

We encourage guides to lead at least four tours per year. Time commitments can vary to suit volunteers’ schedules, but we especially appreciate docents who are willing to help with tours on a weekly or monthly basis during our regular tour hours and for group tours at other times. Check out this docent brochure for more information on becoming a docent. Teens aged 13-17 can also lead tours as Junior Docents!  

Supervisor: Amanda Manahan (Museum Education and Tour Manager)

Help with Programs and Events 

Set up and/or clean up, greet visitors, and/or help plan Oberlin Heritage Center programs. We always welcome help in staffing information tables at community events such as Juneteenth, Family Fun Fair, Chalk Walk, etc.

Supervisor: Amanda Manahan (Museum Education and Tour Manager)

Fundraising

We always welcome creative fundraising suggestions and strategies. One unique opportunity that some of our volunteers assist with annually is our Bed-and-Breakfast fundraiser, when we offer overnight accommodations to parents of incoming first-year students at Oberlin College. This event takes place around the third week of August each year, and typically involves a one-, two-, or three-night stay in private homes.

Supervisor: Bethany Hobbs (Development & Business Manager) and Liz Schultz (Executive Director)

History Resource Assistant

  • Time Commitment: 1-2 hours a week; flexible; some work can be done remotely
  • Responsibilities: Help OHC continually augment its local history resource holdings from online and print newspaper articles and occasionally update collections data records.
  • Must be: A perfectionist when it comes to writing down where and when something was published and similar key information.
  • Must have: Enough computer skills to be able to copy horrendously formatted online news articles and then paste and reformat them into presentable print-outs and/or savable pdfs.
  • Desirable: Takes joy in arguing with photocopiers and adjusting settings to make oddly shaped newspaper articles print on regular sized paper.
  • Bonus: The opportunity to write short blogs or social media posts about historical topics encountered, if interested.
  • Supervisors: Maren McKee (Collections Manager) and Liz Schultz (Executive Director)

Grounds Steward(s) 

  • Time Commitment: 2-4 hours a week; flexible
  • Responsibilities: Help maintain a pleasant and safe outdoor environment for the many people who visit OHC and community members who traverse its grounds. Weekly tasks might include branch and trash pickup and raking pathways. Monthly tasks might include strategic weeding and clipping, and cleaning off OHC signage. 
  • Optional: We are currently seeking a lawn mowing volunteer as well.
  • Must be: Willing to do light grounds work at your own pace.
  • Desirable: Willingness to chat with passersby who comment on the weather.
  • Bonus: Fall walnut season is a great opportunity to practice your pitch or jumpshot.
  • Supervisor: Liz Schultz (Executive Director)

Abolition Education Assistant

  • Time Commitment: 1-2 commitments a month; more during February and the warmer months
  • Responsibilities: Assist the Museum Education and Tour Manager with tours and outreach programs related to Oberlin’s history of abolition and the Underground Railroad, OHC’s most frequently-requested learning topic. Note that most requested programs and tours are during the day on weekdays and Saturdays.
  • Must: Be willing to devote considerable time to learning about the social and racial history of Oberlin and attend Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training. Must also be able to commit to scheduled requested events at least a month in advance.
  • Desirable: Lack of terror when in a classroom setting.
  • Bonus: This is a wonderful path to better understanding Oberlin today.
  • Supervisor: Amanda Manahan (Museum Education and Tour Manager)

Store Consultant

  • Time Commitment: Flexible, with most devoted to an initial overhaul and evaluation
  • Responsibilities: Evaluate OHC’s product stock and work with vendors to create or source new products, in consultation with OHC staff and within OHC’s resources. Much of this can be done from home.
  • Must: Be organized, creative, and attentive to OHC’s educational goals, even in the store, and willing to learn from (a.k.a. spy on) other successful museum and visitor center stores.
  • Desirable:
    Bring a capitalistic counterpoint to the OHC tendency to run a “non-profit,” even in the store. Experience working with vendors to order or create sellable items; experience evaluating Point of Sales systems
  • Supervisor: Bethany Hobbs (Development & Business Manager)