Merriam-Webster definition of “Volunteer”: a person who voluntary undertakes or expresses a willingness to undertake a service.
Not many people, including members and non-members, know that the Project Management Institute (PMI) is supported by volunteers from across the world. That was my case when I joined PMI in 2005; I did not know that I would be a PMI volunteer to act locally; supporting the local chapter, and globally being part of communities of practice and participating in projects with global reach.
I decided to become a PMI volunteer act globally and learned about the large extent of services undertaken by PMI volunteers including writing PMI standards, preparing questions for certification exams, organizing global congresses, and presenting at PMI sponsored events. And the list goes on and on and on.
I, as one of many others, wondered why these people offer their time to volunteer activities. It wasn’t until 2007 at the PMI Global Congress Latin America where I met a Mexican volunteer who shared his experience in an item writing session in Barcelona. He explained how well coordinated the event was: from travel arrangements, venue, and volunteer team to afterhours activities. For him was a valuable experience meeting a selected group of Spanish speaking practitioners from around the world that joined forces to update the certification exam.
Wow! I was immediately sold on the idea. That volunteer opportunity encompassed my enthusiasm for traveling, meeting other people and sharing my experience as practitioner.
PMI Volunteer
I could not wait to become a global volunteer and before the congress ended I was already registered. The first opportunity as PMI Volunteer came three or four months after my registration: an item writing session in Philadelphia. At the beginning, I had a daunting feeling and too many questions. Would I be able to deliver? Am I experienced enough? Would I be called again after this session?
When I arrived in Philadelphia, I put that feeling away and got ready to spend three days with a selected group of experienced practitioners from the United States and Canada. The session was quite productive; we shared our personal experiences and produced great material for the next version of the PMI certification exam. The experience was one of a kind; I could not believe everything I learned in three days and for FREE.
I kept looking for volunteering opportunities and chose to be a presenter at the 2008 PMI Global Congresses in Latin America and North America. My two presentations were selected and I had the opportunity to visit two interesting cities, São Paulo and Denver, to meet practitioners from different latitudes and to share my experience in working with multicultural project teams.
As PMI volunteer, I had the opportunity to attend additional item writing sessions in Dallas, Mexico City, São Paulo and Washington,DC and to write exam material for PMP and PgMP exams. I continued to look for other opportunities and supported the Spanish translation efforts of the PMI Project Management Methodology for Post Disaster Reconstruction led by the PMI Madrid Chapter and was a member of the presentations reviewer pool for the PMI Global Congress 2010 – North America.
In 2009, at the global congress in Orlando, I tried something new: writing columns for the congress edition of PMI Today, which gave me the opportunity to develop my writing skills. I had already co-authored articles for PMI Community Post and continue submitting collaborations on quarterly basis.
If you still wonder why I am grateful to be a PMI volunteer, try it and give yourself the opportunity to live your profession with passion, being a true practitioner and not only applying project management knowledge at work but also sharing experiences with other colleagues, while developing and mastering your skills in a friendly environment.
What are you waiting for becoming a PMI Volinteer? Make your mark and join the local or global volunteer team to grow and advance the project management profession.
