Becoming involved July 27, 2010
Posted by Stacey Thornberry in Author: Stacey Thornberry, professional developmentNearly eight months later, I’m back in the blogosphere.
I’ve been absent for many reasons. My blogging cohort, Janna White, left IABC in February to travel abroad and blog, beating out 700 applicants for the coveted position. Stay up-to-date with her adventures. I was a bridesmaid in my friend’s wedding; traveled to exotic (note the sarcasm) Fishkill, New York, for another friend’s wedding; got caught up in my myriad of job duties including planning and executing the 2010 Gold Quill Awards gala in Toronto; and, what this post will be about, volunteering for the International Special Events Society’s Northern California Chapter (ISES-NCC).
In May 2009, I decided it was about time that I become involved in an association related to my passion, events. There are many associations related to events to choose from: National Association of Catering Executives (NACE), Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), and more, I’m sure. I needed to take careful consideration of where I invested my hard-earned dollars.
As I was making my decision, I fondly remembered the International Special Events Society (ISES). When I was looking for a job after college, I spoke with my dad’s client’s wife who worked as an event planner in Sacramento for an informational interview. She spoke with her colleague who recommended that I check out the ISES career postings. And voilà! I found the posting for Conference Manager at IABC. And the rest, as they say, is history.
From working with members at IABC, I knew that to get the most out of your association membership is to volunteer. So, I got in touch with the chapter board. My first task: volunteer at the annual gala and silent auction. I schlepped tables and chairs; arranged flatware, plates and glasses; sold raffle tickets and gave away feather boas; and made connections within the chapter along the way.
The 2009 Gala Silent Auction Chair, Elaine Herman, connected me with Valerie Vasquez, 2009-2010 VP of programs & education, who recruited me for the Programs & Education Committee. I ended up working with two other planners to put on the November 2009 meeting about social media at the newly opened Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.
I continued by involvement, offering my services for the chapter’s annual trip to Napa Valley, being affectionately termed as the “transportation lady” in charge of the shuttle bus from San Francisco to Napa. And continued offering to help at any turn.
In January, I was honored with a scholarship from the SEARCH Foundation via ISES-NCC to attend The Special Event, a conference for events professionals, in New Orleans as a “rising star in the events industry.” As part of the scholarship, I wrote a summary of my experience.
In March, I went from assisting with the 2010 annual silent auction to being a co-chair—creating the donation letter, making phone calls to remind people to donate, organizing the data, creating descriptions…it was a lot of work, but a lot of fun. Thank heavens for my hard working co-chair, Dani Lamas. We ended up raising $9,800 for education and scholarships, exceeding the chapter’s goal of $5,000, and used IML technology which allowed people to bid electronically and keep bidding through dinner—a hit!
My gung-ho attitude earned me a spot on the 2010-2011 board of directors serving as a director-at-large. As my dad eloquently said, “They want her on the board because she’ll do the work.” While many people would have found our board retreat and regional leadership conference boring, I found it intriguing. Throw those budgets at me, let’s talk about goals for the chapter and our plans for the year—bring it on.
Then, at the gala, I was surprised with the Chapter Leadership Award as part of the chapter’s “Heart & Soul Awards” for my work with the Programs & Education Committee. I was honored to be seen as such a valuable contributor to the chapter and organization.
I’m looking forward to the upcoming board year, serving under the VP of Membership, Jill Schnaps. We’ll be working to involve more student members, debuting a new program amongst members, reaching out to get our members involved in committees and more. I love that I can apply much of my knowledge from working at IABC, as well as bring back tidbits to my own position.
The point? I recommend finding something you’re passionate about and getting involved. I promise that you will reap the benefits.
Hey, you might even get to hit baseballs at AT&T Park! (Not to brag or anything…)
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See how fun it is?! (You sound like me… And thousands of others I know who “catch the bug” and never turn back from the rewards we get from volunteering…) Good for you!
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