We Want You!

Successful nonprofits, no matter their focus or cause, are supported by passionate, dedicated volunteers. Whether helping at an event, sharing subject-matter expertise with staff, or providing board-level oversight, engaged volunteers make all the difference.

I’ve seen the impact that volunteers can have—and the dangers if people don’t step up. For years, the rowing community in Toledo, Ohio, has held the annual Frogtown Regatta. Dozens of crew teams, including hundreds of high school, college, and master rowers, converged each September on the Maumee River for the event. Behind the scenes, a core team of leaders worked for months planning each year’s regatta. During the event, scores of volunteers provided support by managing the docks, refereeing, handing out medals, and cleaning up once everyone else had gone. These events created wonderful memories. The future of Toledo’s Frogtown Regatta is now at risk, though, because new volunteer leaders aren’t coming forward.

IMA^® is fortunate to be a vibrant, healthy organization. We have nearly 140,000 members from more than 150 countries, many of whom actively participate in one or more of IMA’s 366 professional and student volunteer communities globally. IMA’s staff is world-class, creating value for our members and effectively managing our organization. And, no surprise, we have many highly engaged and passionate volunteer leaders working hard to realize IMA’s vision of being “the resource for developing, certifying, connecting, and supporting the world’s best accountants and financial professionals within business.”

All that said, we want and need you! Specifically, we need you to be an IMA ambassador, sharing your passion for our profession and the CMA^® (Certified Management Accountant) and CSCA^® (Certified in Strategy and Competitive Analysis) programs with your network, at your company, and with students at local universities. We need you to actively participate in your local chapter’s events, offering to take on leadership roles, even joining your chapter’s board. We need you to support other members in their career journeys by becoming an IMA Leadership Academy mentor. We need you to share your expertise, whether by delivering a webinar, writing for Strategic Finance, speaking at an IMA conference, or even volunteering to join one of IMA’s global technical and advisory committees. In short, we need you to become an IMA volunteer leader. Please visit “Volunteering with IMA” to explore the ways you can get involved. Not only will you help IMA fulfill its mission, but you’ll also help yourself. Serving as an IMA volunteer leader gives you the opportunity to:

• Build your leadership skills.
• Grow your networking community.
• Enjoy the satisfaction of helping advance and impact the management accounting profession.
• Develop your professional brand alongside peers in a safe and fun environment.

Please consider engaging with IMA—or engaging in a deeper way in those volunteer activities where you already serve. IMA’s global technical and advisory committee “call for volunteers” is now open through March 25. I look forward to serving along with you!