Volunteers Wanted

by Phillip Koski, AIA, AIA Minnesota President

If you are an active AIA member, you will probably remember the first time you attended a committee meeting or signed up to help with a program or event. In my case, it was my pal and itinerant architecture writer, Frank Martin, who insisted I join him at a monthly meeting of what was then called the “Architecture Minnesota Magazine Committee.” This was 2001 and I was a newly minted architect with no understanding what the AIA really did or how it functioned. Within a couple of months, I was assigned my first article. (Back then, committee members were frequent contributors to the magazine.) 

Ten years later I had penned 70 articles, had chaired the committee for three years, joined the Committee on Design, served as treasurer and then president of AIA Minneapolis, sat on the AIA Minnesota Board (two years as secretary), and attended national conferences, voting on resolutions and bylaws changes at national business meetings and lobbying Congress.

Ironically, prior to my involvement with the AIA I had never considered myself to be a “joiner,” assuming my natural inclination was to be the outsider, the non-conformist, a radical, a rebel. Ah, youth! What I’ve since learned is that it is not hard at all to get involved in AIA (or most nonprofit organizations, really). It’s as easy as saying “yes.”  I also found that I did not need to park my independent—sometimes irreverent—thinking at the door. My opinions were not always shared or acted on, but they’ve always been welcome.

Of all the things your dues pay for—government advocacy, educational programs, awards and recognition, tours, leadership training, social events—perhaps the most valuable thing you get with AIA membership is access to volunteer opportunities. When attending my first summit for AIA component leaders in Washington, D.C., one of the keynote speakers put it this way (I’m paraphrasing here): “Joining the AIA and then not getting involved in a board or committee is like going to Disney World and not going on any of the rides.”

Yes, this might challenge what many of us consider to be the definition of “a good time,” but the deeper truth is that when you join a board or task force or volunteer to do the work of a committee, you are doing so with like-minded architects and emerging professionals who share your values and interests. That kind of comradery is a dwindling commodity in a world of remote work and weakened social institutions disrupted by COVID and fragmenting social media algorithms. 

Whether your passion is debating interpretations of the building code, learning about new sustainability strategies, or generating a list of potential jurors for the annual honor awards, these kinds of volunteer activities connect us with each other and deepen our engagement with the broader architectural profession. Along the way, volunteering provides side benefits that can accelerate your own growth as a professional and as an engaged citizen. In my case, it honed my writing and speaking abilities, taught me how to run an effective meeting, connected me to people who opened doors to new career opportunities, and made me unafraid to walk into a congressional office and ask to be heard.

If you are looking for opportunities to volunteer and serve, you can start by checking out the 20 AIA Minnesota committees and knowledge communities on our retooled website. Calls to fill leadership positions on the state and local chapter boards are now out (see below). And there are always chances to help out with upcoming events, such as STEM day at the Minnesota State Fair (August 27) and the Homes by Architects Tour (September 19 and 20). If you are already an active member, consider paying it forward and grabbing one of your less experienced colleagues—an emerging professional, perhaps—and have them join you at your next AIA committee or volunteer event. It just may change the course of their career, for good.