Volunteer Opportunities: Member Engagement & Programs

The Association’s Regional Membership Recruitment and Engagement Teams, led by the Regional Directors, will be responsible for the promotion of and regional engagement of AFA members. This includes working with the AFA staff team for the promotion of membership and AFA professional development, facilitating opportunities for regional community and regional engagement, and working in cooperation with the AFA staff for any region-based professional development programming.  

Committee Priorities:

Regional MER Teams, under the leadership of the Regional Director, should focus on advancing the following priorities:

• To identify members in the region who may benefit from AFA membership and work with the AFA staff team to ensure those individuals are captured in AFA’s membership recruitment efforts.
  
• To schedule and facilitate regular regional roundtables in support of networking and community-building in the region.
  
• To coordinate and support a minimum of one (1) professional development experience targeted to members of the region.
  • NOTE: Regional MER Teams must work in close cooperation with the AFA staff to ensure that professional development offerings are (1) focused with a clear purpose, value add, and through line, and (2) advance the strategic goals of the Association.
    

Responsibilities

• Ongoing outreach to both current and prospective members.
• Identify and contact prospective members (i.e. personal phone calls, emails and social media).
• Promote professional development opportunities based in their respective region.
• Provide opportunities for regional professional development in cooperation with the AFA staff.
• Facilitate regular regional checkpoints/roundtables to facilitate connection in the region. 
• Keep a pulse on and report on hot topics of conversations within the field.

Qualifications

• Regional directors and MER Team members must be professional, graduate, affiliate, or emeritus members of the association.
• Familiarity with the various benefits, services, and resources available to AFA members.
• Desire to reach out to prospective members.

Commitment Required

• Regional directors must devote approximately 2-3 hours per week to assisting with regional project plans and association goals.
• Committee members will be asked to participate in monthly 1-hour team meetings, with 1-2 hours/week given to other member engagement activities.
• The time requirement will vary based on region size.

The Association’s Professional Development Committee will be responsible for aiding the AFA staff in identifying, developing, and implementing the various components of the Association’s educational strategy. The committee will help integrate the Core Competencies into new and existing programs to better guide the development of educational programming and resources. The committee will help create new educational experiences to assist members in their own professional development.

Committee Priorities

• To help plan and execute year-round educational programs for Association members that reflect diverse focus areas and core competencies

Responsibilities

• Participate in monthly virtual meetings.
• In conjunction with AFA staff: 
  • Create and help execute educational programming based on crucial/relevant topics and member needs, like AdvanceU.
  • Provide direction and feedback on design of new programming.
• Conduct analysis and research to inform future decision making related to the educational strategy of AFA.
• Assist in the marketing of programs through personal networks and social media.
• Participate in initiatives directed by the AFA staff or board of directors.
• Serve as core competencies ambassadors by providing coaching, virtual presentations, and interpretation when requested by members.
• Build resources to support members’ use of the core competencies for professional development.

Qualifications

Members should be:

• Experienced with measuring and assessing learning.
• Familiar with talent development theories, strategies, and techniques.
• Experienced in educational program design and evaluation.

Commitment Required

• Appointments are for a two-year term with approximately half of the Professional Development Committee transitioning each year.
• Participate in monthly meetings (or more frequently as needed) led by the AFA staff or committee chair.
• Members can expect to spend 1-2 hours per week on committee activities.

The Association’s Research Committee will be responsible for the promotion of and democratizing of research designed to advance the fraternity/sorority advising profession and that increases the understanding of the fraternity/sorority experience. This committee will work to create meaningful connections that allow research in the fraternity/sorority experience to be more easily realized. 

Committee Priorities:

• To serve as the primary translator of sorority & fraternity research for the general AFA population through formats such as ‘research in brief’ pieces and researcher interviews.
  
• To plan and facilitate regular roundtables for current and future AFA members to discuss current research within the sorority & fraternity industry, and to provide regular space to discuss topics of research interest to AFA’s core audience of SFL professionals.
  
• To promote and solicit submissions for, and to review and evaluate all submissions for AFA’s Dissertation of the Year. 
  

Responsibilities:

• Participate in a minimum of quarterly meetings (or more frequently as needed) led by the chair.
  
• Serve as a repository/clearinghouse for facilitating connections between research ideas, data sources/participants, and established/emerging researchers.
  
• Identify ways to provide regular educational programming designed to increase the methodological expertise of AFA members.
  
• Coordinate the review and selection recommendation [to the AFA Awards and Recognition Committee] for AFA’s Dissertation of the Year Award.
  
• Participate in initiatives as directed by the AFA staff or board of directors.

Qualifications

• Members should be well versed in the issues facing fraternity/sorority professionals as well as the extant research done on them.
  
• Experience with and methodological knowledge of how to conduct research so as both to better assess what is viable and also to assist graduate students, as needed, in advising their projects.
  
• Members should have a desire to advance the understanding of empirical research within the fraternity/sorority advising profession and to create connections designed to bring said research to fruition.

Commitment Required

• Committee members can expect to spend 1-2 hours per week on committee activities.

The Association’s Member Onboarding Committee, led by the Member Onboarding Committee Chair, will be responsible for the engagement of new and returning members of the Association. This includes working with the AFA staff team for the promotion of AFA membership and professional development, facilitating opportunities for new and returning member engagement, and working in cooperation with the AFA staff for any onboarding communications, resources, and programs.  

Committee Priorities: 

• Evaluate previous committee work and identify what opportunities can be created and advanced this year.
• Further develop resources and communications for new and returning members upon their registration with the Association.
  

Responsibilities:

• Plan communications and content to entice members to renew or non-members to join.
• Develop and communicate resources to new and returning members.
• Coordinate programming and resources with other volunteer teams.

Qualifications

• Member Onboarding Committee members must be professional, graduate, affiliate, or emeritus members of the association.
• Familiarity with the various benefits, services, and resources available to AFA members.
• Desire to reach out to prospective, new, and returning members.

Commitment Required

• The Committee Chair must devote approximately 2-3 hours per week to assisting with member onboarding plans and Association goals.
• Committee members will be asked to participate in monthly 1-hour team meetings, with 1-2 hours/week given to other member onboarding activities.
• The time requirement will vary based on time of year.

The Volunteer Engagement Coordinator will support the association’s volunteer experience through engaging and developing our volunteer base. This includes working with the AFA staff team in the recruitment, placement, development, and evaluation processes for AFA volunteers.

Responsibilities:

• Support the planning of volunteer recruitment, placement, and training/onboarding.
• Develop and communicate resources to volunteers.
• Coordinate programming for volunteers.

Qualifications

• Must be professional, graduate, affiliate, or emeritus member of the association.
• Familiarity with the volunteer structure and culture within the association.
• Desire to enhance the volunteer experience for all volunteers of AFA.

Commitment Required

• The Coordinator must devote approximately 2-3 hours per week to assisting with volunteer engagement plans and association goals.
• The time requirement will vary based on time of year.