To expect something for volunteering?

[Dogismyname]

I guess the clue is in “volunteering”; you don’t do it to get something but I’m feeling peeved off.

I volunteer for a charity that supports animals, mainly dogs. I adopted a rescue dog and wanted to help support so began volunteering. The charity is part of a company, the main company is profit making and expensive, very “high brow”. I’m not naive that charities can be used for tax avoidance, but I care for the animals.

The team is made up of mostly paid, salaried full-time staff (London wage too) and relies on volunteers for a vital process that without them (including me) the charity would cease to exist. I am the longest standing volunteer and there are 3 of us in total (they need more but the work requires a skill which some don’t have and a lot of time, so you have to do it longer term). I volunteer a couple of hours a week despite having a very demanding job. I do it at antisocial hours and isn’t an easy thing to do (trying not to out myself sorry!)

Basically, I’ve never received anything. The charity has a lot of branded clothing etc to raise money, I don’t think sending me one would hurt. However I never thought about it until recently.. I have the head of the charity on Instagram (she is the person I have to speak to most to do my work) it was her birthday last month and she received a gift - the item that the Company that runs the charity specialises in. I’ve never even received a happy birthday.

Also, I enquired with the company to pay for what they sell for an important event. I mentioned I was a volunteer with the charity arm and wasn’t even acknowledged. I did think they might give a small discount...this brand is used by celebrities and influencers and they are regularly gifted things, so I suppose it hurt.

I am wrong to expect some form of gesture / acknowledgement?

I am a volunteer and while I don't do it to get anything out of it, it is still nice to have your time and effort acknowledged.

I've worked for a charity before and we always made an effort to buy boxes of chocolates for volunteers at xmas/acknowledged birthdays with cards/generally making sure that they know that they are appreciated etc.

I volunteered for several years for a nonprofit that ran a reading intervention program. So, no branded gear or anything like that, and the director was a woman who lived on benefits, and no one including her was paid anything for their work. Despite this, and despite her low personal income, she STILL managed to come up with some kind of Christmas gift for her volunteers - sometimes it was posh chocolate bars, sometimes she collected free calendars/bookmarks, whatever she could manage. I'm pretty disgusted on your behalf that this charity of yours, which wouldn't be able to exist without your specialist help, can't even manage a birthday card for you. I'd probably stop helping them, and I'd definitely tell them why, but don't tell them and stay while hoping for things to change as I imagine your relationship with them will be soured.

The relationship has broken down and you feel used. They are wrong to not acknowledge your efforts after all these years but I don't think they will change. They are exploiting your generosity and goodwill. You will either have to suck it up or move on.

I'd advise the latter. On to better pastures. There will be other dog charities.

YANBU. I only work for a small charity but our volunteers get small bday gifts and are included in the work xmas meal and we pay for them. If they cannot make it they get chocolates and wine. They obviously get their expenses paid and I make a point of thanking them every time they finish a shift. Saying thank you so much for today as they are heading out the door doesn't take much. YANBU OP

Simple. Quit
You dont have to volunteer
I dont volunteer anywhere, my time and effort is worth money. I wont be taken advantage of.
Even if a workplace treats me like shit, least they still paying me and i get something for it

I really think that before you make a decision to do anything like quit, that you should give them feedback on how you feel. Your voice could actually influence how they do things and help them to improve. I think if you have stuck it out for so long that you owe it to yourself and the animals you care deeply for, to offer constructive criticism and give the charity a chance to respond and react to it.

I agree you’re been poorly treated, OP. I work for a non-profit and volunteers are regularly thanked and recognized. I’d take your talents elsewhere if I were you.

@Cryalot2

I used to think that all who were involved with charities were mostly voluntary. I found out the wages and expenses of a small local charity. I now never have anything to do with charity unless I do my homework first.

If you are unhappy and fell you are been taken advantage of speak to someone.

Charities are businesses. They have budgets, they need admin, they need to apply for grants etc. They can't run purely on volunteers.

The small charity that I volunteer for and am now a trustee of, employs four full time people, and has about 50 volunteers. Our paid director has huge job with great financial and legal responsibility, and in order to get someone good enough we need to pay the going rate. Same applies for our other staff.

It's bizarre that people think that charities with multi million pound budgets (or even 100,000 budgets) can be run by unqualified people with a couple of hours to spare here and there.

But re: the OP, no our volunteers don't get anything other than warm and frequent thanks for what they do.

This is why I only support small, local charities. ......offer your time to a local rescue. They and you will benefit a lot more as a result

I would definitely give some feedback as to why you are feeling like leaving. It doesn't cost anything to say thank you or wish someone a Happy Birthday. It sounds like they don't really appreciate the volunteers.

I have always volunteered all my adult life. The only thing I expect is a warm fuzzy glow, but that's a rarity too! 🤣

You have to get something from volunteering but normally its experience, meeting people or payback for something you feel passionate about. Once that stops it's time to move on. I'm only doing a governor job right now. However I do find the better you are in volunteering role over time, the more people take the piss of your generosity so the trick is to move on before you start feeling put on. Dont let it put you off volunteering. But you do need very firm boundaries and know when to.move on

@Nandocushion

I volunteered for several years for a nonprofit that ran a reading intervention program. So, no branded gear or anything like that, and the director was a woman who lived on benefits, and no one including her was paid anything for their work. Despite this, and despite her low personal income, she STILL managed to come up with some kind of Christmas gift for her volunteers - sometimes it was posh chocolate bars, sometimes she collected free calendars/bookmarks, whatever she could manage. I'm pretty disgusted on your behalf that this charity of yours, which wouldn't be able to exist without your specialist help, can't even manage a birthday card for you. I'd probably stop helping them, and I'd definitely tell them why, but don't tell them and stay while hoping for things to change as I imagine your relationship with them will be soured.

I also volunteered for years, at an organization like this. They were lovely, and the volunteer work was meaningful, and we were very much appreciated. It was a type of mentoring program for teens and young adults.

There wasn’t much money to be made by the employees, but they organized a pot luck Buffet for us annually, and also gave us work certificates and proper references if we needed them. It was nice to be appreciated, and I stayed their for more than 5 years.

You’re right to expect some thanks. I would say something to someone who could make that change. But do consider leaving, maybe do something else with your valuable contribution. I’m sorry they’ve made you feel this way, it’s unfair.

I volunteer for a dog charity and I get a Christmas card signed by the CEO. That's fine by me.

I think hoping for branded clothes is a bit much to be honest. Or for birthday wishes. A thank you is nice but it has to be more generic than personal.

I don’t think you’re being unreasonable to expect a bit of acknowledgement now and again.

I volunteer for a charity a couple of hours a week and I’m always ecstatic when I receive anything from them. We had food hampers at Christmas, birthday cards in the post and over lockdown they’d call once a week just to see how we were doing. I feel appreciated!

At the place I volunteer there was nothing for years except, funnily enough, shoes (which were awful and no one wanted them) Then they started taking the volunteering a bit more seriously as, apart from the help they get, it's also a great marketing opportunity, endless social media posts about the volunteers etc. There's now free clothing (all sponsored by a local outside firm so costs them nothing and another marketing opportunity as we're seen out and about with the logos on show), random mugs and pens, certificates etc. Plus travel is now refunded, though putting in expenses not encouraged. They've had your time and skills - take them elsewhere if you feel undervalued, I think with so few people involved at your place it's rubbish you're not shown a bit more appreciation.

You are a volunteer, shocking you expect something in return tbh.

I volunteered for two charities. The first one appeared to be run on a overtly commercial basis : you were given targets , a dress code , working time rota and subject to appraisal. The second one was just a cover to exploit people. The more you did the more they asked you to do. The final straw came when I was asked to clean the toilets before I went home. When I declined their kind offer I was told that not only was I letting the charity down but I was letting myself down. Never again.

Just because you are volunteering your time and expertise doesn't mean you should be taken for granted! People like to be appreciated, whether they are staff or volunteers, the extent that an organisation shows thier appreciation says a lot more about them than it does you! Volunteering had to be enjoyable, with a sense that it is worthwhile or its just not sustainable.

You should provide feedback. Which I bet won't be openly received!

That's charity for you!

YANBU

I volunteered for a year and was the only person in my section who didn't get paid but also was the only person doing anything productive. The management were on my back the whole time like I was management and even asked me to do things their paid staff were not capable of doing. In the end I got fed up and left. It totally put me off volunteering again.

if you volunteer in a charity shop you at least get a percentage off anything you want to buy i believe

Move on. If it is causing negative feelings, don't invest any more of your time there. You've contributed some time, which is more than a lot of others have, and helped some dogs in the name of your own rescued pal so don't feel bad about calling it a day. There are other charities you can volunteer at where you might have a revived enthusiasm 😀

I'm a Volunteer Coordinator for a local charity and I think that you're not wrong to expect some type of recognition.
I arrange training, development days, 1 to 1 support sessions, we have a volunteer evening once w year. Our volunteers are also invited to our nights out and away days (nothing fancy, they're in an allotment )
I'm relatively new in the role, they didn't have a coordinator before then but the volunteers were still acknowledged and looked after.

I would say that if you're not happy there are loads of voluntary organisations which would value you more.

YANBU. I think you need to write to the CEO and tell her about it, and offer some ideas as to how volunteers could be thanked and recognised.