It’s amazing to think that the Alliance conference is just around the corner, where we get to meet up with 3500 of our closest Higher Education User Group friends for 4 days of learning, networking…and or course a bit of fun. This event is put on by more than 300 volunteer HEUG organizers and presenters from around the world, giving their time and knowledge back to the community. But…there are over 29000 other HEUG members who can’t make it and may want to volunteer for the HEUG…so how can you volunteer and help in the other 361 days of the year?
The HEUG has always been a volunteer based member organization. It was built by (and still is) amazing people wanting to work together to solve problems, develop solutions, and make the products they use daily more effective for their institutions, faculty and students. Without you, the HEUG doesn’t work. We get asked a lot “How can I get involved,” and “What can I do to help?” It’s more than just big ticket tasks like volunteering to be on an Advisory Group or submitting an Alliance presentation – below are 10 easy ways you can volunteer to help other HEUG members, and most will take just a few minutes of your time.
- Jump into the forums and answer a question, or give some praise to a solution someone has come up with. It may not feel like a big task…but taking time to help someone else is volunteerism in its most basic form. https://www.heug.org/p/fo/in
- Attend a webinar, and ask a question. Engaging with our presenters and getting the conversation going is something that makes these sessions more interactive and opens new ideas. https://www.heug.org/page/e-academy-product-series
- Better yet…offer to give a webinar - We’re always looking for topics and speakers – and what better way to hone your presenting skills or prep to give an Alliance presentation then doing one from the comfort of your office. https://www.heug.org/p/su/rd/?survey=f160539d-5d38-11e8-8cbd-bc764e101892
- Share a file. Have a project plan? Some education materials? A checklist? Anything that you have made that makes your job better and want to share it…we have a place for that. https://www.heug.org/p/do/in
- Take a poll or survey – It’s the smallest thing, but our advisory groups and board are constantly running polls and surveys to gather information. Take 5 minutes out of your week to take a couple of them. https://www.heug.org/p/su/in
- Update your HEUG profile. Is this really volunteerism? It sure is as it helps make sure when new opportunities arise that fit your profile, we can easily reach you. It also makes it so other members can “virtually” meet you, and get to know more about your experience and interests. https://www.heug.org/p/us/sn
- Also…make sure your HEUG institution profile is up to date. Members are constantly looking to connect with other institutions like them. An up to date institution profile is huge as people can more easily find those similar sized institutions using the same product suites as them. https://www.heug.org/p/gr/sg/
- Write a blog. The HEUG publishes blogs and thoughts from members and leaders every week. Have something you want to publish, let us know! https://www.heug.org/page/newsroom-blogs
- Hype your partners. The HEUG is constantly working to find new partners that can help other members solve problems, and we have year round programs that can help them engage with our members. Email us at tchambers@heug.org to connect a special partner you work with to the HEUG.
- Get engaged with your region. We have 12 regional conferences each year around the world so that you can meet people closer to “home.” Each of those conferences has a team of amazing volunteers putting those events on – so get connected and become part of a regional planning team. See the regions and then email us at support@heug.org to help us get you connected. https://www.heug.org/page/conferences-upcoming-regional
These are just 10 ways…but there are a lot of other ways you can get involved every day. We want you to connect and make the HEUG community stronger, and we’re actively working to make it easier for you to engage and volunteer to help us build this community. Email us at support@heug.org if there is every something we can do to help you, or you have a new idea.
A special bonus 11th item – add a comment to the comments below on other ways you think you can help the HEUG!