Current Volunteer Opportunities
To apply for open volunteer opportunities,
please email application to volunteer@shellmuseum.org
or call 239-395-2233 with questions.
ADOPT-A-CLASS DOCENT
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Purpose: To educate Lee County 4th Graders about mollusks and create lifelong learners.
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Location: Various locations throughout the Shell Museum
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Responsibilities:
- Supervise students
- Educate students based on outlines
- Make each student feel empowered by acknowledging their ideas and observations
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Available shifts: 10am-12pm on field trip days. Monday through Friday.
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Minimum Time Commitment: 5 field trips per school year
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Qualifications:
- Must enjoy working with kids
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to follow lesson plan
- Experience teaching is a plus
AQUARIUM DOCENT
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Purpose: To interpret the Beyond Shells: Living Gallery for guests, answer questions, and facilitate learning. Help create a fantastic guest experience.
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Location: Ground floor, Museum
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Responsibilities:
- Answer guest questions
- Enhance guest experience with positive interactions and enthusiasm
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Available shifts: Usually 10 AM – 1 PM or 1 – 4 PM. Every day.
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Minimum Time Commitment: 2 shifts per month for 3 months
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Qualifications:
- Must be friendly, accommodating, respectful, understanding, and helpful when dealing with the public
- Must enjoy working with the public
- Must enjoy working with both children and adults
- Must have excellent communication skills and a passion for learning
AQUARIUM HUSBANDRY VOLUNTEER
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Purpose: Displaying live mollusks requires a high level of care. Help our expert aquarium husbandry staff care for these unique animals.
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Location: Ground floor of the Museum
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Responsibilities:
- Clean aquariums and associated life support system components
- Prepare a variety of animal foods
- Assist husbandry staff in other tasks and projects as needed
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Available shifts:
- Usually 8 AM – 12PM. Every day.
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Minimum Time Commitment: 1 shift per week, for 6 months
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Qualifications:
- Must have completed at least 6 months as an Aquarium Docent
- Must be able to follow detailed direction and safety protocols
- Must be able to lift 15 pounds
- Must be able to stand, bend, stoop, squat, reach, climb a ladder, work safely around water, work in hot or cold environments
- Excellent attention to detail and communication skills
AQUARIUM WATER QUALITY VOLUNTEER
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Purpose: Aquatic animals require pristine water quality in order to thrive. Assist the Husbandry Department by conducting water quality tests for all animal habitats.
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Location: Ground floor of the Museum, Living Gallery
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Responsibilities:
- Test numerous water parameters on various laboratory equipment and regents
- Use proper PPE while performing water quality tests
- Maintain records of water quality results
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Available shifts:
- Usually 8 AM – 12PM, once a week.
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Qualifications:
- Must be able to follow detailed direction and safety protocol
- Excellent attention to detail and communication skills
GREAT HALL DOCENT
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Purpose: To educate visitors about shells and the mollusks that create them. Engage with guests and enhance guest experience while in the Museum.
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Location: Great Hall of Shells in Museum
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Responsibilities:
- Engage with guests
- Educate guests about exhibits and answer questions
- Answer general Museum questions (restroom/vending location, hours, daily programs, etc.)
- Assist guests in finding the answers to scavenger hunt questions throughout the Hall
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Available shifts: Usually 10 AM – 1 PM or 1 – 4 PM. Every day.
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Minimum Time Commitment: Two shifts per month, for 3 months.
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Qualifications:
- Must be friendly, accommodating, respectful, understanding, and helpful when dealing with the public
- Excellent communication skills
- Knowledge of mollusks or ability to learn
- Speaking a second language is a plus
GROUP TOUR DOCENT
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Purpose: To educate groups of adults or children in the Museum, creating a memorable experience and molding life-long learners.
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Location: Various locations throughout the Museum
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Responsibilities:
- Supervise guests while in the Museum
- Educate group guests
- Answer guest questions and facilitate engagement
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Available shifts: Variable. Usually 2.5 hours.
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Minimum Time Commitment: 5 group tours per year
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Qualifications:
- Must enjoy working with kids and/or adults
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to follow lesson plan
- Experience teaching is a plus
LIBRARIAN VOLUNTEER
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Purpose: To help manage the Museum’s 3,000-volume library of books, periodicals, and articles on a wide range of subjects related to shells, mollusks, marine and land ecosystems, and more. The library also includes the Museum’s archives, and is part of the Southwest Florida Library Network, allowing for inter-library loans. This specialty library is one of the best of its kind and an important resource for staff, researchers, and enthusiasts of conchology and malacology.
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Location: Library at Museum
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Responsibilities:
- Manage the library on an ongoing basis, which includes cataloguing additions using WorldCat and OCLC, facilitating loans, shelving, and generally maintaining organization.
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Available shifts: Variable; during regular business hours.
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Minimum Time Commitment: This position does not require a great number of hours, although consistency throughout the year is important.
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Qualifications:
- An M.L.S. and experience with the Library of Congress cataloguing system is preferred.
- Training will be provided to the new Volunteer Librarian.
MOLLUSKS ON THE MOVE VOLUNTEER
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Purpose: To educate the students of Lee & Collier Counties about local mollusks, their identification, and their habitats. To inspire each student to get outside and explore the natural world.
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Location: Various schools throughout Lee & Collier Counties. May meet at the Museum to ride with a staff member or meet staff member at the school.
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Responsibilities:
- Assist students with shell identification
- Distribute shell identification guides to students
- Assist trip leader with logistics
- Answer general mollusk biology questions
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Available shifts: Variable, usually 5+ hours per day, but some days more than 8 hours. Usually begin before 8am. Monday through Friday
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Minimum Time Commitment: 4 per school year
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Qualifications:
- Must enjoy working with kids
- Excellent communication skills
- Fluent in Spanish a plus
- May be required to pass a background check per school district guidelines
MUSEUM STORE VOLUNTEER
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Purpose: To assist the Retail Manager with tasks as assigned in order to provide a special and enjoyable shopping experience for guests.
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Location: Museum Store at the Shell Museum.
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Responsibilities:
- Restock shelves
- Arrange items to look neat/attractive
- Greet customers and help them find merchandise
- Answer general Museum questions (restroom/vending location, hours, daily programs, etc.)
- Other miscellaneous retail store needs
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Available shifts:
- Flexible. Usually 10 AM – 1 PM or 1 – 4 PM. Every day.
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Minimum Time Commitment: 2 shifts per month, for 3 months
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Qualifications:
- Must be friendly, accommodating, respectful, understanding, and helpful when dealing with the public
- Must enjoy working with the public
- Must enjoy working with both children and adults
- Customer service experience is a plus
- Sales experience a plus
SHELL AMBASSADOR
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Purpose: To educate interested beach goers about local mollusks and ecology. To share your enthusiasm with others and help create other life-long learners.
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Location: Sanibel beaches.
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Responsibilities:
- Follow all local, state, and federal laws
- Follow all Museum policies at all time
- Responsible for your own safety
- Educate general public only after they approach you (you are not allowed to initiate engagement with anyone)​
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Qualifications:
- Enthusiasm for mollusks
- Ability to learn shell identification, local beach ecology, and local laws
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Dress Code:
- Shell Ambassador shirt
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Special Notes:
- The Museum does not reimburse for beach parking fees, but does reimburse the Sanibel Causeway toll.
- Trainings are offered periodically through season (Dec – April) depending on need.
TOUCH POOL DOCENT
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Purpose: To facilitate guest engagement, educate, and supervise guests touching mollusks at the Touch Pools. Create a unique and memorable experience for guests and help foster lifelong learning.
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Location: Touch Pools in Museum
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Responsibilities:
- Supervise guests
- Ensure all guests wash hands
- Educate guests about mollusks
- Engage with all guests
- Public speaking to individuals and small groups
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Available shifts:
- Usually 10 AM – 1:30 PM or 1:30 – 5 PM (with 30 minute break). Every day.
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Minimum Time Commitment: 1 shift per week, for 3 months
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Qualifications:
- Must have completed at least 3 months as an Aquarium Docent
- Must enjoy working with both children and adults
- Excellent communication skills and a passion for learning
- Previous educating experience a plus