Lincoln Home Tour Docent Volunteer

Title: Lincoln Home Tour Docent

Job Description: 

Volunteer will research, develop, and present interpretive Lincoln Home tours for a variety of audiences such as school groups, community groups, organized motor coach groups, and the general public.  

Volunteer will:

• Guide visitors through Lincoln Home on directed tours
• Use appropriate interpretive techniques to teach, inform, and connect visitors with site history and park resources, with a focus on Lincoln Home National Historic Site’s interpretive themes
• Answer visitor questions about the Lincoln Home and area attractions   
• Unlock/lock, as appropriate, the Lincoln Home with a key they pick up and return to a designated location
• Present safety and resource protection messages to visitors 
• Ensure protection of the Lincoln Home, e.g. by enforcing that doors, walls, and objects are not touched by visitors

?Work Schedule: Individuals who can work weekly 4-hour shifts are strongly preferred, particularly during the months of March – December. Which day of the week the volunteer will work depends on the current needs of the site and the volunteer’s own availability.

Skills needed/preferred:      

• Have excellent customer service skills, including being
  • Friendly, patient, outgoing,  and enjoy working with the public 
  • Able to communicate verbal and written information in a clear, concise manner
  • Comfortable working with high volumes of visitors
• Be comfortable and confident with public speaking, including:
  • Communicating information orally in a clear, concise manner to large groups and individual visitors
  • Giving verbal presentations to and working with groups of various sizes, age groups, ethnic backgrounds, and other demographics
• Be able to learn and use interpretive techniques to connect the public to the meaning of the park’s resource
• Be able to research and develop a well organized, thematic tour per the Lincoln Home tour standard operating procedures
• Be able to remain calm and courteous during emergencies and periods of high visitation
• Be comfortable with handling and directing potentially large groups of visitors around the site and within the Lincoln Home
• Be comfortable enforcing safety and resource protection messages
• Be able to communicate with other staff members using a park radio

Physical Demands: 

Long periods of standing may be required on busy days and during emergencies and volunteers must be able to walk/climb up and down the stairs of the Lincoln Home.

Volunteers will experience possible exposure to “Surround O Scent” materials in the Lincoln Home at certain times and seasons or during special events. This system is one that uses scents  evaporated into the house air to set an scent picture of what is going on at that time in the house (similar to air fresheners used in the home).

Age requirement:                     18+

Training requirement: Volunteers typically are trained to volunteer at the front desk before they are approved to start giving tours of the Lincoln Home, as to ensure they are familiar with site policy and operations before they do tours.