Volunteer Opportunities

Over the course of a year, these are the types of opportunities that are available in various parts of the museum.

Exhibit Services
Creates reproductions of successful Exploratorium exhibits for museum partners and other clients.

• Provide administrative support
• Highly qualified craftspeople and advanced art school students help develop prototypes in the machine shop
• Some projects require AUTOCAD skills
• Bilingual skills especially appreciated

Exploratorium Environments
Develops permanent and upcoming special exhibits at the museum.

• Provide administrative support
• Highly qualified craftspeople and advanced art school students help develop prototypes in the machine shop
• Polish your teaching skills by participating in public programs
• Research assistants gather information for upcoming installations
• Physics of Toys volunteers help with workshops Saturday afternoons for two hours per shift under the Exploratorium skylights near the café.

The Educational Outreach Programs, the High School Explainer, the High School Explainer Program, the Field Trip Program, the Institute for Inquiry, and the Exploratorium Teacher Institute.

• Provide administrative support
• Help prepare and set up for workshops
• Transcribe interviews with educators from the Center for Informal Learning and Schools
• Track requests for information and responses to invitations for training for the Teacher Institute
• Assemble teacher-training binders for the Institute for Inquiry
• Engage visitors on the museum floor as an Adult Explainer. Adult Explainers tend to have a deep understanding of science and/or education, often from a background in theoretical/applied sciences or in teaching.
• Field Trip Explainer (Internship only. Internships are available from September to December and from December to June, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Tuesday–Friday.)

Museum Administration and Support
The museum could not function without the vital behind-the-scenes work of the administrative volunteers. Accounting, Development, Membership, Human Resources, and Volunteers are among the many departments that welcome weekday business-hours support.

• Staff the Visitor Services Desk: Learn about the museum’s exhibits and philosophy while working with the public museum entrance area; welcome visitors to the Exploratorium, interact with tourists, and promote membership sales
• Train as a Palace Guide to conduct group tours of the architectural history of the Palace of Fine Arts and the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exhibition (This is an "on-call" position, based on reservation requests.)
• Apply your graphic design skills for unique handmade thank-you cards
• Help plan recognition events and other social opportunities for fellow volunteers
• Help coordinate the Done-in-a-Day volunteer programs
• Enter data and provide clerical support
• Provide professional expertise

Student Internships
Internships are available to currently enrolled college students only. Send an e-mail inquiry with details about your skills and interests to learn about available opportunities in all areas of the museum. Internships are project-based and generally require a commitment of 15 to 20 hours per week on weekdays for a preset period of time (often a school semester). These often include positions in Accounting, Development, Marketing, Life Sciences, the Store Buyer’s Office, Public Information, Exhibit Support, and Exhibition Evaluation (for museum-studies students only).

• Community Relations Coordinator: Responsible for the daily coordination of the community outreach project; acts as a liaison between the museum and community organizations that request Exploratorium participation at community festivals, fairs, and/or fundraising events and Exploratorium Activity Volunteers
• Human Resources Assistant: Updates and compiles recruitment databases, including calling contacts for current addresses and other information; handles all aspects of job postings, including word processing, copying, collating, preparing/stuffing envelopes, and bulletin board and other listings; assembles employee orientation packets and other employment-related materials (confidentiality essential)
• Volunteer Field Trip Explainer: Serves as guide/facilitator for field trips from late September through mid June between 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday
• Museum Rentals: Hospitality or Event Management students learn event venue management in a museum environment
• Public Information: Assists director of public information with all aspects of museum and event publicity, including mailing, press releases, press requests, press conferences, events, organizing and compiling clipping archives, and phone follow-ups and research inquiries

Special Events
Lend your support to one or more of the Exploratorium’s Special Events. Special Events are great volunteer opportunities for Groups. Extroverted individuals are encouraged to assist as ushers and/or activity leaders.

• "Expanding Your Horizons" program, usually third week in March
• Corporate Family Fling, first week in October
• Member Holiday Party, first week in December
• Museum Ambassador Program: Represent museum and provide simple hands-on activities and membership materials for special community events throughout the Bay Area
• Physics of Toys
• Public performances
• Lectures
• Receptions

At these special events, bilingual volunteers with translation skills are always appreciated.

Positions for special events are offered on a first-responding/first-assigned basis.

Done-In-A-Day
Corporate volunteering is a growing trend in the business community. Many corporations like to offer volunteer opportunities to their staff as a way of giving back to the community that supports them. Others use it as a team-building resource, or as in the case of salesforce.com, part of their orientation program for new hires!

If your group is interested in a Done-In-A-Day project here at the Exploratorium, please complete the Corporate Group Volunteer Application or the School Group Volunteer Application and the Manager of Volunteer Services will contact you directly.

If you have any questions, please contact us at volunteer@exploratorium.edu or call (415) 528-4364 and leave a detailed message.