Volunteering: Getting Involved

I have been a proud member of ASHI since 2014. The first thing I did when I joined ASHI was to also join the St. Louis Chapter of ASHI and start attending meetings. I joined the chapter to be listed on their website and for the local education opportunities, PR opportunities, camaraderie, and the built-in home inspector support network. The chapter also has a legislative voice and protects consumers by empowering Missouri home inspectors in the same ways as ASHI National.

Like many other chapters, the St. Louis chapter meets every month. It has two speakers, a roundtable discussion, and the main speaker in addition to its biannual seminars. I first got involved primarily because I thought my chapter could do better on the monthly education. So, I volunteered to join the education committee and was chair of that committee before long. I had previously been involved in educating others in volunteer programs and was a contractor for many years, so I thought it was a good fit. By getting involved, I could help improve the quality of my chapter’s monthly education, resulting in change for the better.

The other reason was that I observed we had a hard time getting members who haven’t been involved in leadership roles to volunteer, even though St. Louis ASHI is a strong chapter. The chapter needed younger members to start participating. Some of the leaders had been doing it for a long time, and, quite honestly, were getting a little tired of being the only people to step up.

Like many others, the chapter has a problem with volunteerism. Some chapters have a round-robin of the same leaders year after year, rotating roles. So I ask you: Why not be a part of the solution and get involved?

Why to Volunteer

This problem is not unique to ASHI. Many other associations with chapters have the same problem. Getting involved is important. When you get involved, you have a voice, an opinion, are heard, and effect change.

I don’t understand why our outspoken members who are happy to speak out on social media hesitate to volunteer and get involved. Whether you’re a long-time member or a younger one, you can offer a fresh perspective, new voice, and some new ideas. Without new ideas and volunteers, things never change or improve.

We must move forward as our industry and the industries impacting ours evolve. We must move to the future, which was why I got involved at the national level. I know I certainly have a lot of ideas. In fact, in some circles, they call me “the idea man.” I have been known to be outspoken, so I chose to be part of the solution.

I have been on my chapter’s board of directors for six years. While serving as a committee member, I was soon asked to be on the board. I wanted to continue to be involved in education, so I agreed to run for vice president. The chapter vice president is responsible for overseeing education, so I decided to toss my name in the hat. From there, I moved up to the president, serving two terms, and then to a director.

I also chose to get involved at the national level. I felt ASHI should do more to help the chapters, so I volunteered to be on the chapter relations committee, and Scott Patterson—ASHI’s 2019 President—asked me to serve as the committee chair. The following year I submitted my name to the nominating committee for inclusion on the ASHI National Ballot for a director. I was elected as a director to serve the term of 2020 – 2022. To date, I have served on committees and task forces, as a director, and as the board liaison to the MRC (member relations committee) and the standards and ethics committee.

Enough about me. I want to discuss getting involved and the opportunities you have to become a custodian of the home inspection industry. Although I hope you get involved for the betterment of the society and to protect our profession, some choose to get involved because it helps them in business, and that’s okay if you make a difference. Being involved is a great marketing tool for your business. I got involved because I saw a need and wanted to make a difference. I found this to be very rewarding in many ways.

Everyone gets involved for different reasons. I told everyone about my involvement and used it as an opportunity to promote ASHI. At the same time, I was indirectly promoting myself. My involvement gave me a lot of credentials that helped open a lot of doors that may otherwise never have opened. When potential referral sources and clients found out I was respected enough to be elected to serve in a leadership role by my peers, it paid off organically.

Getting Your Chapter Members Involved

Chapter leaders should consider asking their members to be a part of micro-projects; after members have been involved in these small short-term projects, ask them to serve on a committee.

The most popular committee in my chapter is the education committee. Think of the committees as a funnel of future leaders that will fill officer and director positions on the chapter board.

The national board and committees consider the chapters as their funnel to fill ASHI National positions. We also look to the membership at-large to populate committees, so you don’t need to be a chapter member to get involved at the national level.

Making a Difference

You can make a difference in many ways. You can form your own ASHI meeting group, start a new chapter, or join an existing chapter. You can serve on a committee or task force and become a leader at the chapter or national level, mentor others, or share your knowledge by teaching other home inspectors. Getting involved helps you understand the industry’s landscape and make a difference.

Some choose to help protect our profession by getting involved with organizations like the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors, also known as EBPHI. I decided to get involved in ASHI early on at the chapter level, then at the national level, and by becoming an SME (subject matter expert) for EBPHI. Many ASHI members have chosen to get involved in the EBPHI, ASHI, or both.

In comparison, ASHI is the voice of the industry. “The mission of ASHI is to set and promote standards for property inspections and to provide the educational programs needed to achieve excellence in the profession and to meet the needs of our members.” EBPHI sets the standard for the National Home Inspector Exam—one of the core elements used by ASHI to become an ASHI Certified Home Inspector, and the exam chosen by most states with licensed home inspectors.

Volunteering today encourages you to deepen your engagement in ASHI and with your peers. The more you get involved, the more you will benefit! ASHI offers a variety of ways to get involved, from short-term volunteer projects to joining a committee, becoming a mentor, and board service. Various committees include bylaws, complaints, education, member relations, standards & ethics, technical, and women in ASHI. Something is bound to interest you.Please consider the benefits and volunteer. Being involved provides opportunities to grow professionally and personally, take on responsibility, become a steward, and offer you leadership opportunities for the good of the home inspector community and ASHI. You will hopefully find, as I did, that you’ll become a motivator, and it should be rewarding—opening doors and allowing you to impact ASHI proactively.

Educators and Influencers

While attending many educational events, peer reviews, seminars, and conferences, I also realized I had the opportunity to pass on my knowledge and expertise to help other home inspectors. In the past, I participated, planned, and helped train others in wilderness search and rescue and community emergency response teams. Why not do the same for home inspectors? I have written articles, contributed to publications, created PowerPoint presentations for others, and presented at ASHI’s leadership development conferences, chapter meetings, community groups, and many Realtor groups on technical topics and home inspections. Many of you can do the same.

Educated, knowledgeable home inspectors, ensure your reputation and the reputation of all home inspectors, the profession, and ASHI. You can be a thought leader, contribute to the ASHI Reporter, and share your expertise as an educator. Please share your knowledge and offer to speak at an educational event.

You can ignite interest, re-energize chapters, and bolster membership by getting involved and creating new and exciting programs, training opportunities, benefits, and speaking. Volunteers are critical to ASHI’s well-being, as we are the subject matter experts, so the ASHI staff can fully understand and develop the right member benefits for all of ASHI’s members.

Although ASHI has much to offer, we know we need to do more for our members. Imagine we leverage all of the opportunities we have, and use our thought leaders’ experience, knowledge, and expertise. Then we can develop new and exciting benefits, communicate better, increase our followers, and bolster member engagement. When we strengthen member engagement, non-ASHI members see the exciting things happening in the ASHI community. They will see all of the tremendous opportunities, the quality education, and new, unique membership benefits. They will want to be part of the excitement and grow membership in ASHl chapters and meeting groups.

Opinions or statements of authors are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of ASHI, its agents, or editors. Always check with your local governmental agency and independently verify for accuracy, completeness, and reliability.