Someone posted yesterday on having a horrible experience during their
time volunteering.  I'm sorry that you had to go through that.  As an
administrator of sorts, I can tell you that it can be just as horrible
being on the other side.
 
Having to deal with people who "say" they are interested in volunteering
for a worthy cause can easily become a nightmare.  When it comes right
down to it, there are not many people who will give up precious time
without a paycheck, and the very reason why I consider those that DO hang
in there wanting absolutely nothing more than to see happy ferret faces
absolute gold in my eyes.  Volunteering *can be* thankless if you look
for rewards in the wrong places.
 
I sometimes wish that words were enough.  I used to have volunteers who
were unhappy with receiving just words of praise - it seemed that they
wanted much more.  It directly affected the rest of the volunteers and
became a tense time for all involved.  Being a volunteer myself for a
shelter that does not cover the cost of "appreciation presents" while
just having enough money to cover my own expenses, I cannot afford to
buy gifts everytime someone does a good job.  That's what made my time
with these particular volunteers a sad one.  They didn't hear all the
words of praise and were looking to be rewarded in ways I could not
provide.  Donations to the shelter are precious and are used for
fundraising and raffles.  We are not large enough to have excess
donations fall into our laps.  I think that these volunteers didn't
really understand how non-profits struggle with keeping their shelter
alive and keeping their volunteers.  It is a hard job that few really
have the stamina for.
 
I've personally had to deal with individuals who were more interested in
"being rewarded" rather than doing the work.  Unfortunately many of the
shelters on this list rely heavily on their volunteers and why it is so
important the volunteers are serious in their commitments and follow
through with what they have promised.  Shelters cannot always "wait" for
volunteers to "eventually" coming around and doing their tasks.  As it is
with paid jobs, a volunteer is still responsible to get their share of
the work done in a timely manner.  I saw far too often volunteers wanting
to have more fun than actually doing the work.  And as we all know, a
burden shared is a burdened lightened.  When things don't get done in a
timely manner, frustration sets in and feelings get hurt.
 
As a volunteer I know that I did not give up my precious time to meet a
person's needs but to fulfill the role of furthering a cause and in this
case, to help the ferrets.  Disagreements about how things should be done
always happen, but when people look beyond the personal differences and
keep focused on the ferrets, then petty differences become secondary or
even obsolete.  I also know for me that there are times when I do not
agree with the way things are done, but as a volunteer who got into this
for a specific reason, I also understand that I may not always be seeing
the entire picture.  It was quite the eye opening experience to sit on
both sides of the fence at different times.  Working with volunteers can
be more exhausting than being paid to look after a group of people as
volunteers always have one out... they don't get paid by you and so
sometimes they use it as a way to bargain their position.  I'm sorry,
but if a volunteer truly has the cause at heart, there is no need for
bargaining.
 
In the group I deal with now, everyone gets along because there is great
respect for those that are volunteering.  There is no one who keeps track
of hours and so no fights or disagreements over who puts in more or does
more work occur.  There is an understanding that because of work
schedules that not everyone is free to put in as much time as some others
might.  Everyone and every contribution is greatly appreciated because we
all know that it balances out in the end.
 
Perhaps your bad experience was based upon miscommunication or a
misunderstanding.  It would be my hope that you have not given up on
non-profit you volunteered for and take some time to see it from their
point of view.  Sometimes all it takes is being in someone else's shoes
for awhile.
 
ANON
[SW]
[Posted in FML issue 4211]