Learn from the V&A’s decentralised volunteering model success

The V&A is to present its experience redesigning its volunteering model at the Museums + Heritage Show 2026, following the opening of three new museum sites in three years.

The session ‘Redesigning V&A volunteering: foundations for the future’ is just one of many to be presented at the free event in London this May, providing important insights which organisations can replicate.

The session will explore how the V&A re-examined its volunteering approach as it opened Young V&A, V&A East Storehouse and V&A East Museum, while continuing to support existing volunteers at V&A South Kensington.

Stephen Hill, head of volunteering and Francesca Goff, volunteering advisor at the V&A will present their findings from the project. The pair will explain how the V&A commissioned external research to establish a baseline understanding of its volunteering programme, before adopting a decentralised model that embeds volunteering into organisational culture.

The new approach allows for flexible volunteer opportunities across sites, whilst creating organisation-wide consistency in volunteering practices.

Attendees will hear how the method strengthened core volunteering foundations including policy, strategy and processes to support sustainable growth across its expanding family of sites. Each museum now maintains its distinct identity while volunteering practices can be transferred between locations.

Lessons learned from the new sites have been applied back to the established V&A South Kensington site to improve volunteering practice across the organisation.

The session will show how rethinking established practice can build foundations for sustainable growth and create new opportunities for volunteer programmes.