Volunteer with MOAH!

As a volunteer at MOAH, you will join a dedicated team of diverse people who are committed to helping local museums thrive, preserving the history of technology, and building community in the Bay Area. We are grateful for the generous support of our volunteers.

If you’re interested in participating in the MOAH community, we would love to hear from you!

  • Gain experience working with visitors in a small museum!

    Gallery Assistants work as docents in our Palo Alto museum and assist staff members. This position is great for individuals who enjoy interacting with the public and for those who would like to learn about the operations of a small museum.

    Available hours:
    Friday, Saturday, Sunday
    11am-4pm.

    Duties

    • Welcome museum visitors

    • Answer visitors’ questions

    • Provide docent-level guidance to visitors

    • Cover front desk

    • Maintain museum cleanliness and organization

    • Assist with other projects as needed

    Benefits

    • Serve as the front-facing staff for a niche museum.

    • Interact with diverse groups of visitors, who range from local residents to international travelers.

    • Assist with projects related to curation, audience engagement, and museum operations.

  • Help us repair, research, and care for artifacts in our collection!

    Collection volunteers work at our San Carlos warehouse and help maintain the 10,000+ artifacts.

    Available hours:
    Monday, Wednesday
    2pm- 5pm

    Duties

    • Accession artifacts in the database

    • Research artifacts

    • Maintain collection organization

    • Pull artifacts for exhibits

    • Clean and restore artifacts

    Benefits

    • Experience working in collection management

    • Learn how artifacts are stored, organized, and maintained

  • Lend your skills to maintaining a historic garden!

    Welcoming all garden enthusiasts to our historic garden team.

    Available hours:
    Tuesdays, 10am-12pm
    Thursdays, 9am-11am
    Weekends, 9am-3pm

    Benefits

    • Work in the historic garden of Dora Moody Williams

    • Join a community of passionate and skilled gardeners

    • Contribute to a community green space enjoyed by visitors year-round

  • Are you creative and organizationally-gifted?

    Become an event assistant volunteer at MOAH!

    Duties

    • Help ideate museum programming

    • Help plan and execute MOAH’s calendar of events

    • Assist with event and program advertising

    • Serve as staff at events

  • Facility caretakers needed for the management of our historic property!

    Facilities and custodial volunteers will help with the maintenance and upkeep of a 1907 house and garden.

    Duties

    • Help oversee facilities management

    • Assist with property maintenance

    • Complete basic repair work

    • Undertake larger projects commensurate with volunteer’s skill sets, including painting, carpentry, electrical work, AV systems maintenance, restoration, etc.

MOAH volunteers…

  • Can fulfill school or community service hours

  • Receive recommendation letters for resumes or portfolios

  • Should be 16 years of age or older

  • Should be able to volunteer for at least 3 hours per month

  • Should be able to commit to remain on staff for at least 4 months

  • Should be able to complete orientation and training  

Ready to get started?

Complete this Volunteer Application form and email it to Haley Joseph: admin@moah.org. You may also call (650) 321-1004.

Thank you to all of MOAH’s amazing volunteers! We could not fulfill our mission without you!