WIIFM – Active Participation with PMICmass

by Barbara Karten, PMP

WIIFM – yet another acronym! WDIC (why do I care) ? Because there’s a great ROI (return on investment). Enough alphabet ‘soup’. Let’s talk about WIIFM!

I’ve been on the PMICmass BoD for 5 years now; I was part of the management team that obtained the Chapter Charter from PMI. So, let me share my WIIFM [what’s in it for me].

As professional PMs, we look at the risks and ROI (Return on Investment) for all investments including (maybe especially) our scarce and valuable free time. So what is the ROI for actively participating in the Central Mass BoD?

First, you obtain PDUs for volunteering on the Chapter BoD and/or actively participating in chapter governance and managing chapter events. The number of PDUs varies based on your level of participation but ranges from 3 to 10 PDUs per year.

Your participation is also (potentially) a ‘resume builder’. Certainly your participation in chapter governance and managing events merits a mention on your resume under volunteer activities. You may also mention specific deliverables as evidence of work experience. And, if you are not yet a PMP, this work may accrue towards the 4500 (or 7500) hours of project management experience necessary to sit for the PMP exam.

Active participation also enhances your professional network. You establish relationships with the other members of the PMI Central Mass BoD, with the leadership of other New England PMI Chapters via the Region 3 Collaborative, and with the leadership of PMI Region 3 (Eastern Canada and New England Chapters) via the annual Region 3 leadership conference generally held in Montreal.

You also have the opportunity to test and stretch your creativity. I’ve initiated any number of Chapter collaterals [newsletter, chapter flyers, policies & procedures, tee shirts] and enjoy seeing them change and improve as new folks take on responsibility. Other folks have initiated LinkedIn, Chapter Telephone System, Chapter mailbox, web based services, chapter banner, and more. And, right now the Chapter is looking for folks to help out with Meetings and Events, Chapter Newsletter, and Finance. Contact Deb Trainor, our Director of Membership and Volunteers, for the most current information and details.

Finally, I’ve found that Active Participation in the Chapter governance is a great opportunity for me to ‘sell by indirection’. It’s not always easy to represent your accomplishments and achievements to potential customers, employers, colleagues. Active participation in the Chapter provides an opportunity to demonstrate my skills, enthusiasm, competencies by talking about the chapter and sharing chapter activities.

As I continue my involvement with the Central Mass PMI Chapter, the above is my WIIFM. The challenge for you is to identify your WIIFM as a potential active participant in the PMICmass chapter and in other activities and adventures.

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