to not volunteer for St John's Ambulance?

[MaMaLa321]

I applied to be a steward at our local Covid vaccination centre - basically standing around in the cold, showing people where to go.
My online application form arrived yesterday, and my heart sank when I saw that it had eight sections. But I gamely started, telling them why I wanted to do it, and why I would be good at doing it.
Then I found two references.
Then I was asked for my employment and volunteering history. I've been retired for several years, and , before that, had several jobs. I really don't see why that information is needed.
Then of course, the gender, ethnicity, 'do I fully identify as the gender I was assigned at birth' and which religion I identify as.
Just to steward people around.
So, I've given up. It just seems utterly disproportionate to me.

YANBU Op - I agree this form sounds disproportionate for a stewarding role. I cannot imagine what SJA are going to do with info about your gender & ethnic identity - I’d be really interested to know how they are planning to use this info. As a PP mentioned I believe forms collating this info are not effective in tackling discrimination, and are little more than a box ticking exercise.

There is no way I would give SJA access to my medical records either - is this really a requirement to volunteer?!

This is probably a standard form. The organisation would have been busy this year, as with all medical organisations. It's unlikely that Covid volunteer roles are treated any differently from the usual first aid work
This seems likely. I suppose organisations save time & effort by having a one size fits all volunteer application form. That’s fine if one size really does fits all volunteer roles, but that doesn’t seem to the case, and could be counter productive for SJA if it the form deters potential volunteers from applying.

I don’t agree that the fact Op doesn’t want to complete this form is an indication she would be unsuitable for this role. I am hardworking, reliable & conscientious but wouldn’t be volunteering for SJA if I had to complete this application process.

OP I do think the process sounds disproportionate for what sounds like a temporary low responsibilty role, but no one is twisting your arm.

@FudgeSundae it is a fair point that application processes can be a barrier to volunteering, which is a shame because volunteering should be as inclusive as possible. But, there also needs to be a balance between supporting volunteer involvement and actually delivering the charity remit. Basic (and yes it is now considered basic to be able to fill in an online form) tech skills are integral to charity work now, so having volunteers on board who cant or wont engage with tech can be a real liability. Posting and printing paper newsletters costs money, unlike enews. Chasing up someone by phone takes so much longer than sending an email. Etc etc. I do work with some amazing experienced vols who dont even own a mobile phone, but I would bend over backwards to keep them involved anyway. On the other hand there are individuals who resent the world moving on without them and are actually a massive drain on my time and energy, which frankly is hard to justify for the amount they actually "give back". Although we keep them involved, I wouldnt be in a hurry to recruit new people knowing that they dont have the basic tech skills needed to be useful.

@Orf1abc

Hundreds of thousands of people signed up to volunteer in March/ April, but when it came to actually doing anything, only a small number stepped up. This is the same, if you can't be bothered to complete the form, chances are you won't be particularly committed to the role.

This is a temporary stewarding job, not a job as a police officer.

I'm with the OP, it's ridiculous.

That said if it's with St John then they might just be using the same form they'd use for first aiders etc.

A reference would be sufficient, they don't need to know all the details of someone's employment history except where it's relevant for the role.

Organisations are supposed to collect information that is necessary and proportionate. I fail to see how all the info the OP describes fits those criteria for directing people in a certain direction.