Manager asks to volunteer for a charity they are connected to

[thezoz]

I work for a large employer and one of the priorities for 2019 for staff development was to encourage volunteering - everyone got a couple of extra days off, people are encouraged to share their charitable activities and stories on the intranet etc.
My manager organised a group volunteering opportunity for the team with a small charity. The choice was surprising for some people (not a pet / family / sports / health organisation, but rather supporting a very niche cause, not close to everyone's heart, and some even may say controversial). After some social media research, it turned out that the manager's close family member is involved in managing this charity (this was not disclosed to us), and it is very likely that another family member is a user of the charity's services.
AIBU to raise an official concern about this situation? I am all pro volunteering (and do volunteer and fundraise myself), but it does feel like we are just being used as free labour to someone else's benefit, and this does not sit right with me. Shouldn't there be a transparent selection process in such cases?

They support immigrants from a particular overseas country (the manager is originally from) with an equivalent of Citizens Advice (in their own language) and English courses.

What's controversial about that? I have worked with loads of small charities like this.

Your prejudice is showing

Husbands company does team volunteering regularly. Team members who volunteer to organise it pick the charity or social organisation. They once did some DIY for a community hub his mother helps at, another time they did similar for the scouts. As long as you're not forced I don't see it being a problem.

This is the problem with forced volunteering. You don’t really care about this charity and why should you? It’s aimed at a specific group you have no connection to. And now you’re having to prove your right on credentials to MN or otherwise you are the equivalent of Nigel Farage.

I hear you.

Come on, its hardly "forced volunteering" im sure if someone felt passionately enough to not want to do it then they can say no. But they should accept the judgments that may come with that, if they dont want to do it be honest and own it.

As long as it’s a group that need help I’d have no issue. When I was a teacher there were floods in my home country, a place of real poverty, and we did a fundraiser at school and sent clothing. I was really touched that the community was so eager to give and support so readily a school I went to and their families when they were at such a difficult point.

Would you consider I abused my position in some way doing this? Would it horrify you the extra money was used to send the children who’d been through relocation, lost homes, had nothing, on holiday to the sea? Quite a frivolous extra....

I can't see how that's controversial op.

I think it's the concealment that makes it seem odd to me.

We have a similar scheme where I work and people have emailed around something like, "I'm using my volunteering day to support xyz. My sister is on the board and my nephew benefits from their services. They are only small but they do a fantastic job. If anyone else would like to come, just let me know"

I think the fact the boss didn't mention family connections is why it feels 'off'

However supporting refugees with English and study skills doesn't sound that controversial to me. As long as people are clear what they were volunteering for and it was clear they could could choose something else then I don't think there's a problem here

Laughing at the idea that a manager of a small charity will get promotion from having some employees volunteer a few days of their time. In reality, a lot of small charities refuse to accept employee volunteers like this for a few days, as it is actually quite a bit of extra work to organise. No way would the manager get a promotion or even kudos from this.
Of course I understand that this charity is not one you care about. But to say it is a controversial one does make you sound like a racist.

yanbu to want to use the time off for your own volunteering/preferred causes, rather than the charity your manager has a link to, but yabu to raise an official concern.

Would it be OK if the manager arranged for everyone to volunteer in their children's school as a corporate effort?

Yes, assuming that the school in question had some kind of meaningful project they needed people to work on. I don't see the problem.

What is wrong or controversial about an immigrant group having access to advice and information, presumably in their own language?

I am a trustee of a charity in a very different area but equally a charity that not everyone is wholeheartedly behind. I would never suggest my employees join me in fundraising or volunteering. Particularly not if my family members were beneficiaries.

It would be an issue to make people support an anti-abortion charity if they are pro choice. But one to help refugees (or immigrants?) I assume the people are not breaking any laws, why the fuck shouldn’t everyone want to offer citizens advice type info to them? What a strange attitude.

I think you need to be more honest with yourself. It feels like you don't really approve of this charity. And that's fine, you have a right to your feelings. But be honest and tell your manager you would rather use your volunteering days to work at XYZ charity instead. I think if you approved of this charity then you wouldn't be posting because surely all volunteering is "free labour to someone else's benefit" as you put it.

I was sure this was going to be about a mermaids related group too!

And it would be easier for the manager to organise if there are family connections. As I said many local charities will not accept this kind of volunteers, which is why so much of this type of volunteering is things like tree planting or painting a hall.
So asking someone you know who works in a charity would be an easy choice for your manager.

The other possibility, of course, is that your manager was asked to organise something, couldn't really be arsed and so asked his family member if you could all volunteer with them.

Family member probably has better things to do than entertain a dozen volunteers with no experience. We have volunteers from businesses all the time at our charity. They usually end up weeding gardens or painting things that don't really need painting because we have nothing else for them to do, but don't want to turn down their kind offers. We usually look on it as an opportunity to increase awareness of of our services, so that they can use us in the future if they have the need, not as a freebie for us to take advantage of.

Honestly, usually you are more trouble than you are worth

I am happy to volubteer but isn’t it normal to have more connection with some causes and not others? Would everyone here be happy to work with sex offenders? Probably not. I think it’s fair enough to choose a more general cause more people are happy with, or vote on the choice. Also if a family member uses this service there might be an ethical issue. Tricky situation.

I think it's the concealment that makes it seem odd to me

Agreed. The charity sounds great but why didn't the manager talk about her personal experience with it? In my company, we always get more donations when the nominating colleague can talk personally about the charity's services.

Or maybe there is no connection and OP's suspicions are wrong...

If you already volunteer for a charity I would say that you are just going to use your extra time for that charity. I don't see why your manager gets to choose where all of you have to volunteer - doing something you don't want to do is the opposite of volunteering surely?

Anyway do charities really want people to turn up for a couple of days and then bugger off, I can understand if it's for a one off fundraising event but apart from that I would have thought that it's more work for a charity than it's worth (unless of course it's a PR exercise to get people to dedicate themselves to the cause long term). And FWIW I think you're perfectly entitled to value some charities more than others (as is your manager, but he shouldn't be imposing his views on others).

They support immigrants from a particular overseas country (the manager is originally from) with an equivalent of Citizens Advice (in their own language) and English courses.

WTF is ‘controversial’ about that?

Yes, I agree hazell I think the OP is way overvaluing their time to the charity. Especially the kind of charity she describes. It will have been a lot of work for them to find something you can actually do.

Volunteering= voluntary!

Riannna I can not think of any possible ethical issue. These volunteers are not going to be given access to sensitive information about clients.

Unless it’s Mermaids YABU

How is that controversial? Are you racist?