Based in Houston, Texas, Joel A. Bartsch is a seasoned museum executive with an award-winning track record. As the president and CEO of the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Joel Bartsch oversees the expansion of the organization's membership and philanthropic effort. He also works to increase the number of volunteer opportunities in the Houston region.

The process of identifying and assessing potential volunteers is known as volunteer recruitment. Organizations often recruit volunteers to fill specific roles or expand and sustain the number of volunteers they already have. The recruiting of volunteers aids programs in completing important tasks and brings in funds to cover those costs.

There are several internet tools available to streamline volunteer recruiting. Some of these tools are:

1. SignUp.com

In addition to providing free online signup sheets, SignUp.com also offers event management solutions. Using SignUp is simple since it includes email and social media connections and eCalendar synchronization, and automated reminders to help you keep track of volunteers' schedules.

2. Get connected

By utilizing its full platform, NGOs and other service-oriented organizations may improve volunteer engagement while building long-term relationships with donors and keeping better track of their volunteers' contributions. Get connected is built with handy functionalities like time tracking and automatic communication.

3. CERVIS

CERVIS is an easy-to-use volunteer management system that helps nonprofits better organize their volunteers while saving them time. In addition to customizable online scheduling and automatic reminders, CERVIS also offers extensive training from the CERVIS staff members themselves.

As president and CEO of the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS), Joel A. Bartsch organizes exhibits while expanding attendance and the membership base. One exhibit that Joel A. Bartsch and his colleagues organized in September 2021 is “Treasures in Gold & Jade: Masterworks from Taiwan.”

This ambitious undertaking brings together 44 pieces by Taiwanese artists Huang Fu Shou and Wu Ching crafted either sculpted refined gold or carved jade. The pieces are arranged in a tight-knit grouping illuminated by ceiling chandeliers.

Among the centerpieces is “Prosperous Descendants,” an eight-foot-tall tree sculpture with many melon vines made from delicate stretched gold. Emphasizing biodiversity within a single canopy, these sculpted vines harbor various types of plant life and insects.

Another piece, “Mundane Affinity,” combines a human skull of silver with thin vines and flowers of pure gold. The decaying cranium is thus depicted as a foothold for new life. The organic life cycle shown in these works is of such intricacy that the curator describes the viewer’s impression as one of perusing a “Where’s Waldo?” children’s book. The moment one fanciful form is grasped, several others make themselves known. With its mix of plants, crustaceans, ants, and amphibians, the result vividly depicts the natural world in fluid permanence.