RNC Wants 10,000 Volunteers To Greet Guests, Provide Directions

Fiserv Forum with branding for the August 2023 GOP presidential debate. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

The Republican National Convention host committee is looking for thousands of volunteers to greet, guide and transport the tens of thousands of visitors coming to Milwaukee in July.

“We have a chance to showcase Milwaukee unlike we will ever have a chance to do it in any of our lifetimes,” said host committee CEO Ted Kellner at a press conference Friday morning at Fiserv Forum. “We need a lot of support from the committee.”

Kellner said the committee hopes to find 8,000 to 10,000 people to sign up. “We are getting an incredible response from people both financially, and also from involvement. And I think that will continue. It has to continue,” said the philanthropist.

The nonprofit, nonpartisan host committee is responsible for the event logistics and $68 million in fundraising, but not the actual political convention.

“This is not about politics at all,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson, a Democrat. “I think my presence here speaks to that.”

“We are here today to ask for your help,” said host committee chief operating officer Alison Prange.

You don’t need to be a Republican to sign up, nor will the volunteer shift be political in nature, say the convention organizers. The shifts will take place across the region and primarily involve greeting guests and providing directions.

“How people are greeted and treated when visiting a city is so important for the impression they leave with,” said Prange.

Volunteers must be at least 16 years old at the time of their shift or must volunteer with a guardian. At a future date, volunteers will be able to sign up for specific shifts and tasks through the Republican National Committee’s Committee on Arrangements.

Support is needed primarily between July 14-19, while the actual convention runs from July 15-18.

A sign-up form is now live on the host committee’s website.

Carrie Wall, CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee, said her organization is committed to finding volunteers.

“My message to employers across greater Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin: give your employees a day off or a couple days off and let them volunteer for the host committee,” said Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce senior advisor Tim Sheehy.

VISIT Milwaukee CEO Peggy Williams-Smith said she knows Milwaukee residents are ready for the challenge. Citing a 2020 study, she said 45% of Milwaukee area residents volunteer annually for a total of 57 million hours. “Volunteering for the 2024 Republican convention, irrespective of one’s political affiliation, can be a rewarding experience that offers numerous personal, professional and civic benefits,” she said.