The Obama Foundation is on the lookout for 100 unpaid volunteers to join the team at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, set to open this June. This center, which carries a hefty price tag of $850 million, is eagerly anticipated.
Foundation officials are emphasizing the program as a continuation of former President Barack Obama’s commitment to civic engagement.
This recruitment effort follows a report highlighting that Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the foundation and a former aide to Obama, earned $740,000 in 2024.
According to the foundation, these volunteers will fill the roles intended for a yet-to-be-established workforce of approximately 300 employees, both full-time and part-time. They aim to stimulate a $3.1 billion economic boost for Chicago’s South Side.
In this initiative, around 75 to 100 volunteers, dubbed “ambassadors,” will interact with visitors, offer tours of the campus, and provide insights about various exhibits, including the 22-story museum, athletic center, and a branch of the Chicago Public Library.
There’s an expectation for this program to grow as time goes on.
The foundation views this volunteer initiative as crucial to its mission, asserting that volunteers reflect its values in local communities.
Details about salaries for paid staff members remain vague, though recent tax filings shed light on the compensation for high-ranking officials within the organization.
Jarrett received $740,000 in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Moreover, several other former staff members from the Obama administration also earned significant six-figure salaries as executives, as per federal filings.
The foundation’s salary and benefits expenditure rose from $18.5 million in 2018 to $43.7 million in 2024. Meanwhile, the workforce expanded to 337 personnel, with annual revenues nearing $210 million.
The foundation operates from Hyde Park in Chicago and runs leadership and community programs both domestically and internationally. Yet, it is now opting to enlist unpaid volunteers for the presidential center’s activities.
Unpaid volunteers are commonly found in presidential libraries, museums, and various nonprofit cultural establishments.
The foundation stated, “Volunteering has been central to President Obama’s vision of civic life since his early days as a community organizer on Chicago’s South Side.” In a press release, Jarrett expressed that the center “will be a place where the world encounters the best of the city of Chicago, and our volunteers will help make that vision a reality every day.”
Jarrett took over as CEO in 2021, guiding the development of the 19.3-acre campus in Jackson Park, which the foundation advocates as a catalyst for revitalizing Chicago’s South Side. They anticipate $3.1 billion in economic activity over the next decade and the creation of 5,000 construction jobs linked to the $850 million project.
These projections come from an economic analysis conducted by Deloitte Consulting LLP.
The foundation also highlights its commitment to diversity, noting that more than 50% of construction contracts are awarded to diverse companies, and a third of the workforce originates from Southside and Westside communities. Additionally, 798 local residents are participating in a preconstruction apprenticeship program.
The center is slated to open on Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
Several other officials from the Obama administration have recently garnered substantial compensation from the foundation. This includes former White House political director David Seamus, who led the foundation from 2017 to 2020 with an annual income exceeding $600,000, as well as Adewale Adeyemo, who later served as Biden’s deputy treasury secretary, earning approximately $540,000 during his time with the foundation.
Numerous other senior leaders associated with the Obama administration also earn between $300,000 and $400,000 annually, according to tax returns.
