Volunteer leaders are the heart of any trade association, and PMA is no exception. From across the supply chain and around the world, PMA members now have greater volunteer opportunities to take a more active role in guiding and assisting their association. Now is your chance to share your skills and experiences, to strengthen your community and to create solutions for the challenges our industry faces. Our global community needs innovative ideas. Our global community needs you. We invite you to get involved today.

Please note that your company must be a PMA member to volunteer. Not a member? Join today

• Why Volunteer?
• Who should volunteer?
• Why are we creating more volunteer opportunities?
• What is changing, exactly?
• What are the volunteer opportunities?
• How do I sign up to volunteer?
• I have signed up to volunteer, now what?
• How and when will committee members be selected?
• Need more information or assistance?

Why Volunteer?

Volunteering with PMA and PMA Foundation 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

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."

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.)

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 - no openings at this time
• Budget and Finance Committee - limited volunteer positions available for 2012
• Chile Country Council - no openings at this time
• Exhibitor Advisory Committee - limited volunteer positions available for 2012
• Foodservice 2020 Steering Committee - no openings at this time
• Foodservice Conference Committee - no openings at this time
• Fresh Summit Committee - no openings at this time
• Global Development Committee - no openings at this time
• Government Affairs Committee - no openings at this time
• Membership Committee - limited volunteer positions available for 2012
• Mexico Country Council - no openings at this time
• PLU Assignment Committee - no openings at this time
• PMA Board of Directors - no openings at this time
• PMA Foundation for Industry Talent Board of Directors - no openings at this time
• PMA Foundation for Industry Talent Fundraising Committee - limited volunteer positions available for 2012
• PMA Foundation for Industry Talent Program Committee - limited volunteer positions available for 2012
• Produce Safety, Science and Technology Committee - no openings at this time
• South Africa Country Council - no openings at this time
• Supply Chain Efficiencies Committee - no openings at this time

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 Foundation 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 volunteers be selected?

Each spring, PMA issues a call for volunteer applicants to fill the available positions on boards, committees and task forces. Members interested in volunteering must submit an application. The volunteer members on our Leadership Committee select committee members who are geographically and supply chain representative, and who can commit to the work at hand, among other criteria. 

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.