Volunteering demands

[Surreality22]

I've been a volunteer for 10 years, I also work full time so only do this at the occasional weekend and evening. So it would work out maybe 2-3 times a month usually. Most of the other volunteers are retired people or students.

It's an outdoors related group with activities for children. I help out with both organised events and another group for older kids which has stopped for a while due to lack of interest. They also have a young kids group at the weekend occasionally. I'm not a kid person and was initially hoping to do another role when I started (more practical work) but what I've been doing was fine as it was only occasional.

However they keep asking me to help out at this group with younger kids. I've already told them I'm not involved with the young kids group. And also they keep asking us to do training courses. I'm just finding it a bit overwhelming, I've got a lot going on in my life just now and this just feels like additional pressure.

Be straight with them about what you are / are not willing to do.
Tell them that if this isn't OK you will be happy to find somewhere else to volunteer.

Or just stop until the rest of your life is calmer.

I think there are two separate things there.

As pp said, be clear with them you are happy to do X but not Y. Either (or both) because that is where your interest or skills or enjoyment lies, and / or because that is all the time you have available.

Re the courses, it depends.

would like to hope that ALL organisation that have people working with children and young people have policies in place to make sure everyone is up to date with things like their Safeguarding - as much for their own protection as for the protection of children. That is par for the course, so you should expect to have to do those.

I'm involved in a group for children.

All the volunteers (whether they work with children or not) need the safety, GDPR, and safeguarding training. Plus a DBS check.

Separately to that, only people who want to work with the children work with the children. And generally an age group of their choosing. (Although we cover for each other during illness etc or if an extra pair of hands is needed for a one off)

I am sorry that you are experiencing this. I have found your post very helpful though.
I recently volunteered for a specific role with a national charity, and have been asked to undertake a very different role ‘until the training for the original position can be arranged’
I responded to an advertisement for the original role, and have very relevant experience.
It has put me off volunteering really. It’s not like I need to have one day per week occupied as I am bored. I volunteered for one role.

The thing about volunteering is, in my experience, that you offer your time, energy, experience and potentially expertise and before you know where you are, you’ve taken on extra duties, or something quite different from what was envisaged. The more you do, the more is asked of you and you end up spending money and time doing stuff that others are being paid for and then you’re the go to person, when others won’t or can’t.

It’s put me off several roles and I think it’s a shame.

I have undertaken various voluntary roles - as a home librarian, a volunteer at a hospital in the cafe/shop, at a dog rescue and a covid vaccine centre and have felt pushed around and unappreciated at all of them and I know it is not just me. Some have spoken to me like I am stupid and some of the other volunteers have been very full of themselves and bossy or even worse. I volunteered one Xmas to help with the lunches and packed evening meals at a Salvation Army centre and honestly they were horrible to me one and almost no one spoke to me. I now prefer to help others on an ad hoc basis and not through formal channels eg take my neighbour shopping etc.

..........and the other side of that is there are thousands (well, I suspect millions) of people across the country that volunteer and get a huge amount from it. Including lifelong friendships. I also know many who have married after meeting each other through the organisation I volunteer with.

Would you be the scouts @Surreality22 would it?

Only volunteer the time you can, on the whole most volunteer groups are appreciate of that. Just be honest and upfront about the time you can commit.

I have organised teams of volunteers in the past and honestly? If you don't say what you are willing to do they will rinse you until every last charitable bone in your body is volunteered out.

Speak now or forever be exhausted.

I hear you OP.
Different circumstances got me bug I volunteer in a national charity in a key committee role and I’m sick of the abuse I get from people we are trying to make life better for.

Please tell them you're unable to do it and will have to leave if this continues.

Unfortunately if they can take advantage they will as they cotton on to those who are reliable and hardworking. Having volunteered all of my adult life there are the same few who turn up and get on with it. Charities forget they have lives and expect more and more. No wonder charities are short of volunteers.

Yep, I got fed up with having appraisals, pressure, etc. If I wanted to do that sort of thing, I'd get a paid job.

@Wombat27A . True. It's not enough to turn up and get on with it. There's so much expectation and it's unfortunately not taken into account that volunteers also have limited resources. It's constantly having to say no and being guilt tripped. They don't have to be there.

Thanks everyone. Apparently they have a couple of new folk started so hopefully they will help with that kids group. I'll let them know (again) that I don't do the younger group. The training is a safeguarding course but appears to be taking place during my working hours, so I'd need to ask for some time out to do it (which would probably be ok but still).

I've stepped in before and helped with the kids group when they had nobody, as with other times when someone has been sick, I didn't mind doing that if I was free. But I don't want to be doing it all the time. It's not Scouts or similar. In fairness they're a nice bunch, there's no nastiness or anything I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed.

@Wombat27A you got appraisals for volunteering?! Wow. It's bad enough getting them for work.

Yep, kept got being dragged in by the manager to discuss progress (not in a bad way). I liked the actual work, which was subsidising a youth place with a coffee shop. But given I don't work after having had bad experiences with managers in employment, it caused me quite a lot of distress.

I took a volunteer role at a local animal charity. I quickly discovered the paid staff there were very unfriendly and wanted nothing to do with the volunteers ... things like separate tables at tea break. Essentially they were on zero hours contracts and every hour supplied by a volunteer was one less they could take and be paid for. I understood how they felt and left!!!

There's only one or two paid people where I am and no issues there. Everyone is treated nicely.

I'm sorry that was a stressful experience for you Wombat. I think volunteering shouldn't have the pressure that paid employment has. I was a bit surprised when I had to go through interview and another background check for another role in the exact same company but hey ho.