[Author’s note: Astute readers will notice this is not your average Marketing Guy post. What gives, Jeff? No jokes? No metaphors? No turns of phrases? Nope. This one’s pretty sincere and straightforward, so allow me to indulge. Consider it an attempt to expand my repertoire.]

I don’t have time.
I don’t have the budget.
I don’t have anything to add.
I’m not talented enough.
I don’t know anybody.
My boss won’t let me.

There’s a ton of reasons why you shouldn’t become an active member in a professional organization.

And there’s only one reason you should:

You will grow.

In March of 2025 I completed my tenure as a member of the board of directors of NCMPR. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. I needed to take a minute to contemplate what it all meant. Here’s what I learned.

NCMPR is how I found my voice. My perspective. My truth.

And to find those things, I had to pile a lot onto my day job.

Over the past seven years, I:

• Presided over an organization of 1600+ members nationwide
• Wrote dozens of articles, blogs, and thought pieces
• Designed and facilitated breakouts and intensive workshops
• Planned and executed national initiatives
• Developed organizational policy and procedures
• Conducted and analyzed research projects
• Dissected operating budgets
• Planned and hosted conferences across the country
• Debated important issues with passionate peers
• Traveled from coast to coast multiple times
• Submitted my team’s work for critical review (sometimes winning awards)
• Had meaningful conversations with hundreds of professionals in my industry
• Mentored junior members (and learned a thing or two myself)
• Forged deep relationships with people infinitely more talented than me

All while somehow squeezing it into my already very full workload.

Fun facts:

#1: Engaging with NCMPR served up opportunities to learn and to lead by the bucketful. And most of it was stuff I never would have got to do if I just stuck to my day job.

#2: There is a direct net positive effect of what I learned from my volunteer efforts and my ability and confidence to do my day job well.

“Everything I’ve done in my professional organization has made me a better professional, a better leader, a better person.”

That’s because when you engage with a professional organization, you’re joining a tribe of like-minded pros. You’re simultaneously exactly alike and entirely different. You each bring your best self and rally around a common cause that you hope will have a lasting impact. Sometimes you succeed. Sometimes you don’t. Regardless, you learn.

And as the strategies evolve, the tactics change, and the work fades, one thing endures: the friendships.

There’s not another group of pros that I’d venture into the marketing fray with than my NCMPR colleagues. Being committed to their profession and our shared mission is a given. Being committed to each other? That’s where the magic happens. And y’all are like a bunch of David Copperfields up in here.

[Ok, that last line was part joke/part metaphor. But it’s the only one. Back to being serious.]

Leaving is bittersweet. I loved my time on the board and I’d give almost anything to stick around. But I know that for the next person to have the same transformative experience as I did and for the organization to continue to improve, I must make way. Paying it forward is a pleasure and an honor that takes the sting out of parting (mostly).

If I’ve managed to keep you this long, then something I’m saying is resonating with you, so the next time you hear about an opportunity to volunteer with NCMPR (or almost any professional organization for that matter):

• Make time.
• Find the budget.
• Have an opinion.
• Try something new.
• Introduce yourself.
• Convince your boss.

You will grow.

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Categories

• Leadership
• Professional Development
• Higher Ed Marketing

Tags

NCMPR, professional organizations, career growth, higher education marketing, leadership, volunteering, mentorship, peer learning

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