Oregon Heritage, which includes the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), is committed to finding ways to support organizations doing heritage work across Oregon. We develop statewide plans to guide our work and partner with organizations and agencies on plan initiatiatives. We also are ocmmitted to providing tools, research, and studies for heritage organizations to use in planning, advocacy, grant writing, and more.
Oregon Heritage & SHPO Plans
The Preservation Plan and the Oregon Heritage Plan are intended to guide heritage efforts statewide and the work of Oregon Heritage.
Prepared by the Heritage Commission, the 2020-2025 Oregon
Heritage Plan identifies opportunities to strengthen
heritage in the state and lays the foundation for the Commission’s priorities. The plan identifies four goals with corresponding outcomes and measures.
The 2020 Heritage Plan is a call to action for heritage efforts to unite around common goals. The Oregon Heritage Commission invites individuals and organizations to discuss these goals, consider how they align with institutional and regional opportunities, and join the Commission in this work. Together, individual steps will add up to important outcomes for the state resulting in more stories told, more people served, and more sustainable heritage organizations. The Heritage Commission provides grants, incentives, technical assistance, and recognition programs to support this work.
This plan can also be used as a tool for recovery. Use
this time of reopening and recovery to reflect on your mission and goals and
see if this plan and accompanying Recovery Framework insert can inform, inspire, and integrate within
your plans for the future. The Oregon Heritage Commission designed this plan as
a tool to guide the work of heritage organizations throughout the state. It is
intended as a framework to anchor heritage organizations as critical assets
serving their entire community. We hope that it will lead to a strong network
of heritage organizations contributing to the fabric of the state.
2020-2025 Oregon Heritage Plan
Oregon Heritage Plan Recovery Framework Insert
2020 Oregon Heritage Plan Tools:
The statewide plan offers a comprehensive approach to preserving special traditions, collections, and places, and describes how to coordinate the efforts of the many people and organizations involved in this vital work including, but not limited to, federal, local, and tribal governments and local landmark commissions, museums, archives, libraries, historical societies, educational institutions, advocacy groups, and building, design, finance, and real estate professionals, and other people and organizations that understand the value of these resources in Oregon’s communities.
The plan highlights four key issues and includes goals and objectives to address each issue, and how people and organizations can use the plan to enhance their efforts.
El plan estatal ofrece un enfoque integral para preservar tradiciones, colecciones y lugares especiales, y describe cómo coordinar los esfuerzos de las numerosas personas y organizaciones involucradas en este trabajo esencial, incluyendo, entre otros, a los gobiernos federales, locales y tribales, comisiones locales de sitios históricos, museos, archivos, bibliotecas, sociedades históricas, instituciones educativas, grupos de defensa, y profesionales de la construcción, diseño, finanzas e inmobiliaria, además de otras personas y organizaciones que comprenden el valor de estos recursos en las comunidades de Oregón.
El plan destaca cuatro temas clave y propone metas y objetivos para abordar cada uno de ellos, además de cómo las personas y las organizaciones pueden utilizar el plan para mejorar sus esfuerzos.
Plan de Preservación Histórica de Oregón 2024-2033
Case Studies
Oregon Heritage periodically publishes case studies of projects and/or entities that leverage several different resources to accomplish their heritage goals. We also highlight projects that have success following a process that could be used as a model for others.
Case Studies related to Community Heritage Efforts
Case Studies related to Museum Projects
Partners
We have several partners that we work with on ongoing or special initiatives. They also have resources that may be useful to heritage organizations such as grants, research resources, and other heritage preservation tools.
Sharing the Value of Heritage Toolkit
This toolkit is
an ongoing effort of Oregon Heritage to compile data, resources, and
guidance to help heritage groups recognize and communicate the value of
their work. The more we articulate heritage values and impacts, the more
we strengthen public perception of heritage efforts, expand funding
opportunities, and encourage long-term support for Oregon's heritage.
We encourage you to use these resources
to create compelling impact statements about your work when you
communicate with the public, donors, and community leaders.
Tools will be added on an on-going basis to provide:
The goal of the Toolkit is to provide
current, relevant, and easy-to-use resources your heritage group can
adapt to fit your needs. To keep this a dynamic resource, tools,
guidance on using each tool, and examples will be added semiannually.
Check back often to access useful national resources and original
state-level data compiled by Oregon Heritage.
Value of Heritage Message Platform
Making the connection between your
heritage work and its impact on the community is essential for building
support and understanding. This guide will help you communicate both
what you organization does and why it matters.
Adapt It: Select messages that resonate with your work, and/or use these examples to create your own messages.
Action: Use value
messages the next time you need to prepare a testimony, an email, op-ed,
press release, speech, or even a social media post.
Cultural Value of Heritage Flyer
Stories are powerful ways to illustrate
the cultural impact of your heritage preservation and outreach efforts.
The Cultural Value of Heritage flyer is an example of how your
organization can pair a message, story, and image to demonstrate
cultural value.
Adapt It: Read through the
Cultural Value of Heritage Message Platform impact messages
(page 3) and think of a story in your work that exemplifies impact.
Pair your story with a message and an image to create a flyer.
Successful stories may include: 1) an individual's personal story, 2) a
connection to your organization's project, 3) a quotation that
summarizes the concept in the narrator's own words, 4) an ending that
connects to a larger goal.
Action: Distribute
your flyer to potential board members, with your annual appeal letter,
after a testimony to your city council, or share this flyer with local
leaders to spark a conversation about the value and impact of heritage
efforts in your community.
Cultural Value of Heritage through Volunteers Messaging
A recent
report from the Oregon Heritage Commission highlights the value of heritage organizations from the volunteer perspective. The study showed that volunteers contribute time because of the historic mission of the organizations. It also demostrated that people feel more connected to their comnunities through their volunteer experience. Use this study to promote your organization's value.
- Access Tool: Value of Heritage through Volunteers Messaging Platform
- Adapt it: Review the report and summary, then review the model messaging platform. Think about how your organization reflects this value point.
- Action: Insert your oranization's information and value, then spread the word.
Value of Heritage in Disaster Resilience Messaging Guide
Cultural heritage plays a powerful role in a community's identity through landmarks, historic collections, and intangible heritage. By communicating this value to planners and emergency management professionals, we can ensure historic places and cultural resources are included in local emergency plans, they are protected from disaster, and their role in community disaster recovery is understood.
- Access Tools:
- Adapt it: Review the report commissioned by the Oregon Heritage Commission. Select an opening, impact, and approach message from the examples provided to effectively tailor communications to your intended audience.
- Action: Use these tips to develop presentations, brochures, and social media posts that engage and influence decision makers in your community to include heritage resources in disaster planning.
NEW! Economic Impacts and Value of Oregon’s Heritage Organizations and Events (2022)
Local and statewide organizations engaged in protecting, preserving, and sharing Oregon's heritage contribute to Oregon's economy in important ways. The first part of this report quantifies some of the economic value Oregon's heritage activities and resources support, through the employment, income, and tourism spending of heritage organizations and traditions across the state. These estimates capture just a part of the broader economic importance of Oregon's heritage: the second part of this report provides illustrations of the many different ways heritage enhances the economic well-being of Oregonians.
- Access Tool: Economic Impacts and Value of Oregon's Heritage Organizations and Events Report
- Adapt It: Check out this communications tool for ideas on how to use the results of the report to communication your organization's value to the state and local economy. You can also find ways to figure out your own data for more specific information on your organization's impact OR band together regionally with other heritage organizations to commnicate regional impact.
- Action: Use this report and the communications tool to craft your messages for local decision makers, your membership, your partners, and more. This would be a perfect compliment to any end of year campaigns or to the annual report you circulate reiterating your value to the local community.
Museums as Economic Engines Report (2017)
Museums play an essential role in cultural
and social life across the US. Beyond this cultural impact, the museum
sector is also essential to the national economy of the United States.
In 2017, the American Alliance of Museums partnered with Oxford
Economics to study the museum sector's significant contribution to the
US economy. The study examined contribution to the GDP, jobs, and the
amount of tax revenue that is generated for all level of government.
Action: Use this
report and your community statistics when you speak with decision makers
and the public. Consider compiling statistics in a letter you send to
the Chamber of Commerce and City Council each year.
2024 Oregon Heritage Vitality Study Report (2024)
The Oregon Heritage Commission released the 2024 Oregon Heritage
Vitality Study Report identifying the top issues impacting the
operational vitality of Oregon’s heritage organizations and proposing
six primary recommendations to comprehensively support the health of the
heritage sector.
Addressing Harmful Content in Collections (2024)
A
report prepared by Rose Paquet, PhD. for the Oregon Heritage Commission
to understand the scope of harm, trauma, and triggering that can occur
to visitors, staff, and volunteers when engaging with institutional
records and collections and how organizations are addressing harmful
content in their collections.
Economic Impacts and Value of Oregon's Heritage Organizations and Events Report & Communication Tool (2022)
A report and messaging guide commissioned by the Oregon Heritage Commission to help organizations communicate the value of heritage organizations and Heritage Tradition Events on Oregon's economy.
What's Up Downtown? A Playbook for Activating Oregon's Upper Stories (2022)
A study exploring barriers and solutions to activate underused upper floors and tools to support activation locally.
Impact of Oregon's Main Streets Report (2022)
This report shares the story of how the Oregon Main Street Network strengthens
community networks, bolsters the economy, generates state and local tax
revenue, and fosters social connections across the state. The report
includes the economic, fiscal, and community impacts of the key
programmatic efforts of Oregon’s Main Streets.
Value of Heritage in Disaster Resilience Report and Messaging Guide (2021)
A
report and messaging guide commissioned by the Oregon Heritage
Commission to help heritage professionals and historic property stewards
communicate the necessity of heritage-based disaster planning before
disaster strikes, as well as the important role heritage can play in
community disaster recovery.
The Value of Oregon Heritage Organizaitons' Volunteers: An Oregon Heritage Commission Volunteer Study (2020)
The Value of Oregon Heritage Organizations' Volunteer Study Summary (2020)
This
study explores the value of heritage organizations through the
volunteer experience. Volunteers support these organizations with
hundreds of thousands of hours of time, in turn the experience great
community connection.
Digital Heritage Collections Survey Summary of Key Findings (2018)
This
survey summary outlines how many of the respondents are digitizing
collections, how they are made if available digitally, and any interest
in collaboration on a local, regional, statewide level in digitization
efforts.
Cost of Collections Care (2017)
A
guide that documents the cost of collections care for museums and other
cultural institutions to help organizations plan for collection care
costs or use for support in applying for grants or fundraising efforts.
National Survey of Heritage Funding and Incentive Programs for Oregon (2017)
A research report intended to identify state, county, and local
incentive and funding programs for the broad heritage community in
Oregon. A research report intended to identify state, county, and local
incentive and funding programs for the broad heritage community in
Oregon.
Cultural Heritage Travelers in Oregon Report (2012)
A study conducted by Mandala Research LLC with support from the Oregon
Heritage Commission, Oregon Cultural Trust, and Travel Oregon to
identify the level of awareness of cultural heritage activities in
Oregon, perceptions of the cultural heritage assets to the State,
willingness to visit, and the economic impact.
Heritage Vitality Study (2011)
A report commissioned by the Oregon Heritage Commission to identify
individual and collective challenges facing Oregon heritage. Proposes
comprehensive solutions to these challenges.
American Association for State and Local History Reframing History Project - "Funded by the Mellon Foundation and carried out in partnership with the
FrameWorks Institute, National Council on Public History, and
Organization of American Historians, Reframing History is the result of a
two-year, deep-dive research effort to understand how Americans think
about history and how our field can more effectively explain history’s
value. The recommendations from this project are designed to help
historians, educators, museum professionals, and history advocates to be
able to more cohesively and convincingly communicate about history to
build a wider understanding of what inclusive history looks like and why
it is important for all of us." View the report, toolkit, and podcast here.
Outreach Initiatives, Special Projects, Legislation
Explore our initiatives, projects and legislation information to see what we are working on and how you can get involved.
2024 Oregon Heritage Vitality Study
Study Overview
The Oregon Heritage Commission released the 2024 Oregon Heritage Vitality Study Report identifying the top issues impacting the operational vitality of Oregon’s heritage organizations and proposing six primary recommendations to comprehensively support the health of the heritage sector.
This study is an adaptation of the prededent setting Oregon Heritage Vitality 2010: The Challenge of the Past for Oregonians Today and Tomorrow study and report and documents the contemporary issues facing Oregon heritage organizations. Those that make up the heritage preservation sector in Oregon include, but are not limited to, Tribal, Federal, State, and Local Governments, museums, historical societies, historic cemeteries, Main Street organizations, libraries, archives, genealogical societies, archaeology, historic preservation, and any other organization and entity engaged in documenting, preserving and sharing Oregon’s history.
The 2024 Vitality Study was a partnership between the Oregon Heritage Commission and the University of Oregon’s Institute for Policy Research and Engagement (IPRE). It was shepherded by an Advisory Group representing statewide technical support organizations and agencies. It included a survey of Oregon heritage organizations, a literature review, and interviews and workshops with local heritage representatives. A total of 264 organizational representatives responded to a detailed survey, ten heritage sector representatives were interviewed, and nearly sixty organizations were represented in six workshops across Oregon.
A big thank you to the Advisory Group that included representative from the Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon, Oregon Cultural Trust, Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Historical Society, Oregon Museums Association, Restore Oregon, and Oregon Heritage staff.
This report was funded in part by the Oregon Cultural Trust.
View the 2024 Oregon Heritage Vitality Study Full Report.
Oregon Heritage has worked to document and designate places related to African American History in Oregon for several years. Our work started with a joint outreach and documentation effort with Oregon Black Pioneers. We are now going to develop a Multiple Property Nomination Submission for statewide resources. We will also submit an individual property nomination.
Please share information about properties through our online survey form.
This project is funded in part by the Underrespresented Communities Grant of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior and the Oregon Cultural Trust. The Museum of Natural and Cultural History is a partner in the project.
PROJECT UPDATE 10/4/24:
Black Historic Resources in Oregon, 1788-2002, Multiple Property Document (MPD), provides an expansive history of African Americans in Oregon beginning with the first known Black person to have set foot on Oregon’s land and ending with the removal of race-related language from Oregon’s constitution. By mapping the people and the places associated with Black history in Oregon across more than two centuries, this document demonstrates that Black Oregonians had, and continue to have, a unique and significant role in the history of the state.
This document provides an overview of the history of African Americans in Oregon through six different historical contexts and establishes a framework for identifying and listing Oregon’s African American resources in the National Register of Historic Places. This thematic document provides information and structure for individuals interested in listing properties significant in Black history in the National Register. For information about this document or if you would like to learn more about how to use this document, please contact Caitlyn Abrahms at Caitlyn.ABRAHMS@oprd.oregon.gov
Thematic Contexts discussed in the document include:
- Exploration, Expedition, and Pre-Territorial Government Actions (1788-1842)
| - Interwar Years, the Great Depression, and the KKK (1920-1941)
|
- Black Pioneers and Government Measures to Exclude Black People (1843-1867)
| - World War II, War on Poverty, and the Civil Rights Movement (1942-1969)
|
- Anti-Black State Amidst a Post-Emancipation Nation (1868-1919)
| - The Recent Black Past (1970-2002)
|
| | |
Submitted with the MPD is an update to the nomination for the Hannah and Eliza Gorman House property in Corvallis. This amendment discusses the archaeological significance of the site and its potential to yield significant information about the lives of Oregon’s early Black pioneer residents, women in particular, during the non-Native settlement period and the era of exclusion laws.
This project is the result of several years of outreach and documentation through a partnership with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and Oregon Black Pioneers. SHPO received funding through an Underrepresented Communities Grant from the National Park Service and Oregon Cultural Trust funds.
The University of Oregon’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History joined the project to coordinate and collaborate with Oregon Black Pioneers and Moreland Resource Consulting LLC to draft the complex document. Additional authors include Kimberly S. Moreland, Christopher Ruiz, Ann Craig, Ishalom Keren, Jessica Engeman, Milo Reed, and Erik Hovmiller.
The inclusion of this document in the National Register of Historic Places supports the goals of the Oregon Historic Preservation Plan. “Working hand-in-hand the community whose story is told in this document reinforced for us how was critical partnerships are to the success of historic preservation work in Oregon.” noted Chrissy Curran, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer. “This is another step forward in acknowledging Oregon’s diverse history.”
This document pairs nicely with the African American Resources in Portland, Oregon, from 1851 to 1973 MPD at that was accepted in 2020. Several properties have been listed using this tool since its submission including: Dean’s Beauty Salon and Barbershop, Golden West Hotel, Mallory Avenue Christian Church, Mt Olivet Baptist Church, Williams Avenue YWCA (also known as the Billy Webb Elks Lodge). This new MPD expands similar possibilities throughout the state.
Historic Cemetery Cleanup Days with SOLVE
Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries (OCHC) is teaming up with SOLVE to support caretakers hosting clean-up days during April and May in historic cemeteries throughout Oregon.
2025 - April 11 through May 27
Cemeteries register with SOLVE to receive promotional and organizational support including event day liablity coverage, flyer templates and volunteer sign up. Contact Estrella Valdez at estrella@solveoregon.org or 971-346-2708. Register by early March for the best promotion!
Benefits of Working with SOLVE
Scheduled Events
SOLVE & Cemetery Cleanup Day Workshop
FREE, Online
Learn the benefits of working with SOLVE and how organize a successfule cleanup day.
January 23, 2025
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Register for access.
February 19, 2025
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Register for access.
Other Resources
How to Organize a Cemetery Cleanup Day Heritage Bulletin
How to Clean Cemetery Markers Heritage Bulletin
How to Spread the News Heritage Bulletin
Contact: Kuri Gill at kuri.gill@oprd.oregon.gov or 503-383-6787 for workshop or Oregon Historic Cemeteries program questions.
May is Historic Preservation Month! Oregon Heritage wants to help you celebrate preservation in your community. The following tools are available to you:
- Send your preservation related events to heritage.info@oregon.gov and we will highlight them online and in the weekly Oregon Heritage News listserv.
- If you are looking for ideas on what to do during social distancing times, check out this list to get inspired and help with your planning.
People doing heritage work in Oregon are targeting dentity focused topics. These include documenting, designating and sharing diverse histories and ensuring all people can access them. Here are resources to support this work.
Share places you find with the State Historic Preservation Office. Sumbit information at www.makeoregonhistory.org. The information will
be added to the Oregon Historic Sites Database and may be used to designate
properties to the National Register of Historic Places in the future.
This is a work in progress. Please share suggestions with Kuri Gill.
Resources
Northwest Digital Heritage - online access to many archives
Oregon Digital Newspaper Project
Oregon Encyclopedia
Oregon Multicultural Archives
Portland State University Special Collections & Libraries
NPS - Underrepresented Communities Grant
Addressing Racism in Heritage Organizations
Heritage Bulletin 34: Researching Historically Marginalized Communities
Oregon Advocacy Commissions
Four Oregon commissions that advocate for specific communities. Also offers equity-related research and resources.
Black History
Commemorations:
January, Martin Luther King, Jr Birthday
February, Black History Month
June, Juneteenth
Oregon Commission on Black Affairs
Oregon Black Pioneers
Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center
African American Civil Rights Grant
African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund
Chinese American History
Commemorations:
May, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Oregon Commission on Asian & Pacific Isander Affairs
Portland Chinatown Museum
Kam Wah Chung Site
Oregon Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association
Japanese American History
Commemorations:
May, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
February, Day of Rememberance
Oregon Commission on Asian & Pacific Isander Affairs
Japanese American History Museum of Oregon
Four Rivers Cultural Center
History Museum of Hood River County
LGBTQIA+
Commemorations:
June, Pride Month
Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest
Eugene Lesbian Oral History Project
OSU Queer Archives
Hispanic/Latinx History
Commemorations:
September, Hispanic Heritage Month
Oregon Heritage Traditions: Fiesta Mexicana (Woodburn)
Oregon Commission on Hispanic Affairs
UO Latino Roots
Five Oaks Museum
PCUN History
Diverisity of Heritage: Exploring Oregon's Heritage Resources in Latinx Communities
Nordic History
This group includes countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
Commemorations:
June 17, Icelandic American Day
October 9, Norwegian-American Day
November 16, Dutch-American Day
Oregon Heritage Traditions - Portland Midsummer
Festival, Scandinavian Festival (Junction City), Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival
Nordic Northwest
Astoria Scandinavian Heritage Association
Swedish Society Linnea (Portland)
Oregon Encyclopedia - Swedish Americans in Oregon
Swedish American Historical Society
Norwegian American Historical Association
Dutch American Historical Commission
Icelandic National League of North America
Oregon's Tribes
Commemorations:
October, Indigenous People's Day
November, Native American Heritage Month
Oregon Heritage Traditions: UO Mother's Day PowWow
The Oregon's federally recognized tribes are sovereign nations and have deep history in Oregon. Each tribal nation is organized differently and it is important to coordinate with them on various levels including tribal government and staff.
Legislative Commission on Indian Services - Find current tribal government and cultural resources contacts here.
Contact tribes directly to work with them regarding collections, interpretation, language, cultural practices, etc. Some have museums, online history, and collections.
Burns Paiute Tribe
Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation of Oregon
Coquille Indian Tribe
Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians
Klamath Tribes
Tribes outside of Oregon also have historic ties to lands within the state. If you are near state boundaries, research the appropriate tribes to engage.
Women's History
Commemorations: March, Women's History Month; Suffrage anniversaries
Oregon Commission for Women
Oregon Women's History Consortium
Women's Vote Centennial Initiative
The Oregon Heritage Commission, State Library of Oregon, and Washington State Library have partnered to launch Northwest Digital Heritage (NWDH), an online platform for Oregon and Washington based libraries, museums, and cultural heritage organizations to digitize and make accessible cultural heritage materials. Northwest Digital Heritage also operates as a service hub of the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), which helps bring these unique and local Northwest collections to a wider audience.
NWDH provides cultural institutions the following services:
- Metadata “Harvesting.” Records are copied from their home systems, standardized, and then transferred to DPLA.
- Digital Collection Hosting offers smaller institutions an online platform to host their digitized items including historical documents, photographs, oral-history recordings, and more.
- Training and Support. Service hub staff, composed of teams at both state libraries and the Oregon Heritage Commission, train cultural heritage organizations to digitize collections, edit and preserve digital files, and catalog material to archival standards.
Visit Northwest Digital Heritage to learn about how to get your heritage archives online.
The purpose of the Oregon Women’s History Project is to recognize the significant history of women in Oregon through a Multiple Property Submission (MPS), which includes two documents, a Multiple Property Document (MPD) and an individual property nomination, to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places of the National Park Service (NPS).
The first phase of the project is complete, resulting in a context focusing on labor history related to women in Oregon. The document provides details on the approach to selecting the focus, some of the history and property types to explore in future steps.
Oregon Women's Labor History: A Historic Context Statement: 1903-1999
Calls for Proposal for Phases 3 & 4 is open!
The State of Oregon State Historic Preservation Office announces OregonBuys Solicitation Bid # S-63400-00012691 to collect proposals for the Oregon Women’s History Project.
Phase 3 is for reconnaissance and intenisve level survey. Phase 4 is for the Multiple Property Submission and two nominations to the National Register of Historic Places.
During the RFP process, SHPO has designated pone Single point of contact: Winona Butler. If you have any questions; please email Winona Butler at winona.butler@oprd.oregon.gov
Volunteer Appreciation Language Template - Direct Thank you to Volunteers:
Thanks for being a heritage hero!
Yes, you. You're a hero to us!
It's Volunteer Appreciation Week and we can't say enough how much the time and effort you give helps us succeed. It takes a dedicated team of people who care to keep the doors open, the lights on, and operations moving. Every hour a volunteer sits at the front desk, staffs an event, attends a board meeting, changes a light bulb, writes a grant, repairs whatever thing has most recently broken, calls a donor, or weeds the yard—makes a difference.
And it's more than that. Your volunteer work supports our community's identity. Heritage organizations like ours help community members remember and learn from the past. They provide spaces for reflection and critical thinking about our future. They make vibrant communities.
Thank you for your contribution to us and the community. Thanks for being our heritage hero!
Volunteer Appreciation Language Template -Social Media Post Template:
It's Volunteer Appreciation Week! Join us in thanking our dedicated volunteers!
Volunteers provided _(total hours)__ hours of service to our organization this year.
Volunteers allowed us to welcome ___(number that pertains to your org)_ school groups/visitors this year.
We're proud of the major projects our volunteers helped us accomplish: ______________.
We couldn't do what we do without our volunteers. Help us thank our heritage heroes in the comments below!
Volunteer Appreciation Ideas During Social Distancing
- Write and mail a thank you letter.
- Add a gift.
- Lifesavers – “You are a lifesaver!"
- Mints – "You mean a mint to us!"
- Chocolate Coins – "Your work is solid gold!"
- Gummy Bears – "We can't bear to be without you!"
- Coffee Packet –" You keep us going! You keep it perky!"
- Fortune Cookie – "You are our good fortune!"
- Do a drive by and hang a sign at their house.
- Share with the world. Tell the number of volunteers and hours of work, and where appropriate and with permission list them individually.
- Newsletter announcement
- Social media post a thanks
- Send a letter to the editor of your local paper
- Put a big thank you sign on your window
- Have an awards program
- Mail the award
- Feature individual stories in newsletter and social media
- Hold an online ceremony – in formal gear and all to make it fancy!
Additional Resources
The Value of Oregon Heritage Organizations' Volunteers Study Summary, 2020 Oregon Heritage Commission
The Value of Heritage through Volunteers Message Platform, Oregon Heritage Commission
COVID19 and Museum Volunteers, American Alliance of Museums