Volunteering at the Museum

If you enjoy meeting new people, learning new things, and would like to volunteer in a dynamic environment, then you have come to the right place! Volunteers are a vital part of Bishop Museum ’s existence and success. Volunteers currently serve in most areas of the Museum’s two facilities (Bishop Museum's main Kalihi campus and the the Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Captain Cook, Hawai‘i).

If you are 18 or older and willing to make a commitment of one 4 - hour shift per week to the Museum please complete the Online Volunteer Application Form here. Please allow 3-5 business days for a response. You will be sent an email with additional instructions. Please add volunteer@bishopmuseum.org to your contacts list. If you have any questions or concerns about your application or the volunteer program contact us at volunteer@bishopmuseum.org or call (808) 848-4171. Our office hours are Monday-Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

 

Current Volunteer Opportunities

Pacific Hall Docent

Special Exhibit Guide (SEG)

Science Adventure Center Greeter

Special Events Greeter

Botany Computer Assistant

Reservationist Assistant

Administrative Assistant

 

 

 

Service Groups

If you are part of a service group (ex - Key Club) please monitor upcoming events at the museum for events or exhibits that you may be interested in volunteering for:

 

Hawaiian HallApplication Process

If you are 18 years old and over, a background check will be done and if everything is clear, the information on the registration form will be forwarded to other departments to find an open volunteer position that matches the day, time and interests mentioned on the form. If a position is available, you will be called in for an interview, orientation and training.

For more information about the volunteer program please email us at volunteer@bishopmuseum.org.

Phone: 808.848.4171

Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm

HR/Volunteer Services
1525 Bernice Street
Honolulu , HI 96817

 Employment |   Volunteer | News | About Us | Contact Us | 日本語|Mobile Site

Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Tuesdays and December 25.  Parking is free.   Facility rentalsare available.

1525 Bernice Street, Honolulu, Hawai‘i   96817    Phone: 808.847.3511    Fax: 808.848.4147

© Bishop Museum, All rights reserved.


Bishop Museum on Facebook  Twitter  Vimeo  YouTube  flickr

Botany Computer Assistant

Department: Botany

Volunteer Responsibilities: Data entry of herbarium specimens

Qualifications/ Skills Needed: Must have familiarity with world geography, attention to detail, keyboard skills and some basic computer skills helpful

Training/Orientation Provided: Staff member will train volunteer how to do the actual data entry and how to read the specimens

Days/Times Volunteers Are Needed: M-W Mornings 9-12 noon. Once trained hours can be a little more negotiable

Volunteer commitment (length of time): 3+ hours per week

CLICK here to become a Volunteer

Science Adventure Center Greeter

Department: Education

Volunteer Responsibilities: Welcomes all visitors to SAC and acts host/hostess; Answers general questions and direct guests to the various exhibits, tours and/or requested areas

Qualifications/ Skills Needed: Enjoys interacting with people of all ages and from all over the world, is energetic and can maintain a positive attitude and can be flexible and take initiative on the job.

Training/Orientation Provided: Training will be provided after all volunteers have been recruited. Full training will include a tour through the museum, explanation of all museum policies and rules, and introduction to all Education staff.

Days/Times Volunteers Are Needed: Monday-Sunday except Tuesdays from 9-5pm; four to six hours per week.

Volunteer commitment (length of time): 3+ hours per week

OPPORTUNITIES for INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS:: YES

CLICK here to become a Volunteer

SAC-ADD2

Science on a Sphere Interpreter

Department: Education

Volunteer Responsibilities: Bring Science on a Sphere to life for visitor by showing and interpreting vivid images and animations of earth and other planets on Science on a Sphere, a six-foot digital globe.

Qualifications/ Skills Needed: Familiarity with PC or Mac Platforms, an interest in science and culture and the ability to maintain a friendly and energetic personality while working with the public and can handle crowd control.

Training/Orientation Provided: Training will be provided after all volunteers have been recruited. Full training will include a tour through the museum, explanation of all museum policies and rules, and introduction to all Education staff.

Days/Times Volunteers Are Needed: Monday-Sunday except Tuesdays from 9-5pm

Volunteer commitment (length of time): Four to six hours per week.

OPPORTUNITIES for INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS:: YES

CLICK here to become a Volunteer

SAC-ADD2

Science Adventure Center Interpreter

Department: Education

Volunteer Responsibilities: Interact with visitors and exhibits in Science Center. Take out sets of activities on topics such as butterflies, Hawaiian Geology and fossils. Interact informally with school visitors and/or general public using these activities. Provide general exhibit interpretation.

Qualifications/ Skills Needed: Enjoys working with visitors of all ages, is energetic, enjoys walking, has interpersonal skills and can handle crowd control.

Training/Orientation Provided: Training will be provided after all volunteers have been recruited. Full training will include a tour through the museum, explanation of all museum policies and rules, and introduction to all Education staff.

Days/Times Volunteers Are Needed: Monday-Sunday except Tuesdays from 9-5pm

Volunteer commitment (length of time): six month commitment

OPPORTUNITIES for INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS:: YES

CLICK here to become a Volunteer

SAC-ADD2

Unpaid Archaeology Intern

Department: Anthropology Department

Volunteer Responsibilities: Interns will work on projects relating to the management of museum archaeology collections by performing hands-on work with the artifacts, documents, and maps collected by Bishop Museum archaeologists all over in Hawaii and the Pacific. Learning opportunities covered in the internship will include topics such as artifact analysis, digitization, artifact photography, collections tracking, collections organization, community outreach, and pest management. The program is a formal internship program, and a limited number of applications will be selected. Academic credit is possible, especially for UH-Manoa students.

Qualifications/ Skills Needed: The internship is oriented toward students and recent students in the fields of archaeology, anthropology, and museum studies. Successful applicants will be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program in one of these fields. Previous laboratory or field experience in an archaeological setting is preferred but not required.

Training/Orientation Provided: Detailed instructions will be provided for each activity that is assigned, and related reading assignments may also be given.

Days/Times Volunteers Are Needed: The internship program will be held on Tuesdays all day over the fall academic term, or between August 28 and December 4, 2012.

Volunteer commitment (length of time): A total of 120 hours are required to complete the formal internship. Attendance each Tuesday over the duration of the internship (August 28-December 4) will meet this requirement.

OPPORTUNITIES for INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS: YES

CLICK here to become a Volunteer

Special Exhibit Guide

If you like learning new things, become a Special Exhibit Guide (SEG)! New exhibits go up every few months in the Castle Memorial Building, so there's always something new to learn and share! Upcoming Exhibits include:

Life Through Time: Dinosaurs and Ice-Age Mammals (Apr 27, 2013 - Sept 15, 2013)

LEGO: Travel Adventure (Oct 5, 2013 - Jan 5, 2014)

Qualifications/ Skills Needed: Enjoys working with visitors of all ages and backgrounds, energetic, enjoys walking, excellent interpersonal skills and can handle crowd control.

Days Volunteers Needed:Monday-Sunday except Tuesdays

Minimum Time Commitment: One 4 hour shift, every week for at least 6 months

CLICK here to become a Volunteer

Social Media Intern

Bishop Museum is looking for a motivated intern to assist with the museum's social media program.

Responsibilities: Generate content to be published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, based on the themes outlined by the PR/Marketing Department. Help produce creative campaigns to increase followers.

Qualifications: Strong writing skills. Experience, regular use and understanding of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is a must. Video editing and photo shop a plus. Should own a smartphone.

Time Commitment: 4+ hours/week

CLICK here to become a Volunteer

Reservationist Assistant

Bishop Museum is looking for a responsible, motivated volunteer to assist the Reservationist in Special Events. Volunteer will assist in answering phones and doing light office work.

Time Needed: 1-3 days/week, Monday-Friday except for Tuesdays (museum is closed Tuesdays)

Qualifications: Outgoing, friendly, some experience answering phones preferred.

CLICK here to become a Volunteer

Ecommerce Intern

Bishop Museum is looking for a motivated intern to assist Shop Pacifica (the museum's gift shop) with their website.

Duties: Upload book titles, corresponding descriptives to CPonline (ecommerce site); take pictures of merchandise offered in Shop Pacifica (Bishop Museum's gift shop), as directed by designated supervisor; research and write up descriptions to be featured in online gift shop (with final copy reviewed and approved by supervisor)

Equipment & Programs Used: Digital camera (Nikon Coolpix S3300), MS Word, Excel, CP/CPOnline

Qualifications: Must be computer literate, organized and detail oriented. Experience using digital camera preferred. Should know how to upload pictures, link information etc.

Time Commitment: Minimum of One 4-hr. shift/week

Duration: Ongoing

CLICK here to become a Volunteer

Special Events Greeter

Special Event Greeters are responsible for greeting and wayfinding during weekend special events at Bishop Museum. They may also assist in activity tables. Past activities include creating origami aloha shirts, extracting DNA from strawberries, and running an obstacle course. These volunteers will be contacted on an as-needed basis.

Qualifications/ Skills Needed: Qualified volunteers will need to be friendly, outgoing, proactive problem-solvers with excellant customer service skills. Visitors to the museum often don't ask for help, so you need to be able to read nonverbal cues (body language) to seek out and assist guests. Greeters must maintain a friendly and professional attitude at all times. Familiarity with campus a plus.

Days Usually Needed:Friday, Saturdays or Sundays

Minimum Time Commitment: 8 hours per month for at least 6 months. Volunteers are called on an as-needed basis, and given the option to commit to an event as their schedule allows. Events are usually split into 3-4 hour shifts, making this a very flexible assignment.

CLICK here to become a Volunteer

Pacific Hall Docent

for greeting and wayfinding during weekend special events at Bishop Museum. They may also assist in activity tables. Past activities include creating origami aloha shirts, extracting DNA from strawberries, and running an obstacle course. These volunteers will be contacted on an as-needed basis.

Qualifications/ Skills Needed: Qualified volunteers will need to be friendly, outgoing, and comfortable presenting information to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Docents must maintain a friendly and professional attitude at all times. Familiarity with campus a plus.

Training: Training classes will be conducted by Bishop Museum Cultural Education Staff. Final details to be determined. Tentatively starting in July, classes will be held twice a week for 8 weeks during business hours.

Days/Times Needed:Wednesday-Monday, 9am-5pm. The museum is closed to the public on Tuesdays.

Minimum Time Commitment: One 4-hour shift per week for at least 6 months.

CLICK here to become a Volunteer

Administrative Assistant

Bishop Museum is looking for a motivated, organized, detail oriented individual to assist in light office work in the registrar's office.

Days and Times Needed:9am-12pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursdays, and Fridays (Tuesdays and Thursdays preferred)

Minimum Time Commitment: 3 hour shift, once per week

CLICK here to become a Volunteer