Opportunities From: VolunteerME Southern Maine

The New England Electric Railway Historical Society, doing business as Seashore Trolley Museum, seeks passionate leaders to join our volunteer Board of Trustees. Seashore Trolley Museum collects, restores, exhibits and operates significant public transit vehicles and artifacts to preserve knowledge and resources for the education and enjoyment of future generations. We are the world's first and largest electric railway museum located in Kennebunkport, Maine, with a satellite museum in Lowell, Massachusetts. 

Seashore Trolley Museum is currently expanding our Board of Trustees in preparation for a significant capital program to support the priorities and initiatives listed in our Protecting Our Future 5-Year Strategic Plan, available for review here: https://trolleymuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/STM-Strategic-Plan-FY25-FY29-v10-052226.pdf

Role Details
Commitment: 2–3 hours per month
Term: 3-year renewable term
Location: Our main campus is located in Kennebunkport, Maine. Scheduled meetings are hybrid; Trustees are encouraged to attend in-person if they can, but we always have an option to meet with Zoom.  Local Trustees assist our Executive Director with in-person donor stewardship and outreach when their time allows. 

Key Responsibilities
* Attend regular board meetings to vote on key choices. Board meetings are held on the third Saturday of every odd-numbered month from 10AM-1PM. Additional work and planning Zooms are held throughout the year scheduled around Trustees' availability. 
* Guide Seashore's long-term goals and budget plans.
* Support fundraising events and community outreach programs.
* Share professional skills in areas like human resources, law, finance, construction, or marketing.

Ideal Qualifications
* Passion for our core mission and community service.
* Ability to work well in a team and share clear ideas.
* Experience on a nonprofit board or in leadership is a plus, but not required.
* Living in York County, Maine is a plus, but not required.

Looking for a new volunteer opportunity to spark joy in your life? Seashore Trolley Museum seeks new recruits from the community who want to learn a unique, new skill and help the Museum provide an awesome experience for guests this season by becoming volunteer trolley Conductors and Operators!

Seashore Trolley Museum's trolleys are the real deal; they operate on an electric railway and are the real trolleys from the late 1800s-early 1900s (and some cities like Boston, El Paso, New Orleans, etc. still operate trolleys and/or light rail vehicles today!).  These are different than the tourist trolleys (which are really buses designed to look like our real trolleys for nostalgia) that are out in the summers and are operated by for-profits with paid bus drivers. 

Volunteers will learn how to be a Conductor first. During the training classes, new volunteers will be trained by a pair of Seashore Instructors. Topics will include the ins and outs of the information shared with guests about the museum’s history and the robust transit collection, how to safely board guests on the trolleys, how the railroad works and is operated (rules), and the duties of being a Conductor. Additional experience will be gained by working with experienced Conductors. When ready, the students will be qualified as Seashore Conductors who will be able to work in revenue service, paired with a qualified Operator who will operate the car. The next step will be to complete further instruction with a Seashore Instructor on operating the car.

The Museum is holding their next training courses in June 2026. To be eligible, volunteers must become members of the Museum, be 18 years old by the conclusion of the course, and must hold a valid motor vehicle operator’s license from any U.S. state.