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Volunteers are integral to PMA. Below you will find a list of volunteer opportunities that are currently available. Please complete the application form below to let us know your passions.
PMA hosts several events each year for our Members and the general public, including our Annual Meeting, Fall Fundraiser, and Member Appreciation Events. Volunteering at an event may mean checking in guests at the door, decor setup/tear down, overseeing games or other interactive elements, or providing general event support.
Additionally, PMA attends dozens of resource fairs annually. You could help promote membership with PMA and hand out end-of-life planning documents to attendees of the resource fairs. This includes events like Farmers Markets and other times we attempt to educate the public to our mission and resources.
Some education of the PMA mission may be necessary, but we can provide this training prior to events. Our Events Committee of Board Members and volunteers will help allocate volunteers and organize training sessions.
Every even-numbered year, PMA conducts its Funeral Home Price Survey. We contact all 200+ funeral homes across Washington state and ask them for their price lists, then we organize these prices into a consumer-facing database to ensure everyone can easily shop around for funeral services and know if they are getting a good deal. This project, which PMA has been stewarding since the 1970s, has led to our expansion of consumer rights and the passing of the 1984 Funeral Rule, codifying consumer protections for all Americans. PMA continues to advocate for expansions of this law and Washington state laws, and this Price Survey is one of our key documents driving visibility into trends in this industry.
We need volunteers to email, call, or even visit funeral homes. Work can be done 100% remotely. Volunteers will then be tasked with data entry using a Google Form survey or similar. Some volunteers will also be needed to validate the data entered by others, then eventually analyze the data for trends, averages, and other context for publication. You will practice reading funeral home "General Price Lists" which have some national standards but are still complicated documents.
PMA does email thousands of Washingtonians every year with educational and planning resources. We can always use help stuffing envelopes or answering emails in our office in Queen Anne, Seattle. This assumes you can come to our office and help in-person. Training and support from our staff will be available to you.
PMA has an all-volunteer Board of nine Members and two Alternates, elected each spring at the PMA Annual Meeting. Board Member seats are elected for three year terms and require Board Members to serve on at least two Committees. Board Alternate seats are elected for one year terms and require Board Alternates to serve on at least one Committee. Serving as a Board Alternate is a great way to see if serving on the board is a good fit for you before committing to a longer term. ⠀
As part of our ongoing work to be a vocally anti-racist organization, we truly want to encourage all people to consider becoming a part of PMA’s Board of Directors. We know that deathcare is a space in which racism and bigotry of all kinds are still present. PMA is committed to ensuring all Washingtonians have equal access to compassionate and dignified care at the end of life. We are committed to change, so diverse voices and opinions will be respected, acknowledged, and celebrated. Email us at director@peoplesmemorial.org if you have questions to explore before offering your time.
Members of the public are also allowed and encourage to support PMA's Board Committees. Committees have specific charters and responsibilities to progress the overall mission of PMA. Board Committees that are open to volunteers from the general public are:
