Volunteers for the Continuous Mortality Investigation (CMI) share about their experience
The CMI sought views from a range of its volunteers on their experience as a volunteer. Volunteers’ contributions are crucial for the CMI. The aim was to understand volunteers’ experiences better and to help prospective volunteers consider the benefits and practicalities of getting involved.
The results were clear: volunteering with the CMI is rewarding. The responses painted a positive picture of people broadening their network, achieving professional growth and making an impact to the actuarial industry and beyond. Respondents were in unanimous agreement that they had received strong support from their employers, who saw the role of their employee within the CMI as a benefit to their company and the wider actuarial profession.
Another clear theme was flexibility: volunteers can adjust their involvement based on their other commitments, with strong support from colleagues and the Secretariat.
From the responses, forming and growing a network of leading mortality and longevity specialists came out frequently as the top benefit. It's about connecting with people who are genuinely passionate about mortality and longevity research, including many industry experts who happily share their experience and knowledge. Ultimately, giving volunteers an industry-wide network.
“[It’s like having] access to a brilliant network of friendly, knowledgeable colleagues." – Vicky Webb
[I'm impressed by] the passion of the volunteers." – Cindy Vuong
Volunteers find themselves developing skills and gaining industry perspectives that don't come up in their day-to-day roles.
"I've gained wider appreciation of industry data, wider technical thought leadership and insights, and the ability to make a direct impact on critical mortality topics." – Steve Bale
Other volunteers highlighted opportunities such as speaking at conferences, managing organisational risk and strategy development as experiences which have helped them in their careers.
"A highlight has been speaking at conferences in Dublin and Edinburgh." – Ben Rees
Employers recognise that these fresh perspectives, wider experiences and technical insights can feed back into their organisations, one of the reasons many firms enthusiastically support CMI involvement.
"My employer is keen to support the CMI’s work and recognises the benefits to me from volunteering. I have had no issues in attending CMI meetings and events during the working day." – Aidan Smith
Volunteers spoke of their appreciation for the work that the Secretariat does such as handling data preparation and producing initial paper drafts, allowing committee members to focus on what matters most.
"The Secretariat is so important to the smooth running of the CMI and prepare the data and craft the initial drafts of the papers. It allows the members of the committee to use their industry and wider experience to think about what to look at, what would be interesting to subscribers" – Zoe Woodroffe
Roles at the CMI can vary in terms of level of commitment, with many spending just a few hours a month. The time commitment generally rises as roles become more senior, such as chairing a committee. The responses showed that the CMI understands when flexibility is required, acknowledging that volunteers often need to balance other commitments.
"Finding time to volunteer during the pandemic was difficult (having no childcare for my young daughter) and I unfortunately had to step away. However, the CMI was fantastic, and I was able to pick it back up again when the world gradually started to return to normal." – Ben Rees
Many volunteers find that their CMI role can save them time in their day job.
"When the Working Papers came to be published I would already be very familiar with the content so it was then a quick task to summarise for my colleagues and highlight the bits that were relevant to my employer!" – Vicky Webb
The CMI’s Resource Pool also offers a flexible way to volunteer for discrete projects on a range of topics, as time allows.
It is not uncommon for new joiners to be worried about how their knowledge compares to established CMI volunteers. Some respondents noted that it takes a bit of time to get up to speed. However, all respondents noted that volunteers are very supportive and encouraging to each other, welcoming discussion and suggestions. After all, knowledge gaps lead to more opportunities to learn and develop and supposedly “silly” questions can open up fresh perspectives.
The range of skills needed at the CMI is diverse, allowing a wider range of people with different skillsets to make an impact.
"Being involved with the CMI is not all just deeply techy conversations about maths (although there is a certain amount of that)! The wider discussion and thinking around the impact of our outputs, what our subscribers would like to see from us and whether there is more that we could or should be doing to support, not just subscribers, but the wider profession and the public interest are just as passionate and important as the finer details of any modelling or measurement." – Susan Hanlon
There may be a perception that volunteering for CMI is easiest for people based in and around London. However, the CMI encourages volunteers from far and wide. Two of the current committee chairs are based in Glasgow and Zurich. Most CMI meetings are now virtual or hybrid, making participation accessible regardless of location.
"Most meetings are completely virtual anyway but even when others will be there in person, there's always the option to join virtually. Thanks to the wonders of technology, and the support of my fellow CMI volunteers and the Secretariat, I am able to participate fully." – Susan Hanlon
Whether you have 3 hours a month or can offer more time, there’s a CMI role for your skills and curiosity. When new roles become available, they are advertised on the IFoA volunteer vacancies pages. If you want to find out more now, talk to a current volunteer or drop the Secretariat a line to express interest at info@cmilimited.co.uk, and discover just how rewarding being part of the CMI can be.
This blog was based on the volunteering experiences of Aidan Smith, Ben Rees, Cindy Vuong, Steve Bale, Susan Hanlon, Vicky Webb and Zoe Woodroffe. We thank them all for generously sharing their experiences and insights.
