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A volunteer's view
This volunteer took action to get what she wanted out of
her placement in a busy campaigning organisation.
| 'My
first day was quite chaotic. When I arrived in the office
there was no one to brief me.' |
'I wanted to move my career in a different direction,
and thought the organisation could give me relevant work experience.
I was interviewed after the placement was advertised in the
national press, and was offered the position. We agreed that
I would volunteer for three days a week for four months. I
attended an induction session, and was given information about
general office procedures.
| 'I
quickly became
disenchanted
with the organisation.
After a few weeks,
however, I did
explain to my
manager that I
wanted my work
to be better planned.' |
'My first day was quite chaotic. When I arrived in
the office there was no one to brief me. There was also confusion
as to where my desk was to be, and I found out that I wouldn't
have my own computer, but would have to move around and share
where possible. I felt that the organisation wasn't really
expecting me, and my presence was a bit of a nuisance. At
the beginning there wasn't any particular structure to my
role, and I was asked to help out whoever was the most busy.
I felt that the organisation hadn't really taken time to consider
what my role would be, or take account of my skills. The tasks
that were given to me weren't particularly demanding - I wasn't
learning anything new, and I didn't feel that my skills were
being used.
| 'The
experience has made me more sceptical about voluntary
organisations that involve volunteers, but I think I
have managed to get something out of the experience.'
|
'I quickly became disenchanted with the organisation.
After a few weeks, however, I did explain to my manager that
I wanted my work to be better planned. The situation did improve
and I was given higher-level projects to work on. With hindsight,
my expectations were probably too high, and the organisation
was ill-prepared for managing volunteers. The volunteer policy
existed more on paper than in practice. 'The experience
has made me more sceptical about voluntary organisations that
involve volunteers, but I think I have managed to get something
out of the experience.'
Comment
It's important to make volunteers feel they have a place
in the organisation, particularly on their first day. Volunteers
are more likely to stay if they are given satisfying tasks,
rather than just acting as assistants to paid staff. The manager
in this case should have picked up on the problem and been
more proactive. Not all volunteers would have been willing
or sufficiently confident to take the initiative to improve
the situation.
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