Project Management

Confessions of a First-Time Project Management Volunteer

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By Yasmina Khelifi, PMP

Are you considering volunteering for a professional association or within your corporate organization? Almost two years ago, I did for the first time by joining the PMI France and PMI United Arab Emirates (UAE) Chapters—and I haven’t looked back since. What a transformational journey! Volunteering has helped me sharpen my leadership skills, unleash my creativity and broaden my professional network.

Whether you’re thinking about becoming a first-time volunteer or hoping to start volunteering again, here are some great benefits of giving your time to a larger project:

1. Volunteer to hone your project leadership skills

In November 2018, I joined the PMI France Chapter’s marketing communications team to contribute to an internal newsletter. Volunteering allowed me to interact with people from different cultures, countries, backgrounds, education levels, ages and professional experiences. I was able to collaborate with a diverse group of people, which is essential for any project leader.

Volunteering has opened many new doors:

  • I have discovered new ways of working.
  • I have found new energy and passion for projects.
  • I have learned how to better communicate with people from different backgrounds.
  • I have sharpened my writing skills in French and English, and learned how to be more concise in my communications.
  • I have strengthened my skills in virtual project management, a key pillar in our globalized world.

2. Volunteer to experiment in a safe environment

Volunteering has pushed me outside of my comfort zone and given me the confidence to experiment in new areas:

  • For the first time, I presented a webinar about leadership skills for the PMI UAE Chapter in collaboration with a friend there. Despite the bad sound during the presentation, I enjoyed the great learning experience, especially in preparing the slides, revising and rehearsing.
  • For the first time, I managed social network posts and created accompanying visuals.

3. Volunteer to expand your professional network

Volunteering has helped me to broaden my perspectives and network outside of my enterprise. Having worked almost exclusively in an international environment, I wanted to expand my network more in France. Surprisingly, thanks to the PMI volunteers’ network, I ended up meeting new people within my own company! I now belong to a worldwide and strong project management community: We support each other during this tough time.

Looking back on this incredible journey, I cherish the gifts I’ve received. Volunteering provides an invaluable source of learning and growth.

Leave a comment below sharing how volunteering has benefited your project teams or your project leadership abilities.


Posted by Yasmina Khelifi on: April 17, 2020 01:00 PM | Permalink

Comments (27)

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Nilesh Mahajan Program Manager| Quest Global Engineering Pvt. Ltd. Pune, India
Hi Yasmina, I absolutely agree with you that 'Volunteering provides an invaluable source of learning and growth'. Thank you for sharing your experience.

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Yasmina Khelifi Senior Project Manager Paris, France
Hi Nilesh, thank you very much for your kind comment. Stay safe! Yasmina

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Jean-Claude Greco Sierre, Valais, Switzerland
Thanks for sharing !

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Yasmina Khelifi Senior Project Manager Paris, France
Hi Jean-Claude thank you very much for your comment! Stay safe, Yasmina

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Luis Branco CEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, Ldª Carcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dear Yasmina
Very interesting the theme that brought to our reflection and debate
Thank you for sharing the topic and for the benefits that, in your opinion, volunteering can have

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Stephen Robin Project Analyst Trainee| Ministry of Works and Transport Arima, Ari, Trinidad and Tobago
The value gained from being a project management volunteer is invaluable. I believe just being in just one volunteer project is enough to gain all benefits you listed so imagine volunteering in the long term. While I volunteer for different organizations, volunteering for PMI chapters has been the most rewarding in regard to my personal and professional development.

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Hajer El Aissi Project / Program Manager| PMI KSA Jeddah, Slimania, Saudi Arabia
Great efforts Yasmine to serve the PM community
My history with volunteering is started by chance. I was member in PMI KSA chapter and I loved what they did in Jeddah symposium and some one the team asked me to apply for a VP in membership and volunteering. I hesitated since I thought I did not have the priority do this...but I sent my app and then I was elected in June 2020 as VP. Till now I am enjoying volunteering with my great team and under the direction of the exceptional president of PMI KSA chapter ..Eng Badr Bourshid

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