ISACA Volunteer Appreciation Week is once again upon us (19-25 April 2020), and we take a moment to reflect on the advancements ISACA has made in the last year thanks to the expertise and dedication of thousands of dedicated volunteers. Did you know that in 2019 we filled nearly 1,500 global volunteer roles, worked with almost 3,000 chapter leaders and engaged more than 2,800 participants in ISACA CommunITy Day? Those numbers are inspiring and, incredibly, we are trending to surpass them in 2020! Our volunteer pool of interested participants has grown 500% since we launched the volunteer management system on Engage a year and a half ago, and our online communities have engaged tens of thousands of members from around the world in professional discussions and networking.
Volunteers are instrumental in advocating for women leaders in technology, building awareness of the value of professional certifications, promoting our global community and serving the local members. Thanks to our volunteer corps of industry experts and passionate people, last year new certificate programs were created, new focus areas of COBIT 2019 were released, and new research and tools were made available to serve you in advancing your career. Exciting projects are already underway in 2020 to expand these efforts and introduce new programs.
ISACA is not just a professional association – it is a people association. Last year we launched a new volunteer initiative, ISACA CommunITy Day, which is now an annual event the first Saturday in October. I was hooked to the social media feed as our global day of service started in New Zealand and ended in Hawaii, and admittedly I teared up seeing the photos of happy members and families doing local community service activities. Together we logged more than 6,100 hours of service in one day and truly started a positive movement to change the world. Activities were wide-ranging: beach cleanup, digital security tutorials, mentoring orphans, planting trees, packing and sorting food donations, organizing or walking in awareness races, and so much more. Join us 3 October 2020 for our second ISACA CommunITy Day, and your local acts will have global impact!
As much as I love running a volunteer program in a global environment and within a digital world, I do wish I had more opportunities to say thank you in person. However, to our advantage, new tools have enabled us to engage with people in virtual environments and to seek out the most talented individuals for our projects. This supports our flexible volunteer engagement model that allows you to get involved when you are available and interested. That is why ISACA Volunteer Appreciation Week continues to be my favorite week – a chance to say thank you over and over in different ways and to different people, and to ask you for your continued involvement. Keep watching social media, ISACA newsletters, and other initiatives this week as we show your impact and our appreciation!
My colleagues in the ISACA offices join me in thanking everyone for the time, talent and expertise you contribute to ensure the products and services we manage are beneficial to you, timely for your career, and relevant to your chosen professional path. We appreciate working with you!
Editor’s note: Click here to learn more about volunteering at ISACA.
To find ways to participate in ISACA CommunITy Day on 3 October 2020, check back here in the coming months for more details.