Volunteering in New York: Showing Travelers NYC Off The Beaten Path
The “pause” on travel to New York due to COVID-19 was an enormous letdown for millions of travelers, as well as 300 volunteers who are passionate about showing the city to first-time visitors. Manhattan resident Jesse Richards, a technology executive who is married and raising a seven-year-old daughter, is one of those volunteers, known as Greeters. They’re the heart of Big Apple Greeter, a small nonprofit organization with a mission to enhance New York City’s image around the world and enrich the New York experience by connecting visitors with knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteers.
A meeting with a Greeter, affectionately known as a Greet, is different from a tour with a professional New York tour guide. It’s intended to show New York City as only New Yorkers know it. Greeters act as “volunteer friends” and meet with no more than six people at a time. The model is so successful that it’s been replicated around the world and many Greeters and visitors stay in touch long after their Greet has ended.
Growing up in New Jersey, Jesse didn’t fall in love with New York City until after college. Until then, he was unaware of the vast amount of culture, diversity and art there was to explore in the city that he previously visited just a handful of times. As a result, he is determined that people from near and far know about the wonders of New York City. He wants to make the case for the city to non-New Yorkers from around the world; to let travelers know that the city he loves is so much more than Times Square or other well-known places. He wants to convey a truth about New York City and the people who call it home and have others know the obscure, sometimes off the beaten path places that New Yorkers love. Volunteering as a Greeter provides a way for Jesse to do that, one visitor at a time.
Meetups Lead to Greets
Volunteering with Big Apple Greeter is well-aligned with the sketching Meetup that Jesse has been leading for 13 years. The group has 7,000 members and approximately 40 to 50 of them meet once or twice a month to draw obscure spots in the city. These little-known places often become experiences that Jesse shares when he meets with visitors.
Although being a volunteer Greeter is an ideal retirement job, retirement is far in the future for Jesse. In addition to his commitments to his family, Big Apple Greeter and Meetup, he is Vice President of Product at Voxy, an English language learning platform that provides personalized instruction for global corporations, major educational institutions and governments worldwide.
A Greeter for nearly a year, Jesse had been on five Greets before the pandemic put the entire city, and the travel industry, on an indefinite pause. He had an additional two Greets scheduled for the spring, both of them canceled because of the pandemic.
Showing NYC, Virtually
The pandemic hasn’t diminished Jesse’s commitment to sharing the wonders of the city, even if not in person. In May, Jesse and long-time Greeter Lester Barnett each created virtual Greets, a first for Big Apple Greeter. It’s a format that’s still being evaluated, but has the potential to become yet another way for the organization to raise awareness and enthusiasm about New York City.
Jesse’s virtual Greet was held for 20 active Greeters and featured a walk around the Gramercy Park and Union Square neighborhoods. He used Google Street View to virtually “walk” the streets via his laptop computer at home and simultaneously shared his screen via Zoom. As Jesse “walked” along the neighborhoods’ streets he described landmarks and places, just as he would during an actual session with visitors.
Advice for Prospective Volunteers
“Two to three hours a month to meet visitors is not a big commitment, and the satisfaction from seeing visitors’ excitement is priceless,” says Jesse. When he became a Greeter he found the time spent planning his first few Greets was much greater than the actual time spent with each group of visitors. After the first few Greets, he had an itinerary and format for future Greets. Another benefit of Greeting is the opportunity to meet travelers of all ages from around the world, to hear about their home countries and to see New York City through their eyes.
Jesse and all of Big Apple Greeter’s volunteers are preparing for the day when travel to New York City is possible once again. They know that the city they love is strong and that New Yorkers want to share this love with the world. Learn more about volunteering with Big Apple Greeter.