h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: How to sort out Volunteers - A13284588
Author: LLwaz - U123301

Written from 20 years experience on one side of the fence, and a concurrent sentence of 12 years on the other. It's not standard EG fare, I know. Has it any chance written from this angle?

The title would need changing - something like Volunteer Management - how to reduce the workload, maybe.

Possibly an addition, at the end, of a Postscript - Something to consider first, though, is whether you really do want to lose all that free labour - if not, try the above in reverse. would make it more EGable?

Bill in footnote 2 is a generic Bill here, of course.

It was written for something different but I thought it might have a use.

Wasn't this in a while back? It looks terribly familiar. I remember not liking it the first time, being a volunteering type of person.
In this case, you approach it totally negatively, assuming that "managing" means "getting rid of".

Shouldn't it really be about how to keep them in line and keep them motivated without letting them get in the way? That seems to me to be more productive, if anything.

Does being in the Post mean non EGable? It was, not too long ago.

It is about keeping them motivated. Sometimes tackling something from the opposite viewpoint makes the point more sharply.

I'm a volunteering type of person too - 21 years this September in one case. And, shooting myself in the foot a bit here, for an organisation that commits the worst of these on a regular basis.

I honestly think this approach would get through to them more effectively than a straight article.

Where I do my paid work owes volunteers a great deal for the quality of what it does - it's manages them well. It's an issue I feel strongly about.

Yep - this was most definitely in the post, and it was very suited to being there. However, I don't quite see how this would fit into the EG.

I'm a Governor at two local schools and help as a collector for Hospital Radio, does that make me self-serving or a nuisance do-gooder?
Due to apathy its difficult to get people to occupy these positions, and support the schools.
In governor newsletters, its usual to have whinging from those involved who want reimbursment for their expenses.
These positions should surely be seen as vocational in nature, I'm on benefits bringing up two children alone, not through choice.
I try to fill my time being useful, and helping a community that has helped me.
Your statements are very sweeping and bitter,and I wonder why?
Why not add a piece on parasitic, benefit scroungers, I can supply you with lots of detail

That makes you someone who cares and gets stuck in, and someone who deserves better than to ever experience any of these things.

It's surprising me a bit that people are as inclined as they are to take this as serious advice on how to upset volunteers. It's written assuming no one would ever choose to do that deliberately and that any reader would assume that also and see it as illustrating what not to do.

The actions in it happen from lack of thought, I think. Or perhaps a perception that volunteers enjoy what they do so much that bad management doesn't affect them - I don't know.

The problem with a straight piece on keeping volunteers happy is that so much of it is obvious, basic common sense, that it doesn't sink in. You read it thinking 'well, of course' and 'that's obvious, what I am reading this for?' and not really listening.Well, I confess I would. This style would hit home.

It's not meant to be bitter, maybe a bit sarky. I get exasperated sometimes, and sometimes angry when people get hurt by such lack of thought... It looks as though a U-turn postscript, as I said in post 1, might be an idea whatever happens with this piece.

Thanks for your kind words as I really do care.
I'm just a bit thick and had had a bad day, and I'm sorry I rushed through it without reading your entry properly.
Its good for us to say sorry when we are totally crap, so thanks for writing it and I'm not such a bad sort when not tired or hormonal!!
Take care
Soo

I don't think this is appropriate for the EG. It's very much a personal perspective, and it would be very difficult for me to recommend it knowing that readers could (as reviewers have) consider it serious advice. I'm a regular volunteer with the local Wildlife Trust, and I don't recognise any of the 'suggestions'; they would probably be quite offensive to the staff that deal with vols regularly. I run nature camps in the summer that are very volunteer-reliant, and I don't recognise that side either.

I'm not saying that what you have written is cobblers, but it certainly doesn't apply across a range of jobs volunteers might do.

We could do with Entries on Volunteering and How To Manage Volunteers, but I'm afraid this isn't either. I'm sure if you turned your hand and expert knowledge to either of those, you'd get a much more favourable response.

Sorry to be a naysayer, but I hope this helps

I agree this isn't going to go anywhere, so I'll pull it. Thanks for taking the time Skankyrich.

I do think argue the principles behind most suggestions could be applied across the whole field of volunteering though. (Except perhaps when, like tibbysoo, the volunteers are effectively the managers.) Even wildlife/conservation work. With the group we have restoring some local heathland, it's going to take some honesty and persuasion to keep the whole group going longterm. Mainly to keep a group of people whose opinions range from 'never cut a tree down' to 'restore every possible inch back to ancient heathland' working as a team. I'd say that was the congruity of goals one. And appreciating a range of different interests.

Tibbysoo, I'm glad you came back and saw my answer, I didn't like that you'd been that upset. Maybe due, or partly due to reading in it the context of the Edited Guide which tends to be straight?

Anyway, off to find the x button.

'...a group of people whose opinions range from 'never cut a tree down' to 'restore every possible inch back to ancient heathland' working as a team' - now I know that group of people very well, here's my local reserve A6958164

Don't get me wrong, it is a good read; in fact each time I read it gets a little wittier Thanks very much for submitting it, it's always nice to see a new angle and sorry you didn't get a more favourable response.

Thanks Skankrich, that's appreciated.

I'll swap you - A636022 - my local heath . Quite a few parallels to yours by the sound of it. Including Silver studded blues. Which I have now seen there. Unfortunately at Prees, only a smallish part of the site is being rejuvenated. Most is still increasingly ploughed up and fertilised.

Ooops, sorry, missed a y there!

PS we have an excellent warden appointed for three years who's treading very skilfully between all the different interest groups.

That sounds fantastic, especially Eleanor Cooke's book, which I've just ordered from that famous online bookseller

Unfortunately - say it quietly now - we haven't had a record of the silver-studded blue for several years now. There have been suggestions of re-introduction in a few years, though. The heath was abused for many years, and is really only just returning to its former glory. It's a lot smaller than yours, but it's a fantastic place! If you're ever down this way...

Aha, you're a warden too! Bovey is a few miles from me, so I don't get over there as often as I'd like to, but I love doing the bird surveys in the summer

Eleanor Cooke's book is available again? Excellent - I wanted another copy. It's good. Though I've since heard some indignation about the title from some locals who've been fighting off the ploughing and fertilising. It's not dead! they say.

I'm just a working party volunteer though - not a warden. The butterflies are doing well in places on Prees. The Butterfly Conservation guys seem very pleased. And slightly surprised too. The BBC will be showing a short piece on them, filmed there, later this year, by the way.

If I'm down your way, I'll look up Bovey . Hope you get a reintroduction, they are very pretty butterflies. And the relationship with the ants is fascinating. It would be neat if they came from Prees.