Opportunities From: Union College Community Connections

Volunteers at the Shaker Heritage Society have a variety of roles and work all sorts of hours. Throughout the year, we're in need of assistance in our Education department, with research and organizational roles. In spring, summer, and fall, we need volunteers to work in our Museum Shop behind the register and as greeters, as well as assist with special events like our Summer and Harvest Craft Fairs, as well as our popular Holiday Market between October and December.

Inspired by the Shakers' motto, "hands to work, hearts to god," we created our Hands to Work Days as a way to emulate the Shakers' belief in integrity in their labor as well as their worship. Hands to Work Days are an opportunity for the community to gather and assist us in beautifying our site. From mopping and dusting our historic Meeting Room to raking leaves and clearing branches throughout our site, we would be glad to have your help.

And if you love to tell stories, we are revamping our docent program and are looking for folks interested in learning all about our site and its history and sharing it with our visitors.

Shaker Heritage is seeking new volunteer Trustees to help guide and grow the organization. In 2020, Shaker Heritage signed a new 50-year lease for the Church Family site where our offices are located. As we enter this exciting new phase, we seek Trustees who will contribute their skills and leverage their connections to raise our visibility in the community and help us grow our capacity through fundraising, advocacy, and community outreach efforts. Expertise in the Shakers is not required, but interest in and commitment to the fields of history, preservation, and education is essential.

Shaker Heritage Society is a non-profit organization founded in 1977 that stewards the Watervliet Shaker National Historic District, the site of America’s first Shaker settlement. The Church Family site (located right next to the Albany International Airport), where the Society’s offices are located, is the heart of the 770-acre Historic District. The property is an urban oasis that includes nine remaining Shaker buildings, an herb garden, apple orchard, and the Shaker cemetery where the founder, Ann Lee, is buried. Our museum and shop are open seasonally, and our grounds are open dawn to dusk every day. Current Organizational Projects include: Working with Albany County (which owns the site) to implement a one million dollar economic development grant for capital improvements Developing new strategies for preservation of open land and access between the three surviving Shaker Family Sites Hosting annual Craft Fairs that help sustain over 100 local small businesses Developing K-12 and adult education programs that illuminate Shaker history through the lenses of contemporary crafts, ecology, and invention and innovation Redesigning our onsite exhibits and improving storage conditions for our object and archival collections Expanding digital learning opportunities through our websites and social media