These are difficult times, and they hold every promise that what we regarded as ‘normal’ in even the recent past is unlikely to return. In the months and years to come we’ll undoubtedly need to accommodate a ‘new normal’, one potentially very different from what exists today.
So where does that leave you and your relationship with a professional body like the Australian chapter of the IT Service Management Forum? Do such organizations remain relevant, do they have an ‘offer’ that warrants your either joining them or remaining a member?
The answer to that question will vary – which organisation is it you’re evaluating and to what degree is membership even a choice?
In the case of the Australian IT Service Management Forum there are a number of sound reasons to remain a member, or to join up if you’re not already one. Consider
Associations – Helping you weather the storm
these issues as you reflect on the present troubled state of the nation.
A Mission-Driven Core
Although itSMFA has a small National Office, the real strength of the organization lies with the state and territory based volunteer committees that activate the Event program – the signature offering of the organization and one which is envied by other NFPs across the IT spectrum.
The mission can be summed up easily enough; to deliver, at the very least, an event each quarter in each state or territory. The reality at the moment is both simpler and more complicated than this – some jurisdictions are presently struggling to form a committee, so they also struggle to stage an event. But then, and this is emerging as a huge wine for us, the events themselves are now all ‘Virtual’ so location is no longer an issue – if you are a Member, you can participate and engage.