In response to the anonymous poster: I understand what you are saying when you state that some contacts prefer to deal with only one person and no one else from that organization. I personally find this to be more the exception than the rule but then again, I am only one person. My experience has been that if you work with a contact long enough, and let them know up front (or work up to it along the way) that they may be dealing with another member from your group, I feel that as long as your intentions are good, it is rare to hear anything but support because your beliefs in the cause pass on to your contacts like a good virus. They feed off of your excitement and thus are more willing to share because they see the benefits too. It's a given that ferrets can be a hard sell to non-ferret people even for the best of us, but with the right motivation, even a dung beetle can have the support of a crowd. Building contacts is important for the survival of any volunteer run organization. When a volunteer leaves and takes ALL contacts with them, one has to wonder what the true motivation was behind them volunteering in the first place. Personally, I am very suspicious of people who tell me "they don't want to deal with anyone else but me." If the cause is true and your intentions have been made clear, a transition to deal with another volunteer should go relatively smoothly. Call me naive, but I did not volunteer my time, my creative talents, my mind or body, just to take it all away should the day come that I may have to leave our organization. My belief is that if the cause is worth fighting for, then I am helping it grow. I won't be helping by making a drawing line and taking it all with me when I go. I know full well I would be hurting the organization. As a counterpoint, I also understand that some people like to move from organization to organization, volunteering their time at different places, perhaps to learn the various processes, or just to have a change of pace or scenery. But the people I know who do this have told me that they always allow the contact to make the choice of whether or not they want to continue their relationship with a given charity. Understand that this is done in an environment of good faith, of good intentions, and with the understanding that the next charity you may choose to volunteer for may not get the support of your contact. Remember... contacts have to believe in a cause to support it. To me, this is a fair and ethical relationship of client and contact by allowing the contact to choose. I would agree that *some* volunteers don't know about the rules of joining an organization but I would not agree that most don't. Volunteering has been around for a long time. There is no definitive drawing line between organizations like the Cancer Society, Heart and Lung Association, the Red Cross and a long term ferret rescue in terms of its volunteers other than what people choose to make in their minds. The only difference is that people at the top of the first three get a pay check, while shelters don't have that luxury. Volunteering, simply stated, is work for no pay, regardless of what you do or what organization you choose to volunteer for. All volunteer based organizations have troubles with their volunteers and theft, but I strongly feel most of this stems from fear, or rather lack of fear. Nothing keeps a person more in line with their employer than the fear of losing a paycheck. Volunteers have no such incentive in place and thus they feel they can do what ever, or how little they want, including taking what they feel is *rightfully* theirs. But as you say a contract would help clarify that point for those that seem unclear about the concept of volunteering. Some cities do have organizations dedicated to helping charities with volunteer issues. I urge anyone who has this opportunity, take it. They are very helpful and informative. Some people tend to blow off volunteer work and treat it more like it is something to do when they don't have anything better to do. But truly dedicated volunteers are worth their weight in gold. They sweat blood and tears in their efforts to see their seedling contributions blossom into bringing more to their cause. And nothing stops them. They build contacts that are intended for the organization and not for themselves. They bring life and vitality because of their belief in the cause. I personally would not want a volunteer putting in a single moment for our organization if the ferrets were not the upper most focus of their intentions. At times, I get volunteers who meld me with the cause. To them, I am the organization, but the reality is that I am not. I am only a cog in the wheel, but I am not the wheel. Sometimes it's hard for people to make the separation. I bleed, I cry, I recover and go on. The organization bleeds, it's a long hard recovery. I understand also what you are saying about the treatment of volunteers with good and bad eggs being on both sides. I guess that also needs to be tempered with opinion and point of view for one man's heaven is another man's hell. betty and her blur o'fur for the love of ferrets... [Posted in FML issue 4121]