Internship & Volunteer Opportunities
Discover opportunities to engage with local history by volunteering or interning at the Natick Historical Society. Whether you are a history enthusiast eager to share your skills, a student seeking hands-on experience, or a recent graduate interested in archives, museums, or historic preservation, we invite you to get involved. At the Natick Historical Society, volunteers and interns play a vital role in preserving and sharing the stories of our community.
Current Volunteer & Internship Opportunities
Research and Collections Volunteer
The Research and Collections Volunteer position offers individuals the opportunity to support both research and collections management at the Natick Historical Society. Volunteers will engage directly with primary and secondary sources, photographs, and artifacts in the NHS collections. Responsibilities include responding to research requests from the public regarding Natick's history, assisting with inventory projects for photographs and artifacts, recording and describing essential details about collection items, contributing to ongoing and long-term research projects, and working with the museum’s collections management software, PastPerfect.
All volunteer work will be conducted onsite at the Natick History Museum. Volunteers are expected to commit to a minimum of three hours per week on a schedule arranged with NHS staff. Applicants should demonstrate strong attention to detail and organizational skills, as well as the ability to work independently and possess proven research and writing skills. Experience using Google Docs and Sheets is preferred, and familiarity with PastPerfect is helpful but not required. Training will be provided as needed.
Please contact jrichards@natickhistoricalsociety.org for more information.
Collections Photographer Volunteers
The Collections Photographer offers photography students and emerging professionals the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with museum photography. To support the NHS’s ongoing efforts to catalog its collections, the Collections Photographer will capture groups of objects selected by NHS staff. The Collections Photographer may also upload, label, and edit images as needed. The photographs will help document the history of artifacts in the NHS collections. All volunteer work will be conducted onsite at the Natick History Museum.
The Collections Photographer will commit to at least three hours of work weekly, on an agreed-upon schedule with NHS staff. Attention to detail and the ability to follow directions are essential when working independently. Experience editing photos is a plus. A demonstrated background or interest in museum or artifact photography is a plus. The NHS can provide a camera and a lightbox.
Please contact jrichards@natickhistoricalsociety.org for more information.
Education Volunteers
Join the Natick Historical Society staff and volunteers as we organize our annual local history program for third graders: On This Land: Indigenous and English Life in Early Natick. Volunteers will assist groups of approximately 15 students as they rotate through stations, learning about early Natick history. Volunteers should be comfortable with elementary-aged students and interested in sharing local history. Volunteers must be comfortable walking short distances, standing, and working primarily outside (one station is inside) in variable weather conditions. Volunteer shifts run approximately: 8:45 - 11:45, 11:30 - 2:15, and 8:45 - 2:15.
Several volunteer positions are available:
colonial-era crafts
map reading and design
museum scavenger hunt
colonial-era games
Please contact mkheyfetz@natickhistoricalsociety.org for more information.
The Natick Historical Society (NHS) builds community by inspiring connections to local history. It is an independent, non-profit organization that thrives on the generosity of community members and receives no municipal funding. The NHS is committed to interpreting Natick's history in terms consistent with the perspectives that staff presently understand, as well as those of the Natick Nipmuc and Massachusett people. The Natick History Museum features local history exhibitions and a research archive. It is free and open to the public. Check our website for the current posted hours.
Fellowship at the Natick Historical Society
Marg M. Balcom Memorial Archival Fellowship
The Marg M. Balcom Memorial Archival Fellowship honors longtime NHS leader and volunteer Marg M. Balcom, whose dedication to archives continues to shape our work today. Designed for aspiring or emerging archivists, the fellowship offers hands-on experience with archival materials and historical research in collaboration with NHS staff. Fellows share their findings with the community upon completing their work. Learn about the Marg M. Balcom Archival Fellowship here.