Volunteering AT DALNAVERT

Dalnavert Museum and Visitors' Centre (DMVC) runs on the dedication of its volunteers. Our volunteers are the force driving our success. Without our committed community members, this historic home and community resource wouldn't exist. Keep reading to find out what volunteer opportunities are currently on offer at the museum.

The minimum age to volunteer is 14. Certain roles may have an increased minimum age.

For more information, email your questions to volunteerservices@dalnavertmuseum.ca or give us a phone call at 204-943-2835.

Current Volunteer Opportunities

We are recruiting for Halloween Special Event Volunteers and Special Event Bartender volunteers. To apply, please send a resume and expression of interest to volunteerservices@dalnavertmuseum.ca before September 25th. Please indicate in your email which of the listed shifts you are interested in and available for.

Keep reading to learn more about the roles! If you require this information in an alternate format, please let us know.

Halloween Special Event Volunteer

Duties and Responsibilities

As a Halloween Special Events Volunteer, you will support our Halloween programming. One of the primary tasks of this role is to be a “house floater”, meaning you will be stationed in the historic house and responsible for ensuring that visitors follow museum rules (ie. not touching artifacts). You may also be asked to assist guests in navigating the site, to assist with event set-up and/or take down, and answering visitor questions. Volunteers in this role are not expected to learn the tour guide manual, nor are they expected to know everything about the house; if guests have questions about the museum’s history, Special Event Volunteers are encouraged to redirect visitors to a staff person or a volunteer tour guide.

Volunteers are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes (ensuring they pose no damage to the historic house—ie. no glitter, not super wide or large) or generally ‘spooky’ attire.

Volunteers who are successful in this role will have the option of continuing on as a volunteer at the museum either in a general special events role or, if they so wish, to train as a tour guide/front desk volunteer. We run special events throughout the year, generally in the evening and on weekends.

Please note, the upper floors of the house are only accessible by stairs. Some shifts may require volunteers to be able to access the upper floors and thus use stairs. (Please see our website for more accessibility notes.) Do not hesitate to reach out with accessibility-related questions if you are interested in volunteering. There are opportunities with this role that do not require the use of stairs.

Special Events Bartender

Duties and Responsibilities

As a Special Events Bartender, you will serve alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks at museum events. You will work the bar in the Visitors’ Centre, checking ID, serving guests, and keeping the area clean. Communicate clearly and effectively with guests and present a positive attitude! Volunteers in this role MUST have current Smart Choices certifications and understand the responsibilities of the role, particularly as it relates to safe bartending practices.

Generally, our bar is quite simple (beer, wine, soda), but for certain events, we serve one simple cocktail with mocktail version (ie. Shirley Temples). Any morning shifts are usually just serving mimosas. Instructions and/or a recipe will be provided for any cocktails. All drinks and supplies are provided by the museum.

Payment for bar sales is done at the till and so Special Events Bartenders will not deal with cash handling or payment. Instead, the Bartender will take tickets that the guests have paid for. The volunteer will need to communicate clearly with the museum staff person or volunteer who is working the till.

There is no specific uniform for this position. However, many of our events are themed and we encourage volunteers in this role to dress in a way that reflects the theme if they are able (ie. Halloween costume in October, pink and red for Valentine’s Day).

This role can be completed sitting or standing and is in the Visitors’ Centre, which is wheelchair accessible. (Note: The historic house is not fully wheelchair accessible. Please see our website for more accessibility notes.)