Why volunteer?

Volunteering with PMA and PMA FIT allows you to:

• Share your expertise
• Sharpen your leadership skills
• Make your voice heard on issues of importance to your business
• Get more involved in the PMA global community
• Raise your company's profile
• Be recognized as an industry leader
• Expand your business contacts and develop lasting relationships with colleagues across the supply chain

Who should volunteer?

You should! Specifically, we are looking for:

• Today's leaders
• Tomorrow's leaders
• Members from across the globe
• Representation throughout the produce and floral supply chains
• Member input from companies of all sizes
• Expertise in a broad range of areas
• Enthusiastic members with an eye on the future

Here are the criteria we are looking for in a volunteer – if you meet these criteria, please volunteer! In general, PMA volunteers should:

• Have broad knowledge and understanding of the produce and/or floral industry, with particular expertise as needed
• Be able to put the industry’s community needs and interests above your own
• Be well connected within the industry, and influential among your peers
• Have excellent communications, interpersonal and decision making skills
• Be passionate, enthusiastic and open minded
• Be willing to champion and promote the association and industry to others
• Note: Costs associated with participating in committee meetings (airfare, ground transportation, lodging, telephone, etc.) will be the responsibility of the committee member.

(Individual committees may have additional volunteer criteria, please see our committee descriptions for that information.)

Why are we creating more volunteer opportunities?

We can't do it without you and we don't want to. We want to be sure that our volunteer leadership model properly aligns to fulfill PMA's bold new vision to strengthen and lead the global community. This new way of working with volunteers was developed by a volunteer member task force who reviewed the current structure, gathered input from a broad cross section of PMA members and created a new system that will truly be "for the members, by the members."

What is changing, exactly?

So how is our volunteer structure changing?

• PMA’s Board of Directors will be accountable for setting and maintaining the strategic direction for the association. New board committees will help address key aspects of association business.
• Our new committee structure is designed to unite the supply chain to work on topics of common interest through an integrated system of content-based committees. This will allow us to ensure PMA is creating and providing business solutions that answer the most pressing industry concerns.
• New general volunteer opportunities provide you with informal opportunities to lend your expertise to PMA, ranging from providing industry information, to giving feedback on new ideas, to fundraising or membership recruitment, to helping with educational programming and mentoring.

What are the volunteer opportunities?

There are two ways you can volunteer: to serve on a board, committee or task force; or to informally lend us your expertise as a general volunteer.

• Serve on a board, committee or task force - read more about them here:

• Audit Committee
• Budget and Finance Committee
• Chile Country Council
• Exhibitor Advisory Committee
• Foodservice 2020 Steering Committee
• Foodservice Conference Committee
• Fresh Summit Committee
• Global Development Committee
• Government Affairs Committee
• Membership Committee
• Mexico Country Council
• PLU Assignment Committee
• PMA Board of Directors
• PMA Foundation for Industry Talent Board of Directors
• PMA Foundation for Industry Talent Fundraising Committee
• PMA Foundation for Industry Talent Attracting Talent Committee
• Produce Safety, Science and Technology Committee
• Supply Chain Efficiencies Committee

• As a general volunteer: To ensure that our work reflects industry realities and will meet members' real-world needs, from time to time PMA and PMA FIT staff have need to access particular areas of industry expertise. If you have experience in any of the following areas, please volunteer your availability:

Government Relations

Responsibilities may include one or more of the following: sharing connections to congressional members, supporting PMA's lobbying and advocacy efforts, and/or testifying before a legislative body.

Marketing and Public Relations

Responsibilities may include one or more of the following: feedback on campaigns, research reports, and PMA blogs, helping with Web testing, serving as media spokesperson and/or writing guest articles.

Membership Recruitment and Retention

Responsibilities may include one or more of the following: contacting potential, new and lapsed members, providing leads for new members, promoting PMA membership at industry events, and/or providing testimonials about the value of membership.

PMA Events and Educational Programming

Responsibilities may include one or more of the following: becoming a guest speaker at a PMA event, promoting or serving as host for a local event, reviewing and providing feedback on programming and/or serving as industry expert, moderator or facilitator.

PMA Foundation for Industry Talent

Responsibilities may include one or more of the following: becoming a visiting professor at local colleges, helping to raise funds, providing internships for students and/or serving as industry mentor for students.

PMA Products and Services

Responsibilities may include one or more of the following: analyzing the business implications of PMA research, participating in focus groups and/or providing feedback on new/existing products/services.

How do I sign up to volunteer?

To offer your time and leadership, please complete the online application. Please provide as much information as possible as this will help the Leadership Committee make the appropriate selections for each committee.

Some committees require specific expertise; please review the committee descriptions carefully.

I have signed up to volunteer, now what?

After you have submitted your application, you will receive an email confirmation that we have received your application. (Please make sure that emails from @pma.com will clear your email software's spam filters).

How and when will committee members be selected?

Among other criteria, the volunteer members of our Leadership Committee will select committee members who are geographically and supply chain representative, and who can commit to the work at hand. You will be notified of their decision in a timely manner.

Below is the timetable for populating the committees.

By end of June 2010:

• Audit Committee
• Budget and Finance Committee
• Chile Country Council
• Foodservice 2020 Steering Committee
• Fresh Summit Committee
• Membership Committee
• PMA Board of Directors
• PMA Foundation for Industry Talent Board of Directors
• Produce Safety, Science and Technology Committee
• Supply Chain Efficiencies Committee

By end of September 2010:

• Global Development Committee
• Government Affairs Committee
• PLU Assignment Committee
• PMA Foundation for Industry Talent Fundraising Committee
• PMA Foundation for Industry Talent Attracting Talent Committee

By end of December 2010:

• Exposition Advisory Council
• Foodservice Conference Committee
• Mexico Country Council

Need more information or assistance?

If you have questions or need more information about our new volunteer opportunities, or would like assistance in submitting your volunteer application, please contact PMA’s Solution Center.