Volunteer

Share Your Time & Talents With Us

Volunteer opportunities with Historic Charleston Foundation are abundant!

Volunteering is an incredibly critical and generous way to support the Foundation’s mission. Historic Charleston Foundation (HCF) is grateful for the more than 400 volunteers who support us annually by working with our two house museums, including our garden at the Nathaniel Russell House Museum; and with our largest public education programs, The Charleston Festival, and its opening weekend, Charleston by Design.

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A volunteer at The Charleston Festival smiling at the camera.

Volunteering is the highlight of my Spring!  I so look forward to planning tour days, meeting with the homeowners, learning house histories, then motivating and sharing with our team on tour day. As Senior Docent, it is a pleasure to share history and knowledge of the neighborhoods with eager visitors from near and far.  I pop on a Spring hat, and am ready to go!

Jayne Larion
Volunteer for more than 35 years

The Charleston Festival & Charleston by Design

The Charleston Festival (formerly known as the Festival of Houses and Gardens) is the largest fundraising and educational event supporting Historic Charleston Foundation. The month-long annual festival provides both visitors and volunteers with the rare opportunity to explore the private gardens and interiors of some of the finest residences in the American South. With more than 1,000 volunteer timeslots available, HCF relies on the generosity of our volunteers. In return, our volunteers receive various Festival benefits, an invitation to the annual Volunteer & Homeowner Appreciation Dinner in the fall, and most importantly, our overflowing gratitude for supporting the Foundation in its mission-driven work.

For more information contact Shelley Keith, Volunteer Coordinator

Education Volunteers

Throughout the year, we host groups of local school children, grades k – 12, at our house museums. Volunteers are needed to help lead tours, manage the groups, assist with crafts and activities and occasionally to accompany groups to other sites in downtown Charleston if the group is on a scavenger hunt.

For more information contact Valerie Perry, Assistant Director of Museums