My name is Daphne, and I am completing an Anthropology and History Joint Honours degree at McGill. With an original interest in archaeology, I have become particularly passionate about cultural heritage sites and their preservation. Museums play an integral role in all these interests. They are spaces where archaeological findings are stored and maintained, and thus where cultural heritage can be preserved. As such, my original interest in this internship came from my wanting to begin getting involved in museums and understanding how they worked. In that regard, working with the CFFM opened my eyes to the vital role of volunteers in museum spaces. It is a common assumption that to work in a museum, one must be a curator. However, by researching volunteer-run museum initiatives to feature in the CFFM’s newsletters, Au Courant and Volunteer Voices, I came to see volunteers as integral to the functioning of many museums around the world.
The CFFM (Canadian Federation of Friends of Museums) is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting museum volunteers throughout Canada. They are the Canadian branch of the larger WFFM (World Federation of Friends of Museums). The CFFM accomplishes this largely through the publication of their two main newsletters mentioned above: Au Courant and Volunteer Voices, both of which I worked closely on throughout my internship. Au Courant, the larger newsletter that only gets sent out three times a year, features articles from museums about their volunteer programs or volunteer-led initiatives. I assisted the editorial team by researching museums that could be featured, and then contacting those museums to see if they would be interested in submitting a piece for the newsletter. I also assembled the newsletter in Mailchimp software and worked closely with the editor to implement her ideas. Ultimately, the summer edition was sent out successfully. Volunteer Voices is a different newsletter with the goal of providing resources for museum volunteers. It contains learning resources, funding opportunities for museums, upcoming workshops and webinars pertaining to museums, and awards that museums can apply for. I assisted the CFFM’s other summer intern, whom I worked closely with throughout my internship, in researching to find new content to include in the newsletter. I then inputted what we found in Mailchimp and sent out the newsletter for both the June and July editions. Volunteer Voices also begins with a #FeaturedFriend article from a museum about their volunteer programs. I helped find and contact museums for this section.
One of the challenges that I faced throughout this internship is something that I assume comes with working for a non-profit. The CFFM board is run entirely by volunteers, so most members of the team have primary jobs that take up lots of their time. As such, they are very busy and rely heavily on interns. Coordinating with board members was difficult when larger meetings were needed. Similarly, there was a lot of responsibility on the interns to keep things on track and running smoothly as we were the ones with the fewest outside responsibilities and who could commit the most time to the CFFM. Getting adjusted to this level of responsibility and self-accountability was a challenge, but also a good learning experience.
Similarly, reaching out to museums for article contributions was challenging. Many times, we reached out to a museum we were interested in featuring and they did not reply. One museum in particular was a challenge to work with; every time I got a hold of them on the phone, they were extremely enthusiastic about contributing something, but rarely picked up when I tried calling. When I emailed to set up an interview, they responded enthusiastically with a time that would work for them. I confirmed, but when I called to try and interview them, no one answered, and they stopped responding to any communications after that. However, it was also rewarding when collaborating with museums went well. A few international museums I came in contact with were not familiar with the CFFM, but were happy to help and sign up for CFFM newsletters afterwards. Building those types of connections was the highlight of my internship.
I am not receiving academic credit for this internship, but interning with the CFFM was an experience that has shaped my university experience by opening my eyes to the field of museum work.
