Volunteer                                                   

NetVU Volunteer Application Form                                                                

NetVU’s volunteers are a driving force in redefining the industry, enabling our members to more fully harness the power of technology. “Users helping users” is what we’re about: Sharing ideas, sharing resources, and watching our businesses benefit. Your help can make us even stronger. Committed, dedicated volunteers make a positive difference for all NetVU members.

NetVU offers numerous ways that members can volunteer.

The majority of NetVU’s volunteers work at the grass roots at the local Chapter level. Opportunities include: organizing and running local Chapter meetings, making a presentation, teaching a class, or answering a question on NetVU’s Communities online. 

Additionally, NetVU has a number of national volunteer opportunities, for NetVU Conference and for national committees.  

There are numerous ways to become a part of NetVU. Ask any of our volunteers and they’ll tell you—you get back as much as you put in or more. Come find out what they mean!

The first step: Complete the NetVU Volunteer Application Form by clicking here, whether you are interested in local opportunities or national opportunities. 

For national volunteer positions, we invite you to take a look at the positions available and the requirements of each post. Then, select the activity that best suits your experience and time commitment.

National Volunteer Opportunities: 

NetVU Conference 

Each year, the NetVU Conference Host Committee solicits volunteers to assist during the NetVU Conference, our signature event and the industry’s largest gathering of independent agents. This is a short-term commitment with many rewards, including the ability to meet and network with peer Vertafore users. Volunteer assignments include directional assistance, ushering at various sessions, or working the registration or ticket exchange booths. Most activities take no more than one or two hours.

National Committee Appointments 

NetVU canvasses the membership for active Vertafore users interested in furthering our mission. Several standing committees meet to discuss information exchange, member services, education, product research/development, and industry advocacy. Committee appointments are typically one-year renewable commitments.

Each committee chair is responsible for appointing his or her committee members, with the approval of the chairman of the board. These appointments are made based on an individual’s knowledge, commitment, leadership skills and experience. The positions are typically one-year terms, renewable up to three years. Committee members are expected to attend at least two of three committee meetings, which are held throughout the country. Non-traveling posts are also available for those willing to serve but unable to travel.

Here’s a breakdown of these national committees and their responsibilities:

Information Exchange  

The Information Exchange Committee oversees the internal and external communications for the group, including publications, the NetVU website, and the NetVU Communities. The committee is also responsible for recognizing outstanding NetVU volunteers and industry leaders through various awards programs.

Information Exchange Committee appointees must be willing to attend two meetings a year and participate in several telephone conferences, plus spend time monitoring the NetVU Communities. Written communication skills are essential.

Conference Host Committee 

The Conference Host Committee is responsible for determining the necessary volunteer assignments for the conference. These committee appointees must be willing to attend a fall planning meeting in addition to attending the conference to manage the physical volunteer coordination. They also recruit volunteers by phone to help with the specific assignments.

Conference Education Committee 

By evaluating the education needs of Vertafore users, the Conference Education Committees determine the content and plan the education programs offered at the NetVU Conference. Committee appointees also act as session coordinators for no more than six conference sessions. Committee appointees must attend a June conference education-planning meeting, plus attend the conference educators orientation and conference debriefing meetings. Committee members are also asked to participate in several conference call meetings scheduled throughout the year.

Industry Relations Committee 

The mission of the Industry Relations Committee is to persuade insurance companies, vendors and all supporting industry organizations to cooperate in achieving seamless processing of data between parties. This is accomplished through development and adoption of technologies that foster a uniform environment promoting productivity and efficiency within the industry. Committee appointees must be willing to meet several times a year in person and participate in regularly scheduled conference calls.

Local Chapters
The Local Chapter Committee works with local Chapters to ensure they remain active and compliant with NetVU standard operating procedures. Committee appointees not only encourage new Chapters to organize, they also help existing Chapters to thrive by sharing education and success stories. This committee is also responsible for planning the Chapter Leadership Workshop, held every year in Dallas. Committee appointees must be willing to attend two committee meetings annually, as well as participate in periodic conference calls.

Research & Development Committee 

The R&D Committee works closely with Vertafore development with the shared goal of developing and enhancing each system to maximize the efficiency and productivity for all users. The committee relies on PERS (product enhancement request system) for suggestions from the user base on how to improve the existing agency systems. The committee reviews and prioritizes every item entered into PERS and makes recommendations to Vertafore based on the users' evaluation of these suggestions. R&D committee members are involved in the development of new program releases and share responsibility with Vertafore development for communicating the content of these releases to the membership.

The R&D Committee typically meets one to three times a year, based on program development schedules. Conference calls are also scheduled periodically to respond to development requests for input. Because Vertafore shares future plans and new versions of software that have not yet been made public, membership in R&D committees requires a non-disclosure agreement between Vertafore and the agency.

Board of Directors
NetVU board members are responsible for determining the goals and direction of NetVU as outlined in the organization’s bylaws. Board members are required to attend a minimum of three of four board meetings per year, in addition to serving on a national committee. Directors are also asked to regularly attend local Chapter meetings, participate in NetVU’s Communities, assist in troubleshooting member problems and/or concerns, attend NetVU Conference and assist in the planning process, as well as supply one newsletter article per year for publication in NetVU's newsletters. NetVU covers travel costs. Board members are elected for one-year terms, which are renewable up to three years.