Volunteer Recruitment – A Case Study of Change

On any given day, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri welcomes thousands of guests through its doors. During their visits, guests might encounter several of the museum’s more than 400 volunteers at multiple points. These museum volunteers – ranging from teens to nonagenarians from all walks of life – help make the museum an inviting, friendly and inclusive destination. In this feature story, authors Beth Steinhorn, Marla Van Thournout and Denisse De Leon explore how the museum created this strong, vibrant volunteer community as well as  more appealing volunteer opportunities that are reflective of its commitment to IDEAS: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access and Sustainability. As they explain, it took partnering, listening, learning and the commitment and willingness of both staff and volunteers to do things differently.