Imagine for a moment that all the volunteers who contribute to the various non-profit and professional organizations you are aware of stopped giving their time to support the organizations. What would happen? Almost all of them would cease to exist, right? Yep! The same is true for our beloved Casualty Actuarial Society. The volunteers who serve on various working groups, grade exams, put together this newsletter and all the other roles in between are the lifeblood that sustains the CAS. As a volunteer, you are so important to our success!

Volunteering is especially important in the self-governed actuarial field. The CAS and other actuarial organizations rely on volunteers for many key functions. The range of volunteer opportunities covers a wide spectrum of topics. These include marketing and communication, publications, finance and investment, admissions, professional education, research, international concerns and governance.

In fall 2021, the Candidate Advisory Working Group (CAWG) included several questions on volunteerism in our Candidate Survey. About 25% of those surveyed thought candidates had to have their FCAS to volunteer, while 41% knew that an ACAS could volunteer but didn’t know that a candidate could. However, the truth is that 96% of CAS committees will accept new ACAS volunteers! With 56 committees, task forces and working groups to choose from, there are plenty of options. If you’re interested in learning more, check out the new CAS infographic “Volunteer as a New Member!” or email volunteer@casact.org.

Of course, we understand that as a candidate, taking exams requires a ton of time and effort. The Candidate Survey revealed that almost 61% of respondents didn’t want to volunteer with the CAS before finishing exams. When asked about volunteering after finished taking exams, over 40% had not yet decided. We hope that we can encourage you to dive in and help sustain the long-term success of the CAS. Almost all volunteer options are open to you once you have attained your FCAS, taken a break and are ready to give back to the community.

I have been volunteering as a Candidate Representative in the CAWG since December 2019. Writing articles and blog posts, participating in discussions and subgroups, networking, giving feedback on the new website and, ultimately, being a voice for candidates has been incredibly rewarding. I’ve learned more about myself and the actuarial field through my time on this working group. We do have some fun, too. During the pandemic, we started having a virtual social “study break” after some of our meetings. CAS CEO Victor Carter-Bey even joined in once! As a candidate who hasn’t achieved an ACAS designation, you can also volunteer to write Future Fellows blog posts, take surveys, or volunteer with the University Liaisons.

If you’re interested in volunteering as a candidate, please check out the options available on the CAS website.