Volunteers Taken Advantage Of

[Which Roger]

Some volunteer coordinators are retired Type As who still seem to think they're in the workplace. On the other extreme, some are not prepared to do their job. Both present challenges for the volunteer.

 

[Gumby]

I am retiring from my volunteer gigs as well as from work. I want to have no obligations to anyone for a while.

 

[JoeWras]

I am retiring from my volunteer gigs as well as from work. I want to have no obligations to anyone for a while.

I'm taking it week by week.

So are you giving up admin role?

 

[Chuckanut]

I've had two volunteer experiences, one good the other very poor.

#1. A local college library was flooded and a number of rare and expensive books were either damaged by water or threatened by water. About six of us volunteered to come in at 8:00 AM Saturday to rescue the books. The special collections librarian was to be there to coordinate our work since none of us knew a rare book from an old book. We could do nothing without the librarian, not even get into the room. The librarian showed up at 9:30 with some excuse about having to take his son somewhere. Wasting a volunteer's time is not a good way to get people to come back.

The second volunteer activity was much better. I volunteered to work as an usher at a local small theater. I collected programs, guided people to their seats, helped folks down the stairs and at times, set up the special wheelchair viewing area, and in the case of an emergency direct people to the nearest exit. When the show started I could grab a seat and enjoy it - music, comedy, plays. Open seats were almost always available. If not, I dragged out a folding chair. chair and sit in the corner. I really enjoyed doing that and I think I will do it again.

 

[aja8888]

I'm the kind of guy that can fix anything mechanical or electrical. I help my friends, neighbors and family when called upon and view that time spent, sometimes good chunks of it, as my contribution to volunteering. This time spent helping includes car repair and maintenance stuff, fixing appliances, teaming up on home repair and maintenance, use of my truck to move/haul stuff, etc.

Believe it or not, a good bit of my free time is consumed with these activities.

 

[Teacher Terry]

So I received a email today asking if I could work half a day as s cashier at the front gate and I said yes. Turns out that the original volunteer quit and this guy stepped in but has pissed off other people with the way he is working with the volunteers.

 

[TPerk274]

One of the most sacred rules DW and I have is not to volunteer the other for anything.

 

[Lakewood90712]

One of the most sacred rules DW and I have is not to volunteer the other for anything.

We now have the best reply of the day ! And excellent advise forever too.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Well when he got home he told me and I could have said no at that point. But I did want to help. Just not run the show.

 

[big-papa]

Church. But we call it serving. They assume once willing, always useful.

What I see is that there are a small handful of volunteers who do everything, not because they wish to be in charge, but because nobody else will do it. Then they burn out and walk away with nobody coming in to fill the void.

 

[Koogie]

Must be horrible to care so much about other people and their opinions. More power to those that do but I could never manage it.

As a misanthrope I would just have shared technical information with him about the best ways for him to perform self fornication.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Must be horrible to care so much about other people and their opinions. More power to those that do but I could never manage it.

As a misanthrope I would just have shared technical information with him about the best ways for him to perform self fornication.

Sounds like you came by your misanthropy naturally, Koogie. I started out a people pleaser and had a long slog of it to shed myself of f...igs to give about what other people thought. Luckily, I had the perfect role model for a father, a man who cared so little about what other people thought that I found hate mail in his personal effects. (And he was not a public figure in any way, this was from a former neighbor.) Not only did he receive hate mail, he kept it!

 

[Teacher Terry]

This was a organization we enjoy belonging to so wasn’t worth it to be nasty. Plus now that I know the other person quit and he got thrown into a job he has never done I have empathy for that.

 

[Sue J]

So I received a email today asking if I could work half a day as s cashier at the front gate and I said yes. Turns out that the original volunteer quit and this guy stepped in but has pissed off other people with the way he is working with the volunteers.

Sounds perfect!

For many years I was an usher at a summer concert venue. It was a paid position. I didn't do it for the money and I enjoyed it. One of the usher supervisors also supervised a crew of ushers for a nearby college athletic department. When the summer season was over we could join the college sports ushers. I worked for the basketball games and a few track and field events. This was easy and fun and paid a little better than the concert venue gig.

One time all of us college sports event ushers got an email asking for VOLUNTEERS for a basketball event involving Lebron James. He's local and we have all been involved in one thing or another where he's been around. This one was a scouting event where college coaches would come to check out potential students to recruit.

We were being asked to volunteer to do the exact same thing that we normally were paid to do. Just because it was Lebron. There is plenty of money floating around college sports that I didn't think it was right to not pay for your ushers. I declined the offer and I don't know anyone who decided to do it.

 

[kcowan]

I have lots of personal stories but I will spare you. But I want to relay an unusual story. My buddy became qualified to be a courier for emergency body parts from anywhere in the world. He would get 2 days notice and always complied even when away on vacation.

He had been a world traveller in his day job and had amassed lots of airline points. So he often overlooked their economy tickets and used his points. He is a big guy and needs leg room so would travel business class.

When they discovered what he was doing, they fired him!

So my conclusion is to not expect volunteer organizations to be any different than other organizations. If anything, they are inferior.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Why did they care that he used his points?

 

[Bestwifeever]

I don’t volunteer for anything anymore, but DH has a couple of volunteer things he really likes. His groups occasionally ask me to get involved and I just laugh and say I don’t play well with others. I have no trouble saying “no” any more—no one is indispensable and there will miraculously be someone to do it if it indeed really needs doing. I also think volunteer systems often take away real paying jobs that again would miraculously be funded if the free labor dried up. The only thing I volunteer to do these days is write a big fat check.

 

[RunningBum]

I find it helps to know the people who are coordinating. I do a good bit for our nature foundation, and they have a pretty good idea of the things I like to do and what I don't, and I never feel bad about saying No if I'm busy or just don't want to do it. I lead a lot of hikes, and a lot of times I go in with a bit of regret for volunteering, but almost always have a good experience and I'm glad I did.

Funny thing, one of the coordinators is one of those suck ups to volunteers who always sends emails with "pretty pretty please" and "crossing my fingers you'll help". Last year for her big event I told her I would but her emails were making me nauseous. This year her emails had the same buttery language and I've just ignored them. Hard to explain but it just bugs me and it's not something I particularly want to do so I'm just deleting the emails while barely browsing them.

I used to update their website and some on the board (also volunteers) wanted me to overhaul it and modernize it. That was beyond my abilities and I really wasn't motivated to learn the skills needed so I said no thanks. Send me off to play in the dirt building new trails or fixing existing ones, and I'm almost always in.

 

[cooch96]

Be proud of yourself, TT. Sounds like you handled it perfectly.

I volunteered for years in the army. I’ll likely do it again in FIRE, but I’m resolved to not be exploited.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Thanks cooch)

 

[Red Badger]

I have volunteered with a few groups and it seems like they love to take advantage of people. My husband has a lead role in a huge Celtic festival that is on May 18. A month ago he said that they needed a greeter and head counter at the front gate and would break it up into 2 shifts. I said I will do 8-12 because I don’t do well in the heat. He lets them know and this guy calls me to confirm and I tell him morning only and I need a easy job because of my wrist. So yesterday I received a email telling me if my job or hours wasn’t exactly what I wanted the festival needs come first. Then he lets me know I am to work 8-5 as the only event coordinator. I will give people their jobs and location, logistics, making sure that the paths are clear for events and a few other things. I don’t know any of these people, I am unfamiliar with the festival or the park. I was furious. Then I thought this is voluntary so I will say no. So because my husband enjoys this organization I nicely said we have a huge misunderstanding and I thought I was clear about not working in the afternoon because of my heat stroke in the past and not running around the entire park all day because I am worried about falling and rebreaking my wrist. I told him in the future do not volunteer me for anything. Who else has stories?

Your husband might have been a much better ambassador for you. Once the demands were 1% above your agreed commit, there should have been a "reverse all engines" moment. Also, the clown that leveraged your ~4 hours into a medically dangerous situation needs to be demoted.

I am a key staff member at our local soup kitchen and jump in anytime (over and above normal 2+ days/week) there is a n unforeseen shortage. But, DW is off limits. She has her own goals and activities. Also, I wont interrupt our previously planned activities for the cause.

Sorry to hear of this experience - it is so unwarranted.

 

[kcowan]

Why did they care that he used his points?

Because they felt that he was enjoying a higher standard of travel than his peers and they are bureaucratic rule-followers. It especially irked them that he did it without seeking permission first.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Keith, that’s so ridiculous.

 

[kcowan]

I am a charter member of the Puerto Vallarta Garden Club and we would be digging in the dirt of our planters along the main downtown streets. Regularly people would stop and ask us how they could get involved. I said to the marketing guy that we needed some hand-outs. He never responded and so I lost interest. Now they hire gardeners and also spend large on marketing. OK by me. DW is the board secretary.

 

[pacergal]

I also do not volunteer anymore. I did tons of volunteer work for schools and church when my kids were growing up. Thinking that when I retired, I might want to do it again, I reached out to several places who were advertising the need for help. Not one place contacted me back! They must have had enough folks replying, so I wasn't needed.
No worries, I have plenty to do to keep myself busy.