Actuaries who received SOA Societal Purpose Awards in the past two years have been trailblazers—spotting needs for financial acumen at non-profits and learning by doing. The SOA Societal Purpose Committee now sponsors a project to collect resources so others can prepare ahead: guidance on actuarial-suited volunteer roles and non-profit background info.
We seek volunteers to work on this project, collecting this information from literature, interviewing past and current actuarial volunteers and non-profits to pull together a “study note” on actuarial volunteering.
Initial tasks will be (1) researching literature and (2) interviewing actuarial volunteers.
Objective: Create resources that help actuaries apply their professional skills to assist non-profit organizations.
Deliverables: Produce three distinct types of documentation to be hosted on the SOA website.
Short Overview Document: To be disseminated in advance of the April call for nominations for the SOA Spotlight Societal Purpose Award.
Comprehensive "How-To" Manual: A reference document for actuaries who wish to volunteer, providing background and guidance on how to help non-profits effectively.
Non-Profit Resource Guide: Designed specifically for non-profits to help them understand what actuaries can do for their organizations.
Key Project Tasks
1. Literature Search: Identify existing books and research regarding non-profit management and the specific roles actuaries can play (e.g., in health, pensions, and risk management).
2. Actuary Interviews: Interview actuaries who have already performed societal purpose work to collect case studies and identify best practices.
3. Non-Profit Outreach: Interview non-profit organizations to better understand their needs and how actuarial skills can be best utilized.
4. Professionalism Overview: Develop wording for initial agreements about these projects and wording to be used in any written final products.