Share Your Time and Passion

At the San Diego Automotive Museum located in historic Balboa Park, volunteers bring our mission to life. Whether you love classic cars, enjoy sharing stories, or simply want to give back to the community, donating your time helps preserve and celebrate the rich history of the automobile.

JOIN THE VOLUNTEER TEAM

Why Volunteer?

At the San Diego Automotive Museum, volunteers bring our mission to life. Whether you love classic cars, enjoy sharing stories, or simply want to give back to the community, donating your time helps preserve and celebrate the rich history of the automobile.

Guest Services

Welcome visitors, answer questions, and help create a memorable museum experience.

Education & Tours

Assist with school groups, guided tours, or family programs.

Events & Exhibits

Support special events, exhibit openings, and community outreach.

Collections & Archives

Help preserve, catalog, and research the artifacts that tell our story.

About Our Team of Volunteers

The San Diego Automotive Museum staff is a very harmonious team of motivated and positive people, comprised of a small core of paid employees and a large group of wonderful volunteers. We are looking for more amazing people—like you—to join our volunteer team, share our passion for cars, educate, entertain, and interact with our guests, and so much more. Volunteers earn free passes to share and also receive a parking pass.

We ask our volunteers to have a healthy team spirit, enjoy working with the public, be at least 16 years of age, and be willing to participate with a regular commitment. If this is you, then please join our team!

Sorry, our volunteer positions are not designed to meet community service requirements. The Museum does not participate in Visa Acquisitions.

JOIN THE VOLUNTEER TEAM

Collage of San Diego Automotive Museum volunteers

Volunteer Opportunities

All San Diego Automotive Volunteers must complete 20 hours as a museum docent before training in other departments. This does not apply to Party in the Park volunteers.

Our museum docents are volunteers who serve as guides and ambassadors for guests that visit the museum. Our docents welcome everyone in a personal and professional manner, engage visitors in conversation about the vehicles and items in our collection, answer questions about our historical museum, and enhance the guests' overall experience.

This is an ongoing position.
Docents work each day the museum is open (Tuesday-Sunday) morning and afternoon shifts; you can commit to a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule.
Must be at least 16 years of age
Training is provided.

Tour docents provide guided tours of the museum, including schools and colleges, tourist groups, sponsors and donors, and more. These volunteers receive additional training in the art of handling larger groups, plus spend time in San Diego Automotive Museum classes learning about the social and technological past, present, and future of the automobile.

This is an ongoing position.
Schedule is organized by the museum staff, as needed.
Training is provided.
Must be at least 16 years of age
Pre-requisite: Minimum 20 hours as a docent volunteer.

A detailer volunteer gets up close and personal with our vehicles and exhibits like no one else. After undergoing specialized training in vehicle detailing, this select team of volunteers keeps what the public comes to see in pristine condition.

This is an ongoing position.
Detailers work on Mondays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Training is provided.
Volunteers must be 18 years or older.
Pre-requisite: Minimum 20 hours as a docent volunteer.

The San Diego Automotive Museum is home to an extensive research library, comprised of an outstanding collection of books, repair manuals, and other publications. This is a reading/research library; books are not checked out. The library staff is all volunteers.

These are ongoing positions.

Library volunteers work each day the museum is open (Tuesday-Sunday) morning and afternoon shifts. Library volunteers must commit to one shift per week in the library.
Greet guests as they enter
Watch the library and its guests
Access the library database to search for book locations for guests
Make sure no books leave the library
Training is provided
Must be at least 16 years of age

The San Diego Automotive Museum is home to an extensive research library, comprised of an outstanding collection of books, repair manuals, and other publications. This is a reading/research library; books are not checked out. The library staff is all volunteers.

These are ongoing positions.

Library volunteers work each day the museum is open (Tuesday-Sunday) morning and afternoon shifts. Library volunteers must commit to one shift per week in the library.
Scan books ISBN numbers
Organize books by Dewey decimal number and author
Find any stray books that are outside of their section
Training is provided.
Must be at least 16 years of age
Additional training is required

The museum maintains a storage center in National City to repair and maintain our off-exhibit vehicle collection. Our storage center volunteers have a varied level of experience, from expert mechanics to those with little or no experience—all with a true willingness to learn and apply labor and organization to a project.

This is an ongoing position.
Restoration center volunteers work on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Training is provided.
Volunteers must be 18 years or older.
Pre-requisite: Minimum 20 hours as a docent volunteer.

Our team promotes the museum to the San Diego community at local events, including shows, clubs, cruises, and parades. Volunteers play a big part in this process and are a great help in promoting the museum, sharing our mission, arranging for donations of vehicles and artifacts, and recruiting other volunteers.

Outside events are often coordinated through the museum staff.
Volunteers who qualify may sign up as opportunities become available.
Must be at least 16 years of age (with parental consent)
Pre-requisite: Minimum 20 hours as a docent volunteer.

Become a Volunteer

If you’d like to donate your time, please fill out the following form. A member of our team will contact you to discuss available opportunities and schedule an orientation.