Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer at Association Forum

It’s not enough for us to serve Chicago associations. At the Association Forum, we also strive to involve them — and we have dozens of opportunities designed to do exactly that.

Since we’re a member-based organization, we need association professional and supplier partner volunteers. In exchange for your time and your support, you will develop leadership skills and enhance your network, benefitting you both professionally and personally. Volunteering is just as easy as it is rewarding.  The annual call for volunteers is currently closed, so please email membership@associationforum.org if you would like to get involved and we will see what mid-year opportunities are available.

As a volunteer, you can:

Volunteer

  • Contribute to industry and organizational issues
  • Exercise new leadership, teambuilding and communication skills
  • Network intimately with industry experts and thought leaders
  • Engage fellow Association Forum members in meaningful dialogue
  • Design and facilitate programming
  • Work collaboratively in order to foster a spirit of innovation and creativity
  • Learn from diverse people and viewpoints
  • Build your resume with volunteer-staff relationship

 


Explore Volunteer Opportunities


See Volunteer Requirements


Volunteer Testimonials

Being an Association Forum volunteer is rewarding in many ways. Past and current volunteers have told us:

“I've been an Association Forum volunteer for most of the last 30 years, and frankly, it's that service and contacts I made through them that turned my accidental association job into a lifelong and very satisfying career. The knowledge and experiences of the colleagues I met bolstered my own. They were better than any formal course of study or any text I read.”

— Renee S. Schleicher, CAE, interim executive director, La Leche League International

“My experience as a Diversity Scholar and as a member of the Diversity & Workforce Development Committee has opened many opportunities for me professionally and personally. It has provided me with a profound knowledge of what it means to be an association professional. Professionally, it has broadened my experience and helped me achieve a promotion. Personally, I have met many new colleagues, with whom I have exchanged ideas and had some of those great ideas come to fruition. The knowledge and experiences of my colleagues has made volunteering a breeze and an experience I’ll never forget.”

— Nicole M. Harris, director, member relations & outreach, CFA Society of Chicago

“Volunteering for Association Forum has been the single greatest investment in my professional development. As a past Diversity Scholar and committee member, as well as a former chair of Holiday Showcase, I was able to sharpen my leadership skills, learn from the best and brightest in the field, and contribute to the collective knowledge of the association management industry. I have gone on to receive my CAE and I’m reaching new heights in my career. Thanks Association Forum for giving me an opportunity to grow and develop and to give back to my professional community.”

— Dionne S. Wilson, CAE, senior account manager, Association Management Center