Volunteer Opportunties at OEN
Q: How do I get involved in OEN?
A: Volunteer!
Whether it's implementing a new membership campaign, hashing out new graphics standards, or overseeing the finer details of our annual Entrepreneurship Awards Dinner, OEN's growth and success are directly related to our members' outstanding level of involvement and commitment. The soul of OEN is our member volunteers, who assist and facilitate almost every aspect of our organization.
All of OEN's committees are working committees, so volunteer opportunities are endless. Most committees meet monthly at a time and place determined by the their membership. The average time commitment is two to five hours per month -- relatively little when compared with the benefits startups reap from OEN's many programs and services.
OEN committees include:
Entrepreneurial Services
This committee develops, promotes, and produces the bulk of OEN's networking and educational programs for entrepreneurs. Its subcommittees include:
- PubTalks -- plans programs for our popular monthly events, including choosing discussion topics and recruiting panelists and company presenters.
- Startup Services and Executive Education Series -- produces the essential business development programs for entrepreneurs that are the heart of OEN's mission.
Marketing
This committee helps plan and implement the organization's marketing and promotions strategies. They aid in the creation and review of all publicity materials, assist in media relations efforts, and assist OEN's communications director in developing marketing guidelines for the organization.
Membership
The membership committee works to recruit new members, retain existing members, and gauge how well the organization serves its constituents. It assists OEN's membership director in developing membership campaigns to support OEN, evaluating membership materials for efficacy, and developing membership guidelines.
Special Events
Many volunteers work specifically to help develop, promote, and produce the following OEN Special Events:
OEN Entrepreneurship Awards Dinner
Venture Northwest
Angel Oregon
These are without question the biggest events OEN produces each year, and can take months to plan. The volunteer committees for these events often make lasting professional relationships with other committee members in addition to the great work they perform in preparing these major events.
If you have any questions or have an interest in serving on an OEN committee, please contact the OEN office at 503-222-2270 or download a Committee Volunteer Request form and fax it to the OEN office. There is not always a vacancy on the committee of your choice, but we will do our best to work with our committee chairs to match your request with their needs.