Comment: ACS adding options for volunteering and networking

In March, American Chemical Society president Mary Carroll and I coauthored a C&EN Comment titled “Contribute Your Time and Talent to Meaningful ACS Activities” on becoming involved in ACS. Being an ACS member has been important throughout my career and as an ACS governance volunteer. Membership has provided me with the opportunity to gain experience, network, and collaborate—all while having fun! I attribute my current professional position to the support afforded me by my ACS membership, participation in my local section, and the networking opportunities available to me.

I would like to provide you with an update on two important outcomes from the ACS Committee on Committees (ConC) recent external review of ACS committee activities. The feedback from the review was to help engage ACS members who have limited time and cannot commit to 3- or 6-year terms on an ACS committee. ConC began exploring the opportunities for microvolunteering that would permit ACS members to participate with our society with less of a time commitment and allow more of our members to become involved in initiatives with a clear, time-bound set of goals that align with the society’s needs.

ConC prioritized microvolunteerism as one of our top projects for 2024 and formed a small working group that included the chairs and staff liaisons from the Committees on Analytical Reagents, Education, Divisional Activities, Local Section Activities, Women Chemists, and Younger Chemists to discuss how volunteers would be selected and used on committee projects. The goal is to facilitate having the right people in place when committees have specific projects. When asked during the last committee appointment cycle, approximately 400 people expressed interest in microvolunteerism.

One of the other recommendations from the ConC external review was to be more transparent about how the committee appointment process works. This year, we had over 660 individuals complete the preference form for committee assignments in 2025. This figure represents a 150% increase over the number of volunteers we had in 2023 and a 200% increase over the number in 2022. This year, we also conducted two webinars on how to get involved in ACS and navigate our committee and preference form systems. During the spring and fall meetings, ConC hosted Committee Row, which was modeled after the successful Local Section Row and Division Row. The goal of Committee Row is to enhance member engagement and participation in ACS governance while underscoring the mission and work done by every ACS committee. Committee Row is also an opportunity for our current committee volunteers to share their experiences with attendees about serving on an ACS committee. The event is helping ConC recommend some of the important voices from our chemistry communities for governance committees that have been missing or underrepresented.

Our committee system has evolved over the past 148 years, beginning with only 3 committees and growing to the 31 council-related committees of today. Given the considerable number of individuals who express interest in serving on committees, we understand that not everyone can be recommended for an assignment—but everyone receives thorough consideration. ConC’s mission is to ensure that ACS committees are inclusive, optimally organized, resourced, and engaged—and we are here to help you find the right place in the society to get the most value from your ACS membership.

ACS committees are working committees: attendance (virtually or in person) and participation at committee and subcommittee meetings are important. If you are interested in serving on an ACS committee, we recommend using the online preference form for committee assignments to let us know your committee preferences and background. The online preference form is available at www.cmte.acs.org and will be open for 2026 committee assignments from March 3 through July 3, 2025. Please indicate a committee preference only if you feel that you can attend and actively participate in a committee’s meetings either virtually or in person. Your ACS membership must be in good standing to complete your committee preferences.

One of the unsung values of being an ACS member is the ability to network by volunteering for the society. I encourage you to look into joining a committee and becoming involved at the national level. If you don’t know where to begin, I recommend starting with your local section or division. They can use volunteers as well to fulfill the ACS mission at the grassroots level.

ACS is stronger when we have a diverse and enthusiastic volunteer group like you to provide meaningful and engaging experiences that further the mission and vision of ACS.

Interested in volunteer opportunities? We look forward to hearing from you at secretary@acs.org.

Views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of C&EN or ACS.