Or are some volunteer organizations really cheeky?

[CaptSkippy]

I am interested in becoming a volunteer for an organisation. So this week I approached them and when I told them I was interested they immediately starting making demands. I have to do several months of training, at least one night shift a week and two days shifts a week.

I have done similar work with a different organisation before and I know what the work entails, so I am surprised they need me to do so many weeks of training. Furthermore, due to my work schedule I can't meet all of these demands, or even most of them.

AIBU to think that they should not look a gifted horse in the mouth and that my obligations to my employer come first?

I’ve managed voluntary orgs before, and the problem is that sometimes you need a certain level of commitment or it’s not worth the training and other costs of having an extra volunteer.

We appreciated offers of help, but couldn’t always take them up.

I had a similar experience... with a local animal shelter. I wasn't allowed to help out unless I have them 3 full days. They are still crying out for volunteers.

That's another thing, some organisations have salaried managers and ceo's, but the grunt work is all done by volunteers. I think if you are local and the job requires little training, then they would be fools not accept anyone who can work at least half a day a week.

I think that any organisation who needs more from people will just have to pay them.

The only time I can see they turning down volunteers is if they have too many, which I have also seen.

Eg at the last place I managed, we had to provide uniforms to volunteers plus regular training (thetraining had to be redone periodically). That cost money which had all been donated, so we couldn’t justify spending that on somebody who wanted to volunteer once a month. We had a minimum threshold for what we needed.

I don’t think that’s being cheeky, it’s identifying what’s actually useful to the organisation.

The problem is voluntary organisations are looking for unpaid staff to do regular work, volunteers are looking for a small role to fill the free hrs they’ve got.

With an attitude like that, I don’t think you are any kind of gift.

I assume the work is some kind of helpline listening to or advising vulnerable people? More and more charities have to now use volunteers to deliver complex services which would once have sat in the NHS or local authorities - roles that in an ideal world would be paid. The charity still needs to offer a safe, quality service, and that means having trained, committed, vetted people.

Volunteer management is every bit as taxing as staff management. Having someone there who thinks they know it all already and can chop and change agreed hours and expect you to be grateful is worse than useless.

Sounds like their recruitment methods are ensuring they weed out the wrong types...

I think it depends on the type of work you’re doing. That level of training would be wholly appropriate for mountain rescue or RNLI, for example, where there’s a need to cope with extreme situations. Making tea for the local church lunch club I’d say they’re asking too much.

I think it depends on the type of work and organisation. For example I'd expect a volunteer that works in a care home to undergo some degree of health and safety training even if doing so is inconveniencing for the potential volunteer.

To some extent you should know what you're signing up for. That said, there are quite a few volunteers that want to be put on a pedal-stool because of their virtuous self-sacrifice.

I do see your point though. I used to do some voluntary translating -essentially writing up the translated text in a word document and sending it over to their design team to design etc. When my voluntary co-ordinator discovered that my daytime job was actually based in design she'd try to get me to essentially do all the design work too. Nope. That's not what I signed up for and indeed the design takes a lot longer than the translation. I said no thanks; we have conflicting goals etc and she went off on a strop about my lack of dedication to the cause.

Guess who called a few weeks later when a backlog of translations needed doing and they didn't have enough translators?

I have had various volunteer jobs over the years. The orgizations I liked best were the ones who were open in communications. If there was a loll in the work that needed doing they would say so and schedule fewer people and if they needed more they would take anyone they could get, even if that meant only once a month.

I have also worked for organzations that were organized like they were professional profit generating companies. Lots of fancy gear, countless websites on which you would need to make accounts and uniforms that were actually not needed, because initially I did my work in my own clothes. These organizations were my least favorite, because they treat you like a low paid employee, without actually paying you. The drama was always higher at these places. Managers would often be replaced and whenever that happened always a few volunteers would walk away due to clashes with new management. Highly unstable environments, that's for sure.

I'd let them find their ideal candidate. The coordinators obviously think they are out there.

Just because an organisation is a charity does not mean it will manage people well. Just like any organisation in any sector. Some of it is about the culture and mindset of the organisation itself and the values it sets itself but also the local mindset and capabilities of the manager. For a volunteer you can pick an organisation and management that you feel more aligned with to work with. If it doesn’t fit both practically or on a meaningful basis then it won’t work for either party.

@Askmeaskme my free labor is a gift. I don't mind if they have no need for it or won't except it, but their attitude makes the exchange feel like a one way street.

I also feel ambivalent about doing volunteer work. I also wonder if by being a volunteer I am reinforcing a system that causes unemployement and keeps wages low. If a lot of training and specialisation is required, I feel it is work that should be done by professionals and not volunteers.

There are certainly roles being done by volunteers that should be paid, but what do you suggest the answer is when government funding has been cut to the bone?

That's just it, Bombardier. I feel like I am enabling the government to keep doing that. I have enjoyed my volunteer jobs. I have worked with some amazing people and left the places that had too much drama, but I do wonder if I am complicit in this system which appears to feed into mass exploitation of labor.

It sounds Like you're experienced and have some skills to offer. Could you contact the volunteer coordinator with a suggestion of what hours you can do and the work you could take on. They may view you as a special case, one that doesn't necessarily need all the training.

The organisation needs to keep you and service users safe, and therefore will need to ensure volunteers are adequately trained. Sadly charities and voluntary organisations are not immune to being sued, and therefore risk assessment and appropriate training is essential. I don’t think that’s really that surprising. If that commitment is beyond what you are able to give, then there are probably other volunteer roles available elsewhere to which you are better suited.

I’m assuming it’s the Samaritans? My DM ran a Samaritans branch and was involved in delivering the training, which as you say, ran for months. However, it’s absolutely necessary, it’s an incredibly tough volunteer role and throughout training they are also assessing you. DM has declined some volunteers at the end of training as she felt they weren’t suitable.

It's with animals and I don't object to some training, as this I have not worked for this specific organisation before. I have worked for one that did similar work, but in a different part of the country (I have recently moved).
Three months is however more than I have done for any paid, unskilled job and this volunteer job is definitely unskilled.

I will offer them what I can and they can take it or leave it. I can always go somewhere else, but I was just taken aback by their attitude, although it's not the first time I have encountered it. My response is always the same though, this is what I have to offer and no more.

I do feel I am facing this situation more often lately, like they are doing me a favour by letting me work for free, when I feel it is more the other way around. Although I would of course never sign up for work I would hate.

I forgot to add that they also demand that I take the training in one go and due to my having to travel for my paid job, I simply am unable to do this.

‘On a pedal-stool’ ??? 😂 that’s a new one on me !

I did Samaritans but I really got to the point where I couldn’t cope with the hours.

It is difficult because I recognise that they need people to be committed but there is commitment and commitment. I was committed, but I couldn’t turn up at my paid role exhausted.

I think a lot of students do Samaritans and retired people; I have concluded it is impossible for people who work full time to do!