It's difficult to imagine where IASA would be without volunteers. Thankfully there are individuals like Morty Mann, Ernie Pearson and Linda Paolucci—people who have dedicated themselves to the IASA over the years to make the organization better.

Insurance veteran Mann, recipient of IASA President's Award, has held many roles within the IASA over 40 years and was instrumental in the creation of several IASA textbooks.

Pearson is a 15-year volunteer and currently IT director, applications development at SECURA; he also was the 2004 IASA Volunteer of the Year.

Paolucci, manager of SEC and regulatory reporting for TIAA-CREF inNew York, is a 12-year volunteer and 2008 IASA Volunteer of the Year. Here they offer their perspectives on the importance of volunteerism to the organization.

How can volunteering with the IASA help insurance professionals achieve greatness?

Mann: Volunteering with the IASA is an easy way to meet other people who share similar concerns and who have been able to solve similar problems. It's also a great way to get educated, because the best way to learn something is to explain or teach it to others. Being chair of the textbook committee and other committees over time caused me to answer a lot of questions, and answering those questions helped me build up my own knowledge. Volunteering is also a great way to build associations. Even after I retired in 1988 from Colonial Penn, being involved with the IASA allowed me to keep up my contacts.

Paolucci: You will never meet a finer group than the IASA staff and volunteers. By volunteering you become part of the family and establish networking that plays a big role in helping you achieve business and personal goals. Your self-confidence will grow and you truly will put yourself on the path to achieving greatness in all you do. And as you achieve greatness in your profession, your company benefits as well.

Pearson: The IASA offers a broad-based network of continuous learning. Volunteering with the IASA helps you build a network that you can always call on when faced with a new challenge at work. Being involved as a volunteer also builds your teamwork skills. Speaking from my own experience, the personal rewards of contributing to one of our industry's most prestigious nonprofit organizations are tremendous.

What has kept you involved in the IASA?

Pearson: Besides the networking and professional development opportunities, it's a great opportunity to give back to our industry. Also, my role with the IASA has at times been different from my day job, which has forced me to stretch and grow both personally and professionally. Also, you can't underestimate the value of new relationships and good friends that you make throughout your involvement as a volunteer.

Mann: What has kept me involved is the sense of cooperation that exists among members, even though we all work in companies that compete with each other. I remember when I was a new guy preparing my first annual statement—I based it on GAAP and got a 19-page letter from the chief examiner. Someone in the IASA helped me, and that immediately showed me the kind of cooperation we have that lasts a lifetime. That cooperation is not unique to accounting—it extends to technology and other areas as well. I've stayed involved even after retiring because it's a way that I can give back to an industry that has given so much to me.

What would you say to someone who says he or she doesn't have time to get involved?

Paolucci: Make the time. Everyone is busy, but you have to realize that the way you achieve greatness is by being involved. Your experiences on the various committees are an education in itself, and the skills you will develop over time are invaluable. I have grown in my own job because of my various committee responsibilities.

Pearson: The IASA needs volunteers at both the state and national level to thrive. The commitment that you make and the role that you take on can be shaped to fit the time and talents that you have. There's no reason that anyone could not be an effective volunteer.

Mann: Don't cheat yourself — it's as simple as that. The affiliations you make, the contacts available to you, and the skills you will learn as part of your volunteer involvement are worth the investment of time that you make.

Special Reports /

Good Samaritans: IASA Members Talk About Value of Volunteerism

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