Volunteer with the Festival of Houses and Gardens

Posted: February 10, 2022

The Festival of Houses and Gardens has been Historic Charleston Foundation’s largest fundraiser and educational program for 75 years and this event would not be possible without the support of our generous and incredible volunteers! Are you interested in volunteering with Historic Charlesotn Foundation for our 75th Festival of Houses and Gardens? We would LOVE to have you! Please see the information below, and you can register to volunteer online HERE.  If you have any questions, please contact Volunteer Coordinator, Shelley Keith at 843.723.8292 or [email protected]

2022 Festival Volunteer Opportunities:

• House Docents and Senior House Docents for the Street Tours – Tell visitors about the architectural and historical highlights on the tour.*
• Garden Docents and Senior Garden Docents for the Glorious Garden Tours – Tell visitors about the plants, landscapes and history of Charleston gardens.*
• Street Marshals – Assist visitors with directions and general Charleston information.
• Food for Thought Luncheon Assistants – Assist with check-in and clean up following Food for Thought Luncheons.
• Office Assistants – Help with answering phones and assisting with ticket pick-up at Shop Historic Charleston, 108 Meeting Street. *

*Training will be provided.

2022 Festival Volunteer Benefits:

We are most appreciative of our volunteers, and as a small thank you, offer the following 2022 Volunteer Benefits:

• Four hours of volunteer time – Volunteers will receive a 10% retail discount on purchases at Shop Historic Charleston, 108 Meeting Street through July 31, 2022.
• Six hours of volunteer time – Retail discount plus a complimentary annual pass for two for both houses, the Aiken-Rhett House Museum and the Nathaniel Russell House Museum.
• Ten hours of volunteer time – Retail discount, house museum passes and admission to a Glorious Gardens Tour for one person.
• Twelve hours of volunteer time – Retail discount, house museum passes, admission for one to a Glorious Gardens tour and admission for one to a street tour of choice.

If you would like to volunteer with our annual Festival of Houses and Gardens please follow the link to register on Sign-Up Genius. Please remember Senior positions are only for volunteers that have previous experience with Historic Charleston Foundation. For our first time volunteers, there will be a required training on February 22 at 6 pm at HCF’s headquarters located at 40 East Bay Street. For those unable to attend in person, a virtual option will also be available. Details about training will be shared later with those who commit to serve.

Please browse the 2022 Festival volunteer opportunities via the Sign-Up Genius link. When registering as a Docent or Senior Docent, please be sure that you register for BOTH dates of the tour. You may select multiple shifts serving elsewhere. A description of all Festival events is available at HistoricCharleston.org/festival. Please contact Shelley Keith, Volunteer Coordinator, with questions at [email protected].

Sign-Up Genius will send a confirmation of your commitment and a reminder email close to your assigned date. Please add Sign-up Genius to your “safe sender” list so sign-up confirmations and reminder emails do not land in your junk or spam folder. Thank you for sharing your time and talent with us and we look forward to celebrating our 75th Festival with you!