ICSC volunteers are the lifeblood of the organization. Volunteers support members with their ICSC and industry journey by sponsoring networking events to build relationships, sharing knowledge and facilitating business transactions. There are many reasons volunteers dedicate their time: to grow their careers, foster relationships, elevate their presence in the industry and contribute to the industry’s evolution. They benefit the organization by serving on ICSC event planning committees, engaging with students, participating in advocacy and growing membership.

ICSC members who want to volunteer with the organization and work toward becoming possible future Marketplace Council Directors or Trustees’ Distinguished Service Award winners now have a clearer path to follow. ICSC has streamlined its volunteer structure to make the benefits easier to understand and navigate. The general qualifications of being an ICSC volunteer remain the same: maintaining an active membership in ICSC and demonstrating the ability and willingness to reach out to personal and professional networks to promote ICSC programs.

Here’s What Has Changed

ICSC previously had five Divisions — four in the U.S. and one in Canada — and 33 State Committees. Each Division had a Division Vice President, and each State Committee had a set of leaders under a State Director Chair who reported to the Division Vice President. The structure has been streamlined by eliminating the five U.S. Divisions and replacing the 33 State Committees with 22 Marketplace Councils. ICSC also has added two new volunteer roles for each Marketplace Council: Talent Development and Membership.

Each of the 22 Marketplace Councils now has the following leadership positions:

• Marketplace Council Director: Previously the State Director, this position directs all activities within a given geography.
• Government Relations Chair: There may be several GR Chairs in some Marketplace Councils, depending on need and interest.
• Next Generation Chair: This person serves as the leader for ICSC members who are under 40 in each Marketplace Council. Each Next Generation chair will lead a committee of Next Generation members, and most of them host ICSC LOCAL events alongside other chairs within the Marketplace Council.
• Community Advancement Chair: Previously two public-private, or P3, partnership positions, this role promotes industry collaboration with the public sector.
• Talent Development Chair: This new position represents and promotes ICSC Foundation activities and enhances student engagement.
• Membership Chair: This new position focuses on activities that engage, recruit and retain new and existing members of ICSC. To fast-track fresh talent into the industry, ICSC members age 40 and under can tap special Next Generation program opportunities. These members can grow by serving on volunteer committees or by working as Next Generation Chairs of their local Marketplace Councils, leading all ICSC Next Generation activities in their areas. Young members who impress ICSC Trustees with their industry accomplishments and/or commitments to service might be nominated to the Next Generation Leadership Network or nominated for the prestigious 4 Under 40 Award, which entitles recipients to be considered for two-year terms on the ICSC Board of Trustees.

ICSC’s 8-STEP PATH TO SUCCESSFUL VOLUNTEERING

1. Attend ICSC LOCAL events and meet Marketplace Council Directors to identify longer-term interests.

2. Attend an ICSC Premier, ICSC@, ICSC+ or ICSC& event.

3. Participate in first-time volunteer opportunities like:
• sharing ICSC content and messaging on social media. Contact ICSC social media and communications manager Adrian Peskin at ajpeskin@icsc.com.
• submitting nominations for award recipients. Contact ICSC manager of awards and events team operations Emily Salerno at awards@icsc.com.
• identifying University Partners for the ICSC Foundation. Contact manager of student engagement and University Partners James Dulin at jdulin@icsc.com.
• becoming a key contact for the ICSC government relations team. Contact director of political affairs and grassroots Alyssa Rose at arose@icsc.com.

4. Continue volunteering by picking opportunities based on interest and time, such as becoming a mentor for students (contact ICSC Foundation president Lauri Novick at lnovick@icsc.com), speaking or participating in government relations advocacy.

5. Help plan an ICSC LOCAL event by suggesting venues, developing content, finding speakers and sponsors and driving attendance. A volunteer also might offer insight and recommendations on content, speakers and networking or help recruit program facilitators and participants to increase diversity in industry sector, gender, race, ethnicity, age and sexual orientation. As members develop their volunteer expertise further, they can serve as Chair or Vice Chair on a regional event’s Program Advisory Committee.

6. Join a Marketplace Council and grow within it by taking on leadership positions.

7. Serve in additional capacities like research and advocacy and work on ICSC teams like the North American Research Group  (email research@icsc.com) and the Diversity & Inclusion Task Force (contact vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion Jazmen Johnson at jjohnson@icsc.com).

8. ICSC’s longtime valuable volunteers have the potential to be recognized among the annual Trustees’ Distinguished Service Award winners.