Being a Board Member Volunteer

By: Lora Hassani, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

Are you looking for a new direction in your work life? Do you feel like you need to make that next step? Sometimes you need a little extra something to get over that next hurdle. Perhaps the opportunities at your current workplace are waning, or you’ve always wanted to do something different. Maybe you’re at a career plateau or you simply need a change. The answer could come from volunteering.

Volunteering offers a way in which to gain new skills, connect with new people, experience something different, and give back to the HR community. It can also enable you to affirm or explore your own passions. A bonus is that it might even have a professional payoff thanks to increased skills or opportunities through your new network.

 Top Benefits of a Volunteer?

• Free monthly meetings and programs, including meals and recertification credit
• Potential to earn up to 10 recertification credits for serving as a volunteer leader
• Potential to attend national SHRM conferences during the year as an IE SHRM board member representative
• Enhanced professional network and contacts
• Increased skills and abilities making you a more desirable candidate for employment.

What’s in it for me?

• Influencing the direction and activities of the IE SHRM Chapter
• Sharing your expertise with others
• Developing project management, teamwork and collaboration skills
• Developing leadership skills
• Gaining non-profit business experience
• Gaining new, specific skills such as marketing, member relations, public speaking, logistics, and finance
• Building your professional network and contacts.
• Giving back to the HR community
• Advancing the HR profession
• Networking with SHRM leaders and HR professionals around the country
• Early information on emerging legislative and legal changes
• Participating in legislative advocacy
• SHRM tools and the Volunteer Leaders Resource Center

What Can I Do?

What area interests you the most? Where do you have expertise? What would you like to learn more about…Member Engagement, Emerging Professionals, Communications, or Programs?

Being a part of member engagement could mean greeting attendees at meetings or conferences, sharing the benefits of membership with visitors, connecting members through networking, or promoting membership in the community. It could also mean developing and leading new member engagement, retention activities, or events, writing articles for the newsletter or chapter LinkedIn page. Engagement can include working with the Emerging HR Professionals group, or our student chapter, offering mentoring, career guidance or skills development. What interests you most?

Communication is essential to our chapter members. We share information about events and programs as soon as it’s available. We also share legislative news and resources with members. We use our website, flyers, newsletters, emails; communicate at meetings, and on social media to get the word out about chapter activities. Being the communicator means you have all the information first hand – you are in the know. As a communicator, you can make a significant impression on chapter members.

Programs, or professional development, is what we strive to offer our members at the highest level possible. Our programs are designed for HR professionals at the beginning, middle and top of their HR careers. Being a part of programs means finding speakers and topics of interest to chapter members. It’s finding venues and locations that offer a great learning environment. Programs keeps things interesting and engaging for those members looking for exceptional professional development opportunities.

Leadership and operations opportunities within the chapter include project management, advocacy, finance, sponsorships, fundraising, and use of technology. Being a part of a non-profit organization provides opportunities to develop problem solving and interpersonal skills, leadership, and time management skills.  Opportunities for many areas of chapter management are available as mini-projects, mid-term projects or as leadership roles. Plenty of opportunities exist for interested contributors.

If you are interested in volunteering with IE SHRM, send us an email at ieshrm@gmail.com.

President: Lora Hassani, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
President-Elect: Pat Steet, EdD, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, PHRca
Secretary: Daniella Waitschies
Treasurer: Douglas House,  MS, SPHR, SHRM-CP, SPHRca
 
VP of Membership: Vacant
Membership Chair: Renee Moody, PHR
College Relations Chair: Stacey Barnier
Emerging HR Professionals Chair:  Pat Steet, EdD, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, PHRca
 
VP of Marketing: Mary Mizell
Social Media Chair: Mary Mizell
Sponsorship Chair: Stacey Barnier
 
Director of Programs: Vilma Brager, PHR, SHRM-CP
Logistics Chair: Vacant
 
Certification Director: Richard Dawson, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, PHRca, HRPM, sHRBP

Legislative Director: Brent Garrett, Esq.

Conference Chair: Bob Bruner

IE SHRM Past Presidents

2015-2016            Craig Seal, PhD, PHR, SHRM-CP
2013-2014            Rhonda Tompkins, PHR, SHRM-CP
2013                       Sharee Andrade, PHR
2012                       Richard Dawson, SPHR-CA, SHRM-SCP
2011                       Bob Bruner, Founder
2009-2010            Joy Ward, Founder
2008                       Paul Becker, PHR
2007                       Paul Becker, PHR

IE SHRM Bylaws signed 2-2017