Is Voluntary Work Rewarding?

[BEDROCK]

Well in 90 percent of all voluntary jobs I have had they have all had issues where expenses are concerned, like having to work so many hours a day in order to claim travel costs, at some places they serve meals but you still have to pay for that. Now if I had a decent sized complex and had volunteers working for me, so long as they showed passion I would most certainly cover their meals and travel no problem. Also, volunteering is like being a teaching assistant, the paid members often treat you different and sometimes ignore you.

[Marx]

Well in 90 percent of all voluntary jobs I have had they have all had issues where expenses are concerned, like having to work so many hours a day in order to claim travel costs, at some places they serve meals but you still have to pay for that. Now if I had a decent sized complex and had volunteers working for me, so long as they showed passion I would most certainly cover their meals and travel no problem. Also, volunteering is like being a teaching assistant, the paid members often treat you different and sometimes ignore you.

 

Volunteers should never be out of pocket for their travel costs. Good practice is also to provide a lunch allowance if the volunteer is on-site for two hours or more either side of lunch.

 

I used to support one of the 'disabled' at HCF. I really liked it there and so did they. It was a community of 'misfits' who all seemed to 'belong' for the time that they were there. I feel there need to be more such placements for disabled people, particularly thise with learning difficulties. I found the staff to be courteous and dedicated.

[Minimo]

I did volunteer work for eighteen years ,ten as a tenant rep and eight as a school governor.

I loved every minute, despite being very hard work and occupying a lot of my time. I only gave up when I found I was no longer able to do a good job and felt I should step down.

 

Anyone interested in doing voluntary work should find an area that appeals to them. There are so many different possibilities that it shouldn't be hard to find one that suits. You can always leave if you don't find it's right for you. As to others being paid, that will be true wherever you go, there have to be some paid workers.

[aliceBB]

I did a fair bit of voluntary work when I was a teenager and young adult (much of it with CSV) and found it rewarding. I was working with children, which suited me - not sure how fulfilling I would have found it if I'd be posted to a centre for psychiatric patients or drug addicts.

 

I worked in a residential home and school for children who had such severe epilepsy that their parents couldn't cope with them at home. It was run by the Catholic Church, although we (the volunteers) weren't expected to attend Mass, etc. The accommodation was pretty spartan, but there were about 10 of us living in, so there was always company in the evenings. It was in the middle of nowhere, in what had been a Victorian fever hospital - we had to walk four miles if we wanted to go to the pub.

 

I'd recommend it to anyone, on the proviso that you think carefully about your strengths and what you have to offer and why you're doing it, before you sign up for something. You can't just do it for your own personal development - you have to want to make a difference to others' lives, too.

[Chris_Sleeps]

If a volunteer organisation is set up then I think it fair that all those in it should be volunteers and not be paid a wage, claim expenses yes but not a wage.

Not all charities are voluntary though. People in charities are often paid a wage. That's not unreasonable, is it?

 

If you volunteer, in the full knowledge that some people earn money within that organisation; then why complain?

If you volunteer, lacking that knowledge; that is your problem. Why complain?

If you only want to volunteer in a purely volunteer organisation; go find one. If they don't exist, form one. Why complain about other organisations?

 

I don't understand the criticism really. Let's take Red Cross as an example; are the Doctors supposed to give their labour away for free? Wouldn't it make more sense for Red Cross to raise money and pay people to work for them, building up a strong workforce of people who can do the work?, rather than a never ending cycle of people coming and going, learning the job again and leaving after time.

Community organisations should also be the same.

For what reason?

However many are set up just to grab money and provide a wage for those that set them up with little regard for the volunteers.

Any examples of this?

It's a deeply cynical view of the charity and voluntary sector. It is equally true that many charities are set up to do good work in the world, and those people may earn less money than they would in the private sector.