Volunteer Opportunities
Like many member-supported organizations, Market Street Railway depends on its volunteers to make things happen, and the more help we have, the more we are able to do. Due to the generosity of our members and supporters in the past, we've been able to save and restore many of the antique streetcars you see on the F-line today.
Our volunteers also assist in the preservation and maintenance of the colorful PCCs that run in regular service on the F-line.
A wide variety of volunteer opportunities await you, some requiring little or no skill (just energy and time!), some requiring basic knowledge, and some requiring advances skills. We will provide training in some areas. Below is a brief list of areas in which we currently need support from our members.
If you would like to volunteer your time and talent, click here to send us an email. Please indicate the type of volunteer assignment that interests you, how many hours per month you'd like to work, how we can contact you, and any special skills you can offer. For more information, please contact us at (415) 956-0472 or email volunteer@streetcar.org. Your expertise, enthusiasm, and dedication are most appreciated.
Though not a requirement, we urge our volunteers to show their support for our programs by joining Market Street Railway.
Car steward
Market Street Railway car stewards function as guardians of the historic streetcars. The historic items they work with are big and bulky, and in constant motion, but they are fragile also. They require protection and maintenance like any other museum artifact, which is--in fact--what they are: museums in motion.
Docent
Market Street Railway volunteers serve as weekend docents, riding the streetcars or stationed at key stops to answer questions from the public and distribute information about the trolleys. It's an enjoyable social activity.
Charter coordinator
Help us take Muni's historic vehicles around town. Volunteer as our charter coordinator, setting up special trips for our members and the public on the other streetcar lines, such as arranging special Sunday summer trips from the Wharf to the Zoo!
School outreach
Volunteers are needed to help put together a program that reaches out to the children who will someday be the recipients of the living legacy we are working so hard to preserve.
Newsletter contribution
Our quarterly newsletter, Inside Track, is our primary form of communication to our members. It is also a way of introducing prospective members to our organization, as well as functioning as an excellent fundraising tool. We welcome original contributions, such as photographs (old and new), articles on contemporary issues, articles of an historical nature, interviews, reminiscences, oral histories, etcetera.
Car restoration
We have exciting restoration projects underway at our David L. Pharr Historic Streetcar Facility at Duboce & Market. There is work for both those with specific skills (carpentry, electrical, plumbing, signboard lettering, painting) and for the enthusiastic (paint, scraping, sanding, etc.).
Office and field support
We are planning more extensive outreach to the community, requiring people who can print letters and stuff envelopes, run mailing lists, maintain our FileMakerPro database, and so on.
Fundraising
We need to grow our membership and win grants from foundations to support and extend the efforts of our organization and our volunteers. Those who are willing to approach merchants along the F-line route, or initiate outreach to community and other groups, or who have experience in writing grant proposals are especially welcome.
Board of directors
Don't forget, the members of the Market Street Railway Board of Directors are volunteers too, and we're always open to nominations. If you are able to commit a significant amount of volunteer time to leading one of Market Street Raiwlay's main activity committees (at least twenty hours per month), consider becoming a candidate for the Board. Write a brief statement of your interest and background and mail or email it to us. We hold elections annually in November.
