Be More Than A Member; Volunteer

I believe 100% that membership in a professional organization is vital to today’s photographer. Belonging to an organization is a way to network, get educated and just recharge your batteries. I usually come away from conventions and meetings with a renewed sense of hope for myself and my business.

I am empowered through education and fraternity.

One of the organizations I belong to is the Professional Photographers of Ohio (PPO), which is probably fairly similar to many other state-level organizations. I joined them in 2009, volunteered in 2010, was elected to a three-year term on the Board of Trustees in 2011 and a second three-year term in 2014. So, officially, they’re stuck with me through 2017, but the reality of it is – I’ll be around for a long time. As long as they’ll let me. I have found my home in the PPO and I think a lot of photographers would be well-served to find themselves a similar group.

Since you only get out of something what you put into it, I highly suggest that you also volunteer. Don’t just pay your dues and sit in a chair. Meet somebody, help pass out goody bags, put white gloves on and help in the print room, run to the supply room and grab a cord for the AV guy so he doesn’t have to run down that long hallway for the 17th time this hour. Do something. Do anything.

But don’t do it all.

And here’s where I’m going to stop with the “rah! rah!” and get serious. Before you agree to volunteer for anything, take a realistic look at the time you have available to do that. We want you to be effective and have your volunteer experience be a positive one. If you over-commit or burn out because of it, well, that’s no good for anyone.

And when I say “don’t do it all,” I mean that. Take the time YOU need to take to go to classes and other educational opportunities that you are helping organize. Don’t always work behind the scenes – find a good balance that will ensure you remain not only a member, but a happy one. I love it when I see someone offer a lot of time and energy to help out, but in the back of my mind, I wonder if they might not be facing burn-out if they keep it up at that pace.

So, be realistic about the time and energy that you do have available. Do not over-commit – but please commit what you can and still maintain a healthy balance. We don’t want our volunteers to become tired and bitter like the lunch lady that whapped down a pile of beige glop on our trays in the middle school cafeteria.

Day. After. Day.

This is the time of year when organizations are doing their yearly revamp. Annual Conventions are just around the corner and serve, in part, to signify a change in leadership. This is when the past year’s board of directors are finished, there’s a little chair shuffling, the executive board moves up a seat and some new faces appear. Sometimes those are appointed and sometimes those are elected. No matter how they end up there, it’s part of a process.

And sometimes that process is tough. Sometimes we have more seats than people to fill them. I’m sure out there, one of you is just waiting to be asked to take on a larger role in your organization. I’d like to encourage you to just take that step and reach out. Tell us you’d like to be involved. Send us an email, whisper in someone’s ear. If you’d really like to be involved in some part that seems already under control – don’t worry – go ahead and mention it – we can always use more members on our team and maybe we’re just really good at acting like we’ve got it under control 😉

There are basically three levels of volunteer involvement in an organization. For the sake of needing to call them something, we will go with casual, committed and vested:

1. Casual

A casual volunteer is someone who has a little bit of time here and there to help out, but just can’t commit to a deeper level. If this is you, then sometimes it’s best to just show up at a convention, find the largest group of people that look like they know what they’re doing (ok, not the ones in the bar) and say “hey, I”m here to help!” – we will totally take advantage of your willingness to help on that basis. This kind of volunteering is fun, spontaneous and much needed, especially when we are in the middle of an event and need some extra hands. And we really do need them!

If this is you – stop off at the registration desk and let the folks that do the paperwork know you are available. You might need to come back  when things aren’t crazy busy, but if you are serious about helping – you will be given that opportunity.

2. Committed

There are a large number of mid-level volunteer opportunities, as well, some that require just a little bit extra work. Some require a little more than that.

Maybe you’d like to work on a committee or be a committee chair, even. We have at least a dozen committees or small sub-groups at my state and I’m betting other organizations have them as well. These are the positions that are really handy for someone with special skills. Sometimes what you did in your pre-photography days are skills that would be helpful to your organization.

It’s probably not a surprise to anyone that in my previous career as a quality specialist I wrote. I wrote a lot. I was in charge of policies and procedures for nearly twelve years, which made me a perfect candidate to work as the By-laws Chair. You see what I mean? I’m sure you have a skill that would be very helpful to a committee or chairperson in a similar way.

And don’t think you have to have some super hero skill, either. Sometimes just the ability to drive to the airport and pick up a speaker or judge is helpful. Or maybe you have a knack for planning events  – or maybe you’ve had your ear to the ground and know exactly the kind of speakers that we need to contact to thrill our members who are wedding photographers. The needs are varied and sometimes surprising – so let us know what you feel your best talent is.

This level of volunteering is sometimes the part that’s overlooked. Why? Because a lot of these folks work behind the scenes. Quietly and unassumingly they do their jobs in a way that provides a backbone for the organization. These aren’t the folks running the show, not the ones you see behind podiums or winning trophies or carrying microphones. They’re a little bit behind the scenes, so their work is not as obvious to someone looking in – but to those of us looking out – we know they’re there – and we appreciate the heck out of them. They help make our organization look good. Very good.

3. Vested

If you want to become involved on a deeper level, perhaps you’re interested in becoming a member of a board of directors/trustees – these are positions with a fair amount of responsibility and time commitment – find out the meeting and event schedule, first. More than likely you’re going to be expected to attend a number of board meetings and conventions. These are generally unpaid positions, so travel and accommodations will be at your own expense. Additionally, there’s going to be work required of you in between those meetings and events. Many hours of work go on behind the scenes in order to organize and host conventions and other member benefits. There’s no magic staff behind the scenes – YOU are the staff. This is the time to seriously consider the time and resources you have available to be involved at this level.

But don’t let this scare you off. You need to be realistic about the commitment, but I can testify that this level of service to your organization will come back to you ten-fold. Because this post is nearing bedtime story status in length – when you have a moment read HERE about my own personal experience with the PPO and how it has been instrumental in my growth as a photographer.

So, think about it and let me know, let someone know, that you’d like to step it up a bit and be more than a member.

We’re gonna have an awesome time 😉

To become more involved in the Professional Photographers of Ohio, please email us at staff@ppofohio.org or call us at: 614-407-8776. You will reach either Kristin or Susan, who will take real good care of you! Tell ’em Wootness sent you!