Organizing WisCon

Are you interested in stepping into the wings and joining the convention stage crew? The ConCom (WisCon Convention Committee) plans and runs WisCon, and we welcome everyone — we’ll do our best to find a role that fits your skills, values, energy, and schedule!

What to expect

You don’t need to be local to Madison or even attend in person! Most of our members live elsewhere, and Online Con has created virtual roles. The committees meet monthly on virtual calls as needed, and we use a coordination website to keep up with work and communication.

Pre-con volunteering starts in September for those members taking lead roles, then gets busy in earnest in January, when it reaches several hours per week for most roles. In May as WisCon approaches, some roles have a little more time required. Some roles have tasks at WisCon, and others don’t. We all have a wrap-up meeting in June, and for the rest of the summer organizing obligations tend to be light.

How to apply

You can email us about one or several of these roles you’re curious about at personnel@sf3.org (subject: Volunteering).  We can help if you aren’t sure what’s the best fit!

Open Volunteer Positions

Needed soon to announce WisCon in 2026:

Interviewer (1-2)
Want to meet new people, and also have something specific to talk to them about? Interview prospective volunteers and help them find their best fit with open positions. Also perform exit interviews as needed.  Time commitment varies from 1-2 hours per week. Contact personnel@sf3.org (subject: Volunteer Interviewer) for more information.
Programming Chair
What really makes a convention sing? Its programming! In this role, you’d get to practice coordinating the grid to ensure that no scheduling conflicts occur and practice communicating with various participants. You’d then step up into the Chair role in June, tracking team progress and calling meetings starting in late fall.  To learn more, please contact personnel@sf3.org (subject: Apprentice Programming Chair).
Access Lead
Want a role that brings a little something unexpected? The Access Lead helps WisConites fully attend WisCONline by connecting attendees to resources. In addition to keeping tabs on Closed Captioning and Alt Text efforts, you’d remain available and flexible to meet needs using WisCon resources. Please email personnel@sf3.org (subject: Access Lead) if you want to know more.

Needed soon to announce in-person WisCon:

Operations OR Hospitality Chair
Want in on the nuts and bolts? You could connect people together to ensure the Leads for either Operations OR Hospitality have what they need to run WisCon in person in 2026. If this is an interesting opportunity, email personnel@sf3.org (subject: Ops or Hosp Chair) and we’ll see if it’s a good fit!

Needed soon to Plan next WisCon:

 Guest of Honor Team Co-Lead
Help choose our next Guest of Honor! Our process involves getting input of staff each year. As Guest of Honor Lead, you’ll also make sure each guest has a place on the program and coordinate liaisons as needed. Learn more by contacting personnel@sf3.org (subject: GoH Lead).
Online Con Lead-in-training
Want to build your experience managing the online components for a large event? We can train you in making decisions for and configuring platforms like Zoom and/or Discord! For 2-3 hours per week, you’ll be a member of an active team to help shape and set up the online platforms for WisCONline. You’ll also help with coordinating backstage volunteers. Volunteer hours may increase in May to around 5 hours per week for the last week or two before WisCon. If you’re curious, email personnel@sf3.org (subject: Online Con Lead).
Closed Captioning Liaison
Want to coordinate an essential service and ease the load of organizers? Pick up Online Con Team’s current efforts to hire Closed Captions transcribers to help make WisCONline 2025 accessible and welcoming. The process is starting, we just need someone to train and go through the steps! Please contact personnel@sf3.org (subject: Access Team) for more info.
Website Team Lead
You’ll organize meetings and tasks and get team members engaged so that team members can update the website. In the process, you’ll refresh or build new WordPress know-how. Expect to start at 3-5 hours per week and drop off to about 1-2 hours a week in this position. If curious, contact personnel@sf3.org (subject: Website Team Lead).

Nice to have:

Website Team Members

Have some WordPress skills you don’t want to get rusty, or want to build? Ask about joining our Website work sessions to continue to update the text, formatting, and structure of the WisCon website as a team. Starting at 3-5 hours per week and dropping off to about 1 hour per week.  For more info, contact personnel@sf3.org (subject: Website Team).

Recruiter

Do you enjoy crafting brief, clear, and enticing communication? You could work with other staff to draft and schedule open recruitment calls for WisCon, like the one you’re reading now! This takes 2-4 hours per call, 1-3 calls per week. Contact personnel@sf3.org (subject: Recruiter)

Chair Apprentices

Do you want to help run a convention, but don’t know where to start? Want to organize with WisCon without being the only person doing something? Consider joining WisCon staff as an Apprentice Chair! As apprentice, you could set your own hours, with the understanding that you expect to take on more hours, months or years in the future. You’ll need & develop excellent skills delegating, organizating information, and communicating. Our Chairs now have limited areas of responsibility:

IT Apprentice Chair

Are you curious about the digital bones of WisCon? Can you call a mean meeting, and also want to build your organizing skills? As a bonus, do you have a passion for translating between tech folx and mere mortals? For a few hours per week, help the Chair organize folx running the website, Sched, and general accounts. If this role seems interesting, email personnel@sf3.org (subject: IT Apprentice)

Board roles – train now! Run for election in October:

(SF3 is the nonprofit that runs WisCon.)

SF3 Board Member at Large

Have you ever been curious what it takes to keep WisCon well-resourced and in good legal standing? Are you interested in contributing your perspective to discussion and planning about WisCon. The Board could use more people to bounce ideas around! This term will be renewed in October, making now the perfect time to try the role. Expect to volunteer about 2-5 hours per month, more at your option. Related experience nice, but not needed. Contact personnel@sf3.org (subject: SF3 Board) for more information.

SF3 Vice President

Are you fascinated by the big picture and happy to let others handle details? Or perhaps you love connecting people to help make things happen. You may enjoy serving as Vice President of the SF3 Board. Expect to spend 3-7 hours a month as the liaison between the Board and WisCon committee chairs. For more information, contact personnel@sf3.org (subject: SF3 VP).