Volunteering

I do volunteer but it's sporadic every few months rather then a set regular time slot which is fine for the charity.

I work full time and have a 1 and 4 year old and barely find time to keep ontop of the washing let alone a weekly volunteer thing too!

Yes I did this for a while, teachers were nice

I was volunteering to help children with their reading in a school setting. But the teachers etc were so rude, I stopped going

I work FT and I still volunteer for a role helping young children. I really enjoy it as it gives me something to do and I love seeing the children progress and we all have fun. I personally find it more productive and I know if I was at home, I would end up surfing the net, watching mindless TV or getting worried over silly things so volunteering helps distract me.

The organisation pays me for my travel, lunch and any training fees. They don't treat me like an employee and whilst I do come in and help on set days, they don't rely on me being there - so I am like an extra pair of hands but not intended to replace a paid staff member. This way I also feel that if I can't come in then they can still operate and have other staff cover. Whilst I enjoy volunteering, I would have no hesitation of leaving if I was unhappy with it or came to resent it.

Saw this after I'd written my post , I feel the same. They are missing good people by being so blinkered.

There is a charity I really want to volunteer with but they won't take me because I work shifts so can not commit to the same day and time each week.
Not sure why this particular role needs to be Monday to Friday 9-5.

Our employer ( large in the financial sector) has just announced a pilot where everyone with compressed hours will lose them. This means many volunteers will be forced to stop, because they can't afford to keep doing it.

I more or less gave up volunteering when i realised I was still employable and could get part-time paid work, even though I am officially retired and aged 65+. Charities sometimes seem to have very high expectations of volunteers, and not to show enough gratitude for work they are not paying for. Having had a fairly senior job in the past I also felt some charities were not very well managed. Volunteers may put up with unsatisfactory conditions for a while, but then use the freedom they have to leave. TBH on some of the forums I belong to I am amazed at how dedicated some volunteers are, despite the lack of appreciation.

I volunteer. I volunteered at my kids school when my youngest started and ended up working there. I had to stop when my other son was at his special secondary school as timings didn't work out, and I had to be around to pick him up.

I also started volunteering at Scouts when my youngest started Beavers. 10 years later and I'm still doing it. I love seeing the kids progress and achieve stuff. I like doing the admin and planning for it. As I don't work because of being a carer it means it gives me something to do, and hopefully some experience to put on a CV if I'm able to look for work in the future.

I did notice it's always the same faces and families that volunteer. For example, some of the scout leaders were also on the PTA or school governors.

I volunteer for an incredible local project with SEND families. It takes about 4 hours a month of my time. I love it because it feels like we are doing something of significant value and meaning, rather than just propping up businesses doing stuff that should be paid.

It has led to a fab employment opportunity for me.

I also volunteer for my children's school PTA. I love seeing the kids have an amazing time and the fact we have just fundraised a significant addition to the school. It is very self rewarding.

Nowadays I think the pressure on people is so high there isn't the time and I think a lot of volunteer roles are things that should be paid. I explicitly won't do a role like that.

I volunteered for various things over the years but currently not doing anything
Various reasons why
Time - I have moved my mum who has Alzheimer's closer to me so I visit her every other day which squeezes everything else plus doing shopping etc for her takes up more time
Work - has got busier so less spare time
Kids - have got busier as got older sorting stuff for them
DHs job (NHS dr) has got more full on so less he can help with the above meaning it falls on me see lack of time
Health - I am disabled and my health takes a toll from the above
Previous volunteering experience - have had to deal with some major shit over the years from other volunteers, the community, being let down, unappreciated etc - no good deed goes unpunished and all that.

St John Ambulance doesn’t operate that way. You can pick and choose what you want to do.

Volunteered during first rounds of Covid vaccinations, booking people in, sending them to vaccinator, checking they were ok if they had to wait afterwards , cleaning chairs, clipboards, door handles etc.. Gave up as CoL tried to claim petrol expenses, app was useless and didn’t always work. Also pharmacy owner was bloody rude and sneery, they’ve made thousands a month out of the vaccinations. Haven’t gone back.

Some of the bureaucracy (DBS, Safeguarding training, Prevent etc) has increased and interviews/training is increasingly online deterring older volunteers.
COL and pension changes mean people are staying in paid work for longer
Previously paid roles are bring advertised to volunteers making them feel exploited
Decline in resources available within charity sector to recruit and manage volunteers officially.
Sense of being valued and developed as volunteers is more hit and miss

Something like Parkrun might work for you if there's one nearby?

Saturday morning for a couple of hours, lots of different roles to try out and see which you enjoy most, and no commitment to do every week, you can just join the volunteer roster as and when you're available.

Great community event to be a part of for all ages and abilities.

Why should people do them? Why isn't it paid work?

I don't volunteer because I don't have time. I work as much as I can because I need the money.
My dcs have volunteered and in local charity shops and the library but the charity shops won't take anyone under 18 now for some reason. Volunteering can be done by teens, retired people, people who want experience or those who are financially comfortable already.

I did. However I stopped because it wasn’t appreciated and the lack of value and no monetary reward meant I lost interest, as there was no driver behind what I was doing.

I dont volunteer because I really don't want to interact with more people than I already do! I find my job pretty intense, I usually work 7.45am to 6.30pm ish 5 days a week. I am director level so no paid over time. If there is an emergency in the night or weekend I'll be called on to sort it out. I prefer yo do something with DH or solitary - reading, cook a nice meal, Knitting etc. The thought of being involved with an organisation and its politics/squabbles fills me with horror.

The family sound like crooks

Yes if you can report them

No- the volunteers aren't even allowed a cup of tea- let alone to take any of the mountains of left over food home! All the food is donated also!

ALL plates, cutlery, glassware is hand washed by the volunteers (over 60 covers done in a day!) MIL raised over £500 for an industrial dishwasher- but the money disappeared when given to the 'family' and they still don't have a dishwasher! I'd like to report the 'family' but have no idea if its council run, private etc or who to complain to?

That's awful

Does your poor mil not even get fed

I volunteer as a Cub Leader, and I do it because I love it.
It is time consuming, and takes some training, but there are smaller roles, for instance one of my assistant leaders does every other week as he works shifts.
We frequently have weeks off, if we are away on holiday etc.

Since covid, there has definitely been a reduction in volunteers, as some leaders, I think, realised just how much time and effort they'd been putting into running a group, once they were no longer doing it over lockdown.

Also, I think the pressure on parents these days is far more, often both parents working full time, so they are less likely to volunteer, and older people are working longer and retiring later than they used to.

Also, there's a definite trend towards people wanting more for less effort. Parents now want their kids to do everything - football, swimming, music lessons, cubs/brownies etc, which means they spend their entire week running around, getting their kids to clubs, and then feel they have less time to give.

I am a Samaritans listening volunteer, i work full time and give around 5 hours a week including travel (not including lack of personal time/sleep missed/ time caught up sleeping when doing late night shifts/ plus petrol money travelling) I do it because I get a sense of pride and purpose, but there's a lot involved. Interviews, lots of training, and an expectation of a certain amount of shifts per year, to me its worth it to help those worse off than me.

There is no point in volunteering if you don't enjoy it, don't have enough time, not enough energy, support, under appreciated or in some cases funds

I agree that circumstances change

I have seen some advertisements where a volunteer role is the equivalent of full time paid job

Overall I have had good experiences so far