Volunteer Opportunities

New and Improved Opportunities to Channel Your Expertise

In October 2022, IDSA embarked on a comprehensive, year-long effort to review and revamp our volunteer structure and opportunities. The purpose of this work is to ensure that our governance structure aligns with our strategic plan and that individuals who volunteer are empowered to do their best work. Our goal is to build volunteer opportunities that are accessible and meaningful, and enhance our collective impact on the field of ID.

We are seeking the input of members throughout this review process. All IDSA members should have received an email on Feb. 23 with a unique link to our survey on our volunteer structure. Please watch your inbox for a link to the survey. Your response will be greatly appreciated.

We expect to present the final recommendations to the IDSA board in June 2023 and will be able to tell you about new volunteering options shortly thereafter. In the meantime, IDSA’s current committees and task forces will remain in place. You can also track other volunteer opportunities here. If you did not receive a unique survey link, please use our general survey link. If you have questions, please contact Tari McDermand.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

Why are we reviewing the volunteer structure and opportunities?

To make IDSA a stronger and more successful organization by:

• Aligning critical volunteer and staff resources with the strategic priorities of the Society.
• Being more mindful of your capacity and the increased constraints on your time post-pandemic.
• Providing more meaningful volunteer opportunities that are aligned to your interests and preferences.
• Enabling the Society to quickly act on new opportunities in the ID profession and health care arena and make timely decisions for impact on our patients and profession.
• Leveraging diverse expertise within the profession in alignment with our IDA&E Priorities.
• Engaging a new generation of leaders to guide us into the future.

 

Why are we reviewing the volunteer structure now?

• In 2019, the IDSA Board of Directors approved the 2020-2024 Strategic Plan. We’ve made significant progress advancing our strategic initiatives while growing our brand and influence through a robust response to COVID-19. So now is an ideal time to ensure the work of our volunteers aligns with the strategic plan.
• The rate of change is rapidly increasing in the ID field. We need to ensure our volunteer structure is nimble to adapt to rapid changes in the field.
• In light of the increased workload of ID professionals since the pandemic began, IDSA is mindful of the capacity of our members and is working to provide more meaningful and less time-consuming volunteer opportunities through a leaner structure.

 

How will a new volunteer structure engage more members and align with our inclusion, diversity, access and equity initiatives?

• As we restructure IDSA’s volunteer opportunities to include more issue-oriented groups that operate on a time-sensitive basis, IDSA members will have more opportunities to volunteer on a short-term basis – and on issues that have real-time impact.
• A larger number of shorter-term opportunities opens up our volunteer network to a wider pool of candidates, allowing us to recruit a more diverse group of volunteers who represent the makeup of our membership.
• A more nimble volunteer structure will allow IDSA to more easily harness the energy and talents of new professionals and under-represented groups that have not traditionally been involved in IDSA’s leadership, as well as members who may not have the time or desire to serve a three-year term on a committee.

 

How is the volunteer review being conducted?

• A Board task force was established in October 2022 to guide and oversee the review.
• We have engaged a partner, McKinley Advisors, and their team has been gathering input from a diverse group of stakeholders — members, IDSA leaders, current and past volunteers, and staff to determine the best structure for IDSA’s needs. — through surveys, interviews and small group meetings.
• McKinley is also exploring all our processes to engage volunteers and sharing best practices from other associations.
• The task force will synthesize all the input and learnings to present final recommendations to the IDSA Board in June 2023, for their approval.
• Once the new structure is approved, details will be shared with the IDSA membership and the “call for volunteers” will resume to ensure the Society is providing members with participation opportunities that match your expertise and time available.

 

What will happen to current committees and task forces?

• Current committees and task forces will remain in place while the volunteer structure review is conducted.
• Volunteers whose terms expired in October 2022 rolled off committees and task forces as usual.
• The open “call for volunteers” is temporarily deferred until a new volunteer structure is in place, so some of the current committees and task forces are slightly smaller than they have been in the past.
• This is to ensure we do not recruit new members to committees, only to have those roles potentially change after the review is complete.
• After the review, it is possible that some of the current standing committees will remain, while others might be disbanded, reorganized and/or new groups created with new charges that reflect the strategic priorities of the organization.
• Throughout the review, volunteer opportunities outside of serving on committees are still listed on MyIDSA.

 

Who should I contact if I have questions?

• Contact Tari McDermand, IDSA Senior Governance Manager, at tmcdermand@idsociety.org.