AIBU to expect a proper thank you?

[Mayflower282]

I’ve been volunteering for a local charity helping run support groups for a year, this is the only acknowledgement/thanks I have received from the charity all year (see mass email sent). I would estimate that I have volunteered at least 200 hours of my time. Is it just me or would an end of year proper “thank you” addressed to my name be too much to ask? AIBU to expect a thank you? Maybe I’m expecting too much? 🤔 (the charity has 50 paid staff and 100 volunteers)

I’m astonished that the sender doesn’t seem to think a thank you is warranted here.

That is pants- grants to celebrate volunteers are usually fairly easily available, otherwise a purposeful heartfelt thanks email at minimum, not a footnote token gesture like this. I’d send some feedback

They are probably overwhelmed at this time of year and just trying to get everything done so they can be with their families.

Incredibly poor.

My first thought too!

Awful behaviour imo. I volunteer in a local pantry/foodbank. I got a lovely handwritten card from the coordinator thanking me as did every other volunteer. It doesn’t take much to thank people (not that we expect it) but it’s nice to know your effort is appreciated.

I don’t agree with this, a simple thank you in an email doesn’t take too much effort.

That’s very thoughtless and ungrateful of them. Your choice as to whether you wish to continue supporting but they sound like they take volunteers for granted, and just like in the paid work force, that’s a way to cheese people off and lower morale.

I volunteer 1 day per week for a charity and they are so appreciative of their many volunteers who work in different areas for them. Today we had a small Christmas social event with drinks, mulled wine and nibbles provided, and a personal card with a thoughtful message. They show their appreciation to volunteers in small ways throughout the year.

I previously volunteered for a small
local charity and they were just clueless, well-meaning but so disorganised and unappreciative that I looked for a different charity to spend my time with. I don’t want gifts and bouquets - just a simple thanks occasionally is nice.

Maybe they're a volunteer too and nobody has thanked them 😂

They could still thank - I thank other volunteers as a volunteer

Doesn't take 2 seconds to say oh BTW thanks

I’d reply to them and state as you worked 200 free for them this year without even a thank you that you’d rather not bother next year as you might as well be getting paid for the amount of effort and time you put in with no acknowledgement of what you’ve done for them so you might have been working!

I think that’s a very poor way to treat volunteers. I volunteered for Breast Cancer Care for several years, and they really made everyone feel so valued. They always sent thank you cards and emails at Christmas and arranged regular events to thank their volunteers. The staff recognised that they would not have been able to provide their range of services without the support of volunteers.

Then you don't punch down.

It would have taken less than a minute to add a sentence acknowledging the volunteers time and effort and saying thank you

Charities are short sighted not to.

I volunteered for the WRVS home library service for about a year (probably around 100 hours) and didn't get a thank you of any kind. I had to stop after having a baby because it was difficult getting her in and out of the car repeatedly (the clients were too far apart to walk it) and they didn't even really acknowledge I'd left even!

It's very poor.

There's no thank you in the message.

The "many thanks" is a sign off.

They aren’t even thanking you, “many thanks” is a sign off.

I think you are being very gracious seeing that as anything like an acknowledgement or a thank you. It’s not. It’s just a demand for further commitment from you.

I’ve yet to volunteer for any organisation that shows any gratitude to the volunteers. They all seem to think they are doing the volunteers a favour by giving them the opportunity to experience the warm fuzzy feeling that unpaid labour for a good cause might bring.

very rude to have not written one sentence of

thank you for all your help this year

That’s terrible OP. I get a thank you at the AGM and a little gift and I only volunteer two hours a week plus prep time.

I work for a charity mixture paid and voluntary, I'm paid staff but previously have been voluntary. I think this is very poor on their part. Regardless of how busy they are, management/volunteer co ordinator should be taking the time to do way better than this. Like most charities, without volunteers ours would collapse.

That’s awful and so impersonal. I volunteer for a local branch of an animal charity I know they’re very grateful for the time I give. They hold a volunteer thank you event few months.

Surely it wouldn't take more than a few seconds to add a paragraph such as:

'Thank you so much for your invaluable support this year. Our organisation couldn't function without the hard work of all our volunteers and we are very grateful.'

If the volunteers don't feel motivated to help next year due to the lack of appreciation, the charity will struggle to provide their services to the people who need them. It's quite short-sighted on their part.

Very poor. I volunteer with BHF and received a card with a personal thank you and we also have an event twice per year with tea/cake/ etc where all the volunteers get together.

Wow.

The time it took to send the email they could have easily added a sentence or two saying thank you.

I volunteer a lot (I set up a youth group) I also manage a team of volunteers and would not dream of not sending them a thank you at the end of year. They are my bread and butter, we could not run without them and I'd be absolutely lost without them giving up their time.

Thank you OP for the time you have given to tour cause. 200 hours is a huge commitment.