Brian Doidge, Chair, CIM South West Regional Board
There are many lists that tell us how the population naturally divides, but one my favourites is from Casey Stengel, who apparently once said that there are three kinds of people: Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who say, 'what happened?'   

The CIM of course is very reliant upon the former and this includes our volunteers, who not only give up some of their valuable time, they also do it with a glad heart.  In fact, getting involved with the CIM is a relatively easy and uncomplicated affair for our members and in my experience, it is never onerous.  It can be as simple as attending one of our events, or perhaps bringing your own expertise to the attention of your peers, through hosting an event, or maybe speaking at one yourself, for example. It could be though that you choose a more formal engagement.

Nationally, members can get involved with one of our ten sector interest groups, which bring together marketers with specific industry knowledge, which many find particularly rewarding and some even volunteer to get even more actively engaged with them.  Other more formal national routes, include the seven committees that advise and support the Board of Trustees in their work, which rely upon the contribution of members, who are willing to volunteer their expertise and time. 

Locally of course, we are fortunate in the South West to have a Board that consists of competent and committed professionals, who volunteer as the enablers of professional marketing and business advantage within our region, and organise a range of relevant and purposeful activities for our membership constituency.    In addition, we are also blessed to have the support of members who provide invaluable support even more locally within their own part of the region. My personal view, is that the reason that our own volunteers don’t get paid, isn’t because their worthless, it is because they are actually priceless and we are very lucky to have them.

We all know that it is all too easy to wonder why somebody didn't do something about one thing or another, until of course it finally dawns on us that we have to be that somebody. Which also reminds of Gandhi, who as we know, once said that, the best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others and I am always impressed when we have vacancies for the Board, that I get to meet some really fantastic members, who seem to be the living embodiment of this sentiment. They simply want to get involved, to make a positive difference and to participate in an entity that has service to our members as one if its core values. In fact, one of the ironies seems to be, that what they put into it, is what they expect to get out of it as an end in itself.   It seems to them that doing something of their own volition to help others just for the sake of it, rather than just for what they can make out it, is never a bad thing really and I totally agree.

In fact, my view is that it is not only interesting, it is actually very worthwhile, indeed my own experience is that as a volunteer you get to collaborate with some truly inspirational people and share in experiences that are not only a delight, but will fill you with pride and I would wholeheartedly commend exploring how you can get even more involved, if you feel that this all sounds just like you. 
Please feel free to contact me by email  if you would like to find out more.