Volunteer FAQs

ACR, ARP, & Foundation Standing Committees
Volunteer nominations are open from April 1–June 1 annually. During this time, you may either submit a self-nomination or have a member colleague submit a nomination on your behalf. Volunteers are selected by the respective Nominations committees in July and are then submitted for review and approval by the ACR and RRF Boards in August. The incoming ACR Officer and ACR Board Members are not officially approved by the membership until the ACR Annual Business Meeting at ACR Convergence. All volunteer terms begin officially at the change of leadership that also occurs at the Annual Business Meeting at ACR Convergence and are typically three years in length.

Yes, you may self-nominate for any standing committee. If you choose to self-nominate, pay special attention to the open-ended questions on the nomination form. These questions are critical to helping the Nominations Committee learn about you and your interest in volunteering.

Start by reviewing each committee description (see links to the committee pages below). Think about what committee work is of interest to you. Consider your training and work experience – are there areas in which you have skills or expertise? Note the anticipated time commitment – do you have the time to commit to the committee?

• See ACR/ARP Committee details
• See Foundation Leadership details

Nomination: Please be prepared to update your ACR Account demographics, provide the nominee's top three committee/position interests, and a letter of recommendation for Committee Chair positions, the Foundation Board of Directors and officer positions.

Self-Nomination: Please be prepared to update your ACR account demographics, provide your top three committee/position interests, and a letter of recommendation (only required when applying for Committee Chairs positions, Foundation the Board of Directors and officer positions).

All ACR Board of Directors and officer positions will be asked to submit a 3-5 minute video answering 3-5 questions that will provide insight into what volunteering for the ACR would means to the nominee and how the nominee plans to support the ACR mission during your term. A separate email will be sent to the nominee after the nomination is complete with instructions on how to submit the video. (Exceptions: ACR Committee Chairs and Foundation Board of Directors and officer positions.)

You are not required to submit a letter of recommendation if you are self-nominating for a committee member position, unless you are self-nominating for an ACR/RRF Officer, ACR/RRF Board Member or ACR/RRF Committee Chair position.

However, a letter of recommendation is encouraged for all committee nominees. The letter may be from a colleague or supervisor. We also welcome letters from community group leaders (art, medical, religious, etc.) with whom you have completed volunteer activities.

The letter should include your relationship to the nominee (e.g., colleague), highlights of the nominee’s career/training, any past volunteer experience, and why you think the nominee is a great candidate for a particular volunteer position. For further details, review this article:
The Rheumatologist: How to Tell Your Professional Story

Anyone EXCEPT the current volunteers in the following positions can write a letter of recommendation for volunteer nominees:

1. Current officers of the ACR, ARP and Foundation (President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, or Treasurer)
2. Current members of the ACR Committee on Nominations & Appointments
3. Current members of the ARP Committee on Nominations & Appointments
4. Current members of the Foundation Leadership Development Council

• See ACR/ARP Committee details
• See Foundation Leadership details