Help us make a difference in the community we serve

Volunteers at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley play an important role in fulfilling our mission of preserving and enriching the cultural life and heritage of the Valley. Share your time and talent as an Administrative Volunteer, Education Department Volunteer, Garden and Grounds Volunteer, or Special Events Volunteer.

Volunteer needs vary throughout the year and as various opportunities arise, they are posted here in the “How Can I Help?” section.

How Can I Help?

Current Volunteer Opportunities at the MSV are listed below. If you are interested in helping with any of the activities, please send an email to the MSV staff contact listed at the end of the position descriptions.

Volunteers are Needed to help Maintain the Gardens at the MSV

Do you enjoy working outdoors? Help maintain the MSV gardens by volunteering. MSV garden volunteer positions require the ability to sit/kneel on the ground, pull bins of yard waste short distances, use garden pruners requiring hand strength and dexterity, and move about for three hours at a time, in various temperatures.

Garden Maintenance Volunteer
Time: Wednesdays & Fridays, 8–11 a.m.
Location: Glen Burnie Gardens
Duties include mulching, pulling weeds; planting bulbs, perennials, and annuals; and other similar gardening tasks. Gardening experience preferred but not required. Volunteers must wear close-toed shoes and bring a water bottle. Sunscreen is recommended. Volunteer groups will be managed by a member of the MSV Gardens and Grounds staff. Volunteer shifts will be canceled in the event of rain or extreme heat.

To volunteer with garden maintenance at the MSV, please contact Chantal Ludder, MSV horticulturist, at cludder@themsv.org

Volunteers are Needed to Assist with Education Programs and Tours

Do you enjoy working with people? Help young guests during these MSV programs. These positions require the ability to stand and walk for up to four hours.

Student Tour Facilitator
Time: varies, but generally between 10 a.m.–2 p.m., Tuesday–Friday
Location: MSV galleries building and gardens
Participation in MSV student tours has nearly doubled over the past year! Help MSV educators facilitate some of the larger student groups. Duties include “bringing up the rear” of student groups, helping reseat areas for the next group, and light engagement/mingling during less structured times.

To volunteer as a Student Tour Facilitator, please contact Curry Schiavone, MSV youth and family programs manager, at dcschiavone@theMSV.org

Volunteers are needed to assist with the MSV Plant Sale

Do you enjoy working with people AND plants? The popular MSV Heritage Plant Sale returns in May. Please note some of these positions require lifting, carrying, and moving plants of various sizes, as well as kneeling and bending.

Plant Sale Set Up Volunteer
Time: Tuesday & Wednesday, May 16–17, 9 a.m.–noon (both days)
Location: MSV galleries building, horticulture area, gardens
Duties include placing price tags as needed, assisting MSV garden staff in moving and placing plants in sales area, watering plants as needed. Requirements: lifting, carrying, and moving of plants of various sizes; kneeling and bending.

Members’ Preview Sale Plant Tally Volunteer
Time: Thursday, May 18, 4:45–7 p.m.
Location: MSV galleries building patio, Reception Hall
Duties include greeting customers as they approach the sales table, counting plants in the customer’s “cart” and making appropriate marks on tally sheet to expedite transactions. Requirements: standing, bending over, writing, counting for just over two hours.

Members’ Preview Sale Membership Checker Volunteer
Time: Thursday, May 18, 4:45–7 p.m.
Location: MSV galleries building patio, Reception Hall
Duties include greeting guests as they approach the sales area, checking for current membership status for sales area entrance, redirecting non-members to the membership table to purchase a membership for early admission, tallying guests entering the sales area with a clicker.

Sale Days Plant Tally Volunteer
Time: Friday & Saturday, May 19–20, 8:45 a.m.–1 p.m. and 12:45–5 p.m.
Location: MSV galleries building patio, Reception Hall
Duties include greeting customers as they approach the sales table, counting plants in the customer’s “cart” and making appropriate marks on tally sheet to expedite transactions. Requirements: standing, bending over, writing, counting.

Sale Days Greeter/Counter
Time: May 19 –20, 8:45 a.m.–1 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.–5 p.m.
Location: MSV galleries building patio, Reception Hall
Duties include greeting guests as they approach the sales area and tallying guests with a clicker as they enter the sales area.

To volunteer with the MSV Heritage Plant Sale, please contact Perry Mathewes, MSV deputy director of operations and director of gardens at pmathewes@themsv.org

Volunteer Training

MSV volunteers may be asked to participate in an orientation to campus safety and security, a building and campus overview (total approximately three hours), in addition to training for tasks as assignments are made. Volunteers participate based on the MSV’s schedule of programs, events, garden activities, and administrative needs.