Volunteers play an essential role at the CCHC. Listed below are some of the volunteer opportunities currently available. If you have a special interest or skill that does not fall into one of the categories listed, please let us know and we will to do our best to fit your skills with the CCHC’s needs.
Volunteers are needed in the following areas:
Clerical
Education
Grounds Keeping
Museum Shop
Visitors Services
Student volunteers are those who do not necessarily have an academic advisor but complete a Volunteer Application and carry out at least 40 hours of work in 10 weeks.
For more information about volunteering with the CCHC, please contact our Volunteer Office at 610-692-4800, X232. If you’re ready to volunteer with the CCHC, please complete and return the Application Form to volunteerpres@mycchc.org
Do you love to bring history to life and want to work to share the remarkable story of Chester County and its people? We may have the perfect job for you. The Chester County History Center seeks energetic and positive visionaries who will help bring the CCHC to new heights. The CCHC is an equal opportunity employer.
DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
The Chester County History Center (CCHC) seeks an energetic and detail oriented Development Manager to manage the operations of the Development Department including institutional and individual giving, memberships, and events. This is a full- time, salaried position, reporting to the Director of Development.
CCHC is an educational, historical institution responsible for three centuries of history through the preservation of documents, photographs, and newspapers in our research library, photo archives, and museum. The History Center also provides year-round youth and adult education programs accessible to all community members. We are located in downtown West Chester, PA.
To apply for this position, please e-mail your cover letter and resume in a single PDF file to Pachy Banks-Cabral, Director of Development, pbanks@mycchc.org by July 31st , 2025.
Job Description
The Development Manager plays a key role in achieving the Chester County History Center’s fundraising and engagement goals by supporting all aspects of the organization’s development efforts. This includes assisting the Director of Development with individual and institutional giving, corporate sponsorships, grant writing and management, membership cultivation, and special event coordination. The Development Manager works closely with donors, members, corporate partners, and volunteers to help grow philanthropic support and community engagement.
Key Responsibilities
Work with the Director of Development on fundraising efforts, including individual and institutional giving.
Manage gift processing and acknowledgment process.
Maintain and build ongoing, positive relationships with donors, constituents, and partners.
Develop and implement plans for Membership acquisition, retention, and upgrades to meet or exceed annual Membership revenue budget and goals.
Assist in identifying prospective grant opportunities and support the preparation, writing, and submission of grant proposals and reports.
Manage monthly Membership renewal mailings and communications.
Work with multiple departments to create cultivation plans that include special programs, tours, and other events for members.
Prepare analytical reports to measure the results of Membership campaigns, retention, and growth.
Work with the Director of Development to set goals and develop strategies to expand funding sources and increase revenue.
Ensure all commitments to donors and partners are fulfilled through on-going communication, follow-up, and outreach.
Participate in fundraising events.
Independently lead projects from beginning to completion.
Collaborate in a small team setting with willingness to assume a variety of roles.
Perform other duties as assigned/required.
Qualifications
We believe that skills and passion often matter more than perfect qualification matches. If you meet many of the requirements and are excited about this role, we encourage you to apply. Our experience shows that candidates from diverse backgrounds bring valuable perspectives that may not be captured in a traditional list of qualifications. We are committed to an inclusive workplace where different experiences, identities, and viewpoints are respected and celebrated as essential to our success.
2 + years of professional-related experience in development, fundraising management, or equivalent
Passion for CCHC’s mission, history and historic preservation, and education
Grant writing or equivalent experience with the ability to communicate clearly and compellingly both verbally and written forms
Experience with Membership management
Experience with gift solicitation
Demonstrated ability to work independently, have initiative, and contribute to a cohesive team
Highly organized and committed about quality of work
Exceptional interpersonal and analyticalskills
Demonstrated ability to successfully manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines
Results and detail oriented with a desire to attain new goals each year
Proficient with fundraising databases, DonorPerfect preferred. Experience with Microsoft Office Suite with emphasis in Excel required
Energetic, self-motivated, flexible, and with a good sense of humor
CCHC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
This is an in-person position.
Applications will be accepted through July 31, 2025; however, interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis and early applications are encouraged.
Compensation
Salary range of $45,000 – $60,000 based upon experience. PTO and health benefits.
Internships at CCHC, usually unpaid, may be sought in the areas of education, library, or museum. They are temporary positions and are supervised by full-time professional staff, whose availability to supervise may influence the number of opportunities. Interns may interact with staff in other departments, volunteers, consultants, and the public. CCHC is willing to work with students to arrange course credit for their work, should it be available.
Preferred applicants are graduate or upper-level undergraduates in history, library science, archives management, museum studies, education, anthropology, or a related field with an interest in working with museum collections, special libraries, or archives.
To be defined as an internship at CCHC:
Internship applications should include:
Internships are currently unpaid.
Tasks to be completed:
Internships encompass basic collections management tasks: data entry into catalog database; original object cataloging; digital photography or scanning; primary research; object handling and re-housing. The goal is to make collections records more publicly accessible digitally and to physically improve basic object care.
Skills required:
Attention to detail and flexibility are important. The ability to work with a variety of people is also essential. Clear communication skills, both written and verbal, will be useful in the work of cataloging as well as ensuring that the intern and staff person(s) understand expectations.
Skills developed/products produced:
The concrete results for the intern and CCHC will be finding aids or scope notes, catalog records, properly housed historical materials, and photographic documentation. Professional cataloging standards, processing collections and learning to understand how researchers might use these primary materials for analysis are a part of the learning experience.
Timing:
Internships may be scheduled Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Internships are currently unpaid.
Tasks to be completed:
Library interns will do both library and archival work. Interns will assist with collection maintenance, shelving, and cataloging. Interns may also work with processing new accessions. Interns may assist with digitization initiatives if an in-house project is in progress during the internship period. Interns interested in manuscripts may process a small collection and write a finding aid to that collection. Specific tasks for each intern will be determined with the intern’s specific interests in mind. Tasks will vary as a result of the library projects available during each intern’s tenure.
Skills required:
Attention to detail is a must! Careful handling of historical documents, strong organizational skills, and an ability to interact with staff and volunteers are essential.
Skills developed/products produced:
The intern will learn how a special library functions, gain or enhance practical skills in archival organization, learn to manage manuscripts, and may produce a collection guide that will be added to the CCHC website.
Timing:
Interns will be scheduled during the CCHC working hours, Tuesday through Friday 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM. After an introductory training period, interns may be able to add Saturday hours to their schedule.
The CCHC partners with the West Chester University History Department to offer an Education Internship (Fall Semester) and a National History Day Internship (Spring Semester). Please contact the WCU History Department for further information about the internships and how to apply.
225 N. High Street, West Chester, PA 19380 | 610-692-4800
Sign up for our Newsletter
