Volunteer

• Be an FICP meetings professional member in good standing for two continuous years or more.
• Be able to maintain their company responsibilities as well as their FICP Director responsibilities.
• Have the full support of their company's management, since Board service requires additional work and occasional travel.
• Have at least five years of experience working in the meetings and events profession.
• Have served at least one year in a volunteer role for FICP.
• Have not served on the FICP Board of Directors in the previous two years.

Desired Board Member competencies and qualities include:

• Having a passion for and commitment to the mission; understanding of the association; serving on the Board is a privilege.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills; emotional maturity; influence, presence and charisma.
• Strategic planning abilities – ability to think strategically and critically.
• Understanding of financial management.
• Leadership experience.
• Ability to collaborate and build relationships.
• Industry knowledge/business acumen.
• Knowledge of governance practices; oversight vs. supervision; forward-thinking (duty of foresight).
• Capacity to recruit and retain volunteers.

The FICP Board of Directors usually meets in person three times per year: In the winter/spring (strategy), summer in conjunction with the FICP Education Forum (mid-year and goal setting) and December (orientation and team building). The Board meets virtually in the spring to approve the annual audit and in the fall to approve the slate of directors and the following year’s annual budget. Additionally, each director is asked to serve as a liaison to at least one committee or event team, which requires additional virtual calls and, in some instances, travel.

• A demonstrated leader who is actively engaged in the hospitality partner community and has a proven track record for championing the following leadership behaviors:
  • Visionary thinking
  • Inclusive leadership
  • Professionalism in social situations
• Have been an FICP hospitality partner in good standing for three cumulative years or more.
• Have attended at least three in-person FICP events, two of which have been the Annual Conference.
• Have direct responsibility for sales efforts within the insurance and financial services market.
• Have their company’s financial support to attend and participate in Board and HPAC meetings (two-to-three per year), as well as the Annual Conference, and pay sponsorship and registration fees.
• Have not served on the HPAC in the previous five years.
• There is one designated position for a Rising Professional. This position is for an individual who has been in the hospitality industry for 10 or fewer years at the time of appointment.

The HPAC serves as a representative body for the hospitality partners of FICP. The purpose of the HPAC is threefold:

1. Advocacy for Inclusivity and Collaboration

• Presents hospitality partner community ideas and concerns to the Board of Directors.
• Ensures that hospitality partners are fully integrated into the broader FICP community, encouraging open dialogue and cooperation between hospitality partners and meetings professionals. This aligns with the One Community initiative’s goal of creating a more connected and unified network.

2. Thought Leadership

• Provides regular insights on industry trends and challenges to both the Board of Directors and association membership. Through thought leadership, HPAC helps drive discussions that benefit all stakeholders, emphasizing shared goals and values. It also ensures that the hospitality partner community is involved in key strategic decisions.

3. Consultation on Sponsorship Program

• Monitors the needs of hospitality partners and provides input on the sponsorship program’s effectiveness and supports the process to ensure equitable representation and engagement across the community.

Two to three hours per month; participation includes at least two in-person meetings with the FICP Board of Directors, committee calls (about eight per year) and designated committee tasks. Each HPAC member is asked to serve as a liaison to at least one committee or event team, which, in some instances, involves additional travel.

• Open to all meetings professional members and hospitality partners in good standing.
• Terms are for one calendar year and are renewable for another year.

Education Committee: Two to three hours per month; participation includes monthly committee calls and, as necessary, completing pre-work and serving as a room monitor for in-person and/or virtual programs.

Influence Committee: One to two hours per month; participation includes virtual committee calls (about four times per year) and designated committee tasks.

Membership Committee: One to two hours per month; participation includes virtual committee calls (about four times per year) and designated committee tasks.

• Meetings professional members (hospitality partner spots are predetermined).
• Service period ranges from 1-1.5 years, depending on the event.

Annual Conference Event Team: One to two hours per month; participation includes monthly virtual calls and designated Event Team tasks. May include one site visit, usually in the first quarter of the calendar year.

Education Forum Event Team: One to two hours per month; participation includes monthly virtual calls and designated Event Team tasks. May include one site visit, usually in the first quarter of the calendar year.

Strategic Leaders Event Team: Up to three virtual exchanges held throughout the year; two hours each. Planning for the in-person event begins in the second half of the year; One to four hours per month pending need.

Winter Symposium Event Team: One to two hours per month; participation includes monthly virtual calls and designated Event Team tasks. May include one site visit, usually in the first quarter of the calendar year.

• Position your company as an industry leader. Serving FICP positions your company as supporting the meetings and events industry and the work you do, develops its people to be leaders and endorses their volunteer efforts for the good of the profession.
• Demonstrate your value to your company. As an industry, serving FICP and its mission presents a macro view of the insurance and financial sectors as well as the meeting planning profession – a view beyond your current perspective from within your company or that of a meetings professional. Previous FICP volunteers often mention that serving the association helped them broaden their understanding of the business and improved their effectiveness within their company.
   

• Expand your network. Opportunities abound to build your visibility within the profession. FICP volunteers meet new business contacts, deepen existing relationships and gain exposure to influential executives with whom they might not otherwise meet.
• Operate at an elite level. Work closely with the most respected professionals in the business. Working with colleagues that have similar roles and responsibilities in other companies will introduce you to different approaches to business challenges and opportunities. Be a thought leader. Exchange your viewpoints, perspectives and beliefs. Swap stories. Share tools and proven techniques that will improve your efficiency. Learning how other companies address similar situations will also benefit your employer. 
• Gain credibility and respect from industry peers, company colleagues, suppliers and others. Become part of a distinguished group that is respected by your peers. Company colleagues will note that you rank among the top professionals in your field. Hospitality partners will notice your position and realize that you have your company’s support.
• Serve as a voice to effect change. Be on the forefront of change and how change may impact the association and its members. Provide vehicles in which change can be presented to members. Serving as an FICP Volunteer challenges you to "think differently" and to collaborate.
• Build your personal brand. Serving FICP will give you the exposure necessary to extend your personal brand and enhance your reputation. This visibility provides a platform to demonstrate what makes you unique: who you are, what you do and what separates you from others within the profession. Boost your public profile and set yourself apart from others within the business. 
   

• Enhance your strengths and learn new skills. Gain exposure to other skills and disciplines that may not be offered in your current position. 
  • Collaboration. Learn how to work more effectively in a group, build consensus, make decisions as a cohesive and diverse unit, and act in a manner that is accountable to the meetings community.
  • Public speaking. Hone your presentation skills, whether by serving on a committee, making a recommendation to the board, or presenting an education session. Serving FICP will help you to organize your thoughts, sell ideas and make persuasive arguments.
  • Finance. As a volunteer, you will gain insight into how the association operates. 
  • Strategic planning. Foresee the future and the broad outcomes the association will need to achieve. Be part of a continuous and dynamic organizational planning process from the highest level.
  • Marketing. Share your event marketing expertise and learn about industry research practices – how new data and trends can affect event and business strategies.
  • Leadership. Demonstrate and hone your leadership skills. As a volunteer and leader, serving FICP provides hands-on leadership training, both in practice and through formal education.
• Improve your communications effectiveness. Serving FICP will introduce you to different ways of communicating, whether in person, virtually, by email or through social media. Working with various audiences, you will have opportunities to practice speaking, writing, listening and observing non-verbal communication. 
• Build self-confidence and self-awareness. By the end of their terms, FICP Volunteers usually show more confidence and awareness compared to when they began. Serving FICP will challenge you to learn about your values, beliefs, strengths and weaknesses. Most leave with improved executive presence.
   

Share your expertise and make a difference. Some people serve FICP for altruistic reasons – in other words, to give back to the profession in which they work. Sometimes the desire to serve comes from a passion to share knowledge and talents with others and enable them to grow. At the highest level, serving as an FICP Volunteer offers a way to gain meaning in one’s career – or at least a sense of personal pride and satisfaction. Ultimately, serving FICP provides the chance to make a difference to your profession and leave a legacy.