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Original poster

Is this fair to us volunteers?

59 replies

purpleheart12 · 26/02/2022 07:52

Hi,
A lady has set up a much needed parent and toddler/baby group. There are lots of different types of toys/activities the lady offers nice snacks (homemade cakes/sausage rolls) drinks, healthy snacks for children. We have visits from local businesses (photographer's/baby print makers) as well as health visitors/dentists etc there is no set structure but different areas for messy play/imaginative play, reading, there is a music corner and music playing in the background and a dedicated baby corner. She has nobody to help her but has asked me if I would run a storytime/singing session at the end while she washes up etc. Now I'm very happy to volunteer to do this but I know that she does pay herself a small amount every month from running the group. Of course I don't mind this and am happy to give up my time to help but as the group does get grants shouldn't she be reinvesting all the money made back into the group? She's a lovely lady but I'm not sure if there are rules for receiving grants?

OP posts:
MsTSwift · 26/02/2022 07:56

Why should she be expected to work for free? Weird outlook.

Etinoxaurus · 26/02/2022 07:56

Don’t do it it you don’t want to 💁🏻‍♀️
There are strings attached to receiving grants, including massive amounts of paperwork to show the group is safely run- you’re seeing a fraction of what she does.

Akire · 26/02/2022 08:00

The amount she gets will be a pittance for the hours she does. I don’t know anyone makes money from these sort of things unless you are charging parents massive amounts to attend. You can’t compare singing for 15min against hour and hours and all the responsibility she has week in week out.

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PaulaTrilloe · 26/02/2022 08:01

Most grants given will be in the public domain so you can look at how muc and what it's for. Is she running a charity or a small scale community group? If a charity it will be listed in charity commission website.

OnlyAFleshWound · 26/02/2022 08:02

Don't do it if you are so resentful about reading a story for 5 minutes at a group you are at anyway.

Whynotnowbaby · 26/02/2022 08:03

It sounds like she is putting in a huge amount of work to create a very worthwhile activity, which no doubt takes her more time in admin than she spends running the group itself. I would very much hope that the grant allowed for her to take a stipend to cover some of the time she spends organising the group.

FujiIX · 26/02/2022 08:04

I expect what she gets doesn’t cover all her time or resources
Volunteers don’t normally get paid
It’s a shame that you feel you can’t support the group by volunteering

Nix2020 · 26/02/2022 08:07

Are you sure she pays a wage from it and it's not to cover costs like baking/buying supplies. I doubt she's on the take.

Can you suggest a rota system, for doing song time, tidy up and dishes, so it doesn't all sit with her and she gets to enjoy it. It's quite annoying when one person does all the work and everyone else stands around expecting everything to be done.

Ff10n · 26/02/2022 08:07

It sounds like she's spending quite a bit of money and time on planning and creating art materials and cake to be honest. I wouldn't begrudge her taking a small payment.

MichelleScarn · 26/02/2022 08:10

Really? That's your first thought 'oh she gets some money' she sounds absolutely bloody amazing and what a fantastic thing to do, key word is voluntary group. Don't take your child to this fantastic service if its going to annoy you.

MalbecandToast · 26/02/2022 08:15

Wow, how resentful are you?! Shock

whythefuckdoibother · 26/02/2022 08:15

Why is she even having to ask? What she doing sounds amazing, my DS are both much older but my toddler days are full of toddler group memory's and I'm still friends with some of the mums.

Just help? And maybe do the dishes if you don't want the singing thing.

saraclara · 26/02/2022 08:21

Wow. What an amazing amount of effort this woman goes to with no help at all. All that organisation and planning of visitors. the buying of all the resources, the setting up, the clearing away, the liaison with the venue, the insurance and admin. All by herself. She's an absolute star.

There is absolutely no reason why she can't pay herself a small amount. The charity I'm a trustee of gets grants for various things. We pay our staff from those grants. It's absolutely normal.

LIZS · 26/02/2022 08:32

A small amount may just cover her baked goodies and refreshments. If you are there anyway is volunteering an issue? Dd used to help with rhymetime in the library as a volunteer.

IhateMondaymornings · 26/02/2022 08:55

I have helped set up and run a toddler group. There are several of us and it still involves a lot of volunteer time, I'm sure I couldn't commit the time to do it on my own, week in week out. What a wonderful woman. I'm surprised none of you have offered to help do tasks within the group already. It should only be natural to want to help but unfortunately the lack of support of such groups usually results in them being closed down eventually. She will be spending most of the money on keeping it running believe me, craft, messy play, cleaning equipment and keeping toys up to date cost a lot more than you think. Ours only runs on donations otherwise there is no way we would be able to replace broken, worn and lost toys.

Reviewer123456 · 26/02/2022 09:05

I am surprised no one there has bothered to offered to help to be honest, quite shameful she has needed to ask in the first place. When i took my children to groups like this everyone helped out even though the leaders got paid. Never crossed my mind that they should not be receiving anything for their time.

EmbarrassingHadrosaurus · 26/02/2022 09:13

What's your plan, OP ? Do you plan to refuse unless you're paid or is your plan to offer to not claim money and indicate that you want it donated to the group and reinvested?

Are you planning to look into the governance of the grant? Is it sufficiently widely known that this organiser receives some money? If there is a shabby toy you'd like replaced or one that people especially want, shall you suggest to her that the organiser should personally purchase the item from her own money?

Bordois · 26/02/2022 09:18

This is a reverse, isn't it?

MsTSwift · 26/02/2022 09:18

You should definitely oust her and take on the roll yourself.

MsTSwift · 26/02/2022 09:18

Role

Clymene · 26/02/2022 09:34

It's fiendishly difficult to get grants to pay staff wages as so many people like you think that people should give up their time for free to run charitable enterprises for the benefit of others.

Every single Penny of the grants will have to be accounted for with documented evidence to prove they are spent on what they were supposed to be.

Your implication that this woman is creaming a bit off fraudulently is pretty unpleasant. I think you should stop going to the group and go to paid activities run for profit.

Original poster
purpleheart12 · 26/02/2022 09:38

Sorry I'm not sure I was clear. There is a committee of sorts herself, myself and another lady who helps. She does pay herself I think a small amount and it was brought up at our meeting as another mum said to her that apparently she shouldn't be paying herself anything if she gets funding that we should all be volunteer's blah blah. I wasn't attacking her at all she's a god send but she's worried she's doing something wrong and I just wanted clarity so I could go back to her and reassure her! Sorry for the confusion!

OP posts:
EmbarrassingHadrosaurus · 26/02/2022 09:48

I just wanted clarity so I could go back to her and reassure her! Sorry for the confusion!

The only way to do that is to check the T&Cs of the grant.

Moneyhunter · 26/02/2022 09:48

Is it yourself who’s set up this group?

Thesearmsofmine · 26/02/2022 09:52

It would depend on the type funding she receives and the terms attached to it. Nobody here can answer.