Why volunteer at AIA? Two longtime volunteers break down the benefits

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/landing-pages\/6530744-volunteer-at-aia-get-involve"]]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"As 2023 fast approaches, AIA is\nlooking for committed members to take advantage of myriad volunteer\nopportunities that will help participants develop strong leadership skills,\nexpand their network, and ultimately advance the goals of the architecture profession.\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"AIA is looking for volunteers\nwith a passion for the future of architecture who have a strong desire to\ntackle obstacles presented by the profession and by society. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cIt\u2019s really rewarding to step\noutside of my day-to-day work to work on projects that see the bigger picture,\u201d\nsaid Jessica Sheridan, AIA, Principal at Mancini Duffy. \u201cVolunteering really\ngives you an understanding on how architects are influential in society and\nhave an impact on many levels in many ways.\u201d "]]],[1,"blockquote",[[0,[],0,"\u201cVolunteering really\ngives you an understanding on how architects are influential in society and\nhave an impact on many levels in many ways.\u201d - Jessica Sheridan, AIA"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Sheridan started volunteering\nwith AIA soon after she graduated from architecture school. \u201cI didn\u2019t have much\nof a network and was looking for other emerging professionals,\u201d she said. After\nparticipating in a variety of volunteer opportunities, Sheridan was mostly\nrecently an At-Large Director on the AIA National Board, where her term ended\nlast year. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Jane Frederick, FAIA, Principal\nat Frederick + Frederick Architects was AIA\u2019s 2020 President and began\nvolunteering with the organization years prior. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cI\u2019m in a small town, being involved\nwith AIA really helps me meet my peers and lets me share ideas with people from\naround the country. It\u2019s a good resource to be able to build your business and\nlearn best practices,\u201d said Frederick. "]]],[1,"blockquote",[[0,[],0,"\u201cI\u2019m in a small town, being involved\nwith AIA really helps me meet my peers and lets me share ideas with people from\naround the country. It\u2019s a good resource to be able to build your business and\nlearn best practices.\u0022 Jane Frederick, FAIA"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Both Frederick and Sheridan cited\nthe development of leadership and collaboration skills as a perk of\nvolunteering with AIA. Each volunteer was humble enough to learn new things but\ndriven enough to help make an impactful change in the profession and on society.\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cLeadership is such a tricky word\nbecause my involvement with AIA has been so much about collaboration and\nsupport,\u201d said Sheridan. \u201cYou meet so many people with a strong passion who are\nwilling to step up with you to try to make a difference. You can make an impact\nexponentially by bringing people together around an idea.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Frederick, who was AIA\u2019s\nPresident during the COVID-19 outbreak, said that people coming together to\nprovide aid during the beginning of the pandemic was a particularly impactful\nmoment of her tenure, and made her proud to be an AIA volunteer. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cI put together a task\nforce chaired by Molly Scanlon, FAIA, who has a PhD in public health. They\ndeveloped best practices for setting up a temporary medical facility in a\nnon-medical building, like an arena or a gymnasium,\u201d said Frederick. \u201cThe\ninformation they came up with was picked up by the State Department, translated\ninto different languages and shared around the world. That is making an\nimpact.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"While a penchant for\ncollaboration is important when volunteering with AIA, the ability to bring\nfresh and unique perspectives to important issues is also a desirable quality\nin candidates. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThink about what you\u2019re\npassionate about, chances are AIA has an opportunity for you. If you\u2019re\npassionate about climate action, there are committees to join and programs to\nplan. You can start small, or you can start at full speed and organize\nsomething and help to carry it out,\u201d said Sheridan. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Volunteering at a local\ncomponent is a good way to start your journey, said Frederick, but merely\nattending events is a good way to get your foot in the door. \u201cOnce you\u2019re ready\nto move into leadership, people will recognize you and say \u2018Wow, they\u2019d be\ngreat, let\u2019s put them in that role,\u2019\u201d she said. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Naturally, volunteering\nwith AIA has helped many people hone skills that help them in their own\nworkplace. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cVolunteering with AIA\nhas given me confidence to take on things at work that I may not have otherwise\ntaken on,\u201d said Sheridan. \u201cWhen you\u2019re put in a leadership position at AIA, you\nare put in a position where you use your judgment and are bringing people\ntogether around a consensus. All of those things make a valuable employee at a\nfirm. You can apply those values to your everyday work, and you\u2019ll be given\nmore opportunities.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Frederick agreed, adding\nthat the network you build can help your personal business. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThe connections you make\nare outstanding. We have a great employee who was recommended to me by a\ncolleague on the board. He was moving back to the east coast and my colleague was\nvery adamant that he\u2019d be a great employee for me. We hired him and he\u2019s just a\nfantastic employee, just a wonderful addition to the team.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Advance your leadership\nskills, expand your network, and help make a difference, "],[0,[0],1,"apply\nfor volunteer opportunities today."],[0,[],0," "]]]]}