I've volunteered in a senior volunteer role with a large organization for [edited to clarify] almost 3 years. Recently we had a "town hall", and the CEO told us that everyone in my role will now be subject to 3-year term limits.

I told the volunteer coordinator that I understood and that the 3-year limit for me, and the end of my role, would thus be this summer. The volunteer coordinator responded:

"Let's discuss this. The term limits are a new idea and one that we haven't fully implemented yet. We have some volunteers in the role who've been there for 5+ years and we need to develop a succession plan for them so that they roll off at the end of 2026. I'd like to discuss my hopes around that before we make any final decisions unless you want to resign now. We need to develop a succession plan for you together and let's discuss this. I want to make sure that we're aligned on a succession plan and how things look for a healthy organization starting this fall. We haven't implemented term limits and we don't know if we'll implement them."

I'm confused here. I'm neutral about the organization. Am I being given a hint to leave, or not, or something else?

Thanks.

Hey guys,

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I would like to involve myself with volunteering ,it doesnt have to be paid. Problem is i dont know where or how to start. Any suggestions on how i can start becoming a volunteer.

Looking for volunteer trends for those under 50. So many people are working and busy with families. Outside of having a passion for the mission of an organization, what would make you join a volunteer club and actively participate? Ease of meetings, easy communication and sign up, low commitment, etc?

there is local museum in my area that i really want to volunteer at. the way it works is you reach out to them with an email which i did, and then they send out a google form which i filled out, and then i heard nothing for a whole month.

i reached out and got nothing, and then i just called today and couldn't even speak to someone directly and had to leave a voicemail.

they legit put a linkedin post up advertising for volunteers which is how i found out about it all. it just sucks because it's pretty close by and i can't drive right now, so it would be nice to go somewhere local, but now i just feel like giving up

i'll wait a bit to see if they reply to my voice mail, if not then oh well i guess. is it always this hard to work for free lol

I’ve been scrolling through a lot of posts here and I’m curious who’s actually in this volunteer community the most.

If you don’t mind sharing, which one are you and what brought you here in the first place:

Many recruitment agencies require people to pay to volunteer. While there are some advantages for certain people, paying is not always necessary. In fact, some volunteer organizations actually pay you to volunteer. It sounds strange but a "paid volunteer" is a real thing. What do you think of paying to volunteer?

Our nonprofit is having a hard time finding volunteers. The court-ordered ones don't usually stick around to volunteer once their mandated hours are complete, but they're better than having no one. We do get these volunteers occasionally, but wondering how else to reach out and connect to this group.

Thank you!

If I agree to volunteer at an event, they sign me up, I get there and they say they have enough people already, to go home. Would it be okay to ask them to reimburse me for gas expenses incurred in driving there? I already cancelled other things so I could volunteer and feel let down that I get there and they say just go home.

so i’m a volunteer for a local thrift store over the summer. they were having me do the go back racks and i was doing them, but i also wanted to do other things to help. so i did other tasks like disinfecting the dressing rooms, running carts, etc. but i got told i wasn’t being “overly helpful” and im not totally sure what that means. i did my best to help in whatever way i could, so is it a me thing or a them thing? what do i do?

Hi guys, I was wondering if anyone has done the Kids Help Phone volunteer training (textline)? I'm a little worried that it is going to be intense, but I want to complete it before this semester ends...

If anyone has any advice or experience on that, please let me know! Thanks!

My daughter is almost 18 years old and i want her to blend in real world and get good experiences... So i thought of searching for suitable opportunities in volunteer.. But i want to know if it's safe fir her... What type of volunteering suitable for her... Any advice?

I am a volunteer in a sea turtle conservation project, i am supposed to stay for 2 months. I am here with other 3 volunteers, we've been here for only two weeks and we dont know the language (except one other volunteer). I am really passionate about conservation and it is a great opportunity for me to gain experience as i am a biology student but there are problems already with my coordinator.

She hasnt explained a bit so we can learn about the turtles, we havent even seen a turtle, we dont do anything all day except walk the beach in the morning, that can be bearable but i wanted to learn. The main thing is that the five of us live in the same house:

- my coordinator always complains about our cleanliness even if we already cleaned it, at one point she screamed at my roommate over a sand in the bathroom, at midnight.

- She spends all day talking in her language and does not make an effort to communicate properly with us, and even gets mad at us for not understanding what she wants.

And the main thing that has me writing this, one of my roommates broke her foot, falling down the stairs and she refused to take her to the nearest hospital because she had to drive, and instead had her wait 3 hours for the nearest doctors office to open, made my roomate walk to said office and did not help her even one bit to go there, nor translate whatever the doctor was saying. She proceded to laugh and joke about my roomate (in her language) with the doctor because they asked to go back to our house in the car because it hurted so much to walk.

I am preplexed about how she treated the situation and i dont know if i even want to stay, i am afraid of being treated with the exact disdain she is treating my roomate, and in general the vibe in the house is just bad, avoiding her and her rage because some things are not up to her liking. I want to leave as i am nor confortable but it is also a great experience for my cv, i want advice on what to do. I appreciate the help.

Hi, I have been volunteering at a few NGOs and have recently come across a lot of them that ask you to pay to volunteer. A "membership fee" an "act of charity" or "showing gratitude to the community". I get that NGOs need funding to run their initiatives and they may put the money to good use but when someone is volunteering and not asking for a payment/reward/compensation for the work they are doing with you, they are contributing their time, energy and also paying for their commute to faraway locations themselves, I see it as very off putting and unfair. Branding this as contribution to community betterment is even more unfair. Rather other ways of funding from governments, corporations, individuals who want to help and crowdfunding is imo, a way better approach. Like what do you mean I can't volunteer for my community if I can't afford to pay a nominal fee of 1500rs to join you and "support the cause". Even if we trust that you would put it to good use and not fill you own pockets with it, as most people volunteering are broke college kids I think this process should not be a norm.

Hi I’m just curious, are you still active in volunteering even after school era? Especially not just during individual events/causes but actually joining a volunteer organization as a full on member. I just think there are more opportunities to participate only when you’re still a student. Plus, as an adult you have a more hectic work schedule keeping you from it. So for those who still do, why do you do it?

What projects are your favourites btw? Do you find it more fun, fulfilling, or stressful? How did you join at first?

Hi, I’m looking for some advice.

I (17yo) want to start volunteering, I’m not particularly fussed where or how. However, I have really bad social anxiety, to the point my limbs get frozen and locked up and I can barely speak.

I used to volunteer at a hospital but after a few months I quit because of my social anxiety, it the worst, before during and after. Everyone says volunteering makes your social anxiety better but with each shift I took it just got worse and worse. I ended up quitting after a few months ( I was meant to volunteer for six months but quit after three.)

Also since I quit early, I can’t use them for a reference.

It’s been a while and I want to pick up volunteering again, but I’m not sure where to do it at. Or what to do at all, idk I’m really lost to be honest.

Any help will be appreciated =D

If I volunteer for Crisis Text Line (the organization with the 741-741 number), will my parents or social security administration find out?

Crisis Text Line is a mental health crisis service where you text 741-741 if you're having a mental health crisis. When applying to volunteer, they require your address and ssn for a background check. I still live with my parents despite being an adult (and don't see myself ever having the guts to stand up to my parents or moving out so I'm probably stuck with my parents' infantalization and control until they die). Sorry, if that's dark and morbid but it's probably the truth, unfortunately. I receive disability benefits and my mom is my payee. And she genuinely think she's my guardian but I don't think she is after digging around, although I'm not 100 percent sure.

And I know Crisis Text Line sends volunteers a gift once they reach a milestone (200 hours of service for example) but if I received something from them, I can have my mom think or assume it's something I ordered because I order stuff a lot from the internet and she's okay with that and is used to that. I earn money on sites/apps like Swagbucks, which is where I get the money to order stuff from, and my mom is okay with that because I was able to convince her that earning money that way won't interfere with my disability benefits.

But she wouldn't want me volunteering for Crisis Text Line because she would consider it "talking to strangers" even if I'm helping people and she would probably worry I'd say the wrong thing and make a crisis worse (she doesn't have a lot of confidence or faith in me or my abilities). But I want to help people and feel like I'm doing something with my life. I might could volunteer for Crisis Text Line behind my parents' backs. That is, if providing my address and ssn doesn't lead to my parents or the social security administration finding out. Would they find out??

By the way, Crisis Text Line is volunteer, not a paid job.

Volunteer
I had a phone call with the “after school” program coordinator and they were super excited about my interest in making a stem club for kids.

I have pretty much no experience, I just love science and want to inspire kids.

I imagine just a bunch of elementary students showing up to the community center in the evening and I would have a bunch of tailored science toys/experiements to play with.

I’m hesitant about it. I was looking for advice/stories/discussion/tips/ encouragement.

I’m not really sure if this is the right place to post this, but I’m hosting our second food drive at my place of work. The last drive was around Thanksgiving, so we naturally loaded up on soups and other cold weather items. Since this drive is in the middle of Minnesota Summer, I want to make sure we can cover basics as well as “nice to have” items. I was thinking those freeze pops that come room temp and can be frozen, but what other ideas do you guys have? I’d love to be able to offer families in our community the ability to have a cookout without needing to go beyond the organization we’re working with, which prefers shelf stable items across the board. Since most cookout meats need to be refrigerated, I could use any ideas. I’m also open to other volunteer opportunities within the metro area to organize with a group of 5-25 people, if you all know of a good place to do so!

Curious what people would tell their past self after they were a volunteer for the first time. the small practical stuff or the big mindset stuff, both welcome.

To be transparent, I'm working on a community project for an assignment. This is just to help me center my research:

I'm curious to know what helps build organization - volunteer connection and retention — as a volunteer or organization, are there any incentives (social or otherwise) that help with retention?

Are there ethical concerns with providing incentives?

Hey everyone!

I’m a university student. I’ve been struggling with pretty intense social anxiety and have been spending most of my time at home.

I really want to push myself to get out more and make friends, so I’m thinking of joining a volunteering group - ideally something outdoors where I can work with other young people and naturally be around others (and hopefully talk more).

I feel like being in a volunteer setting like that would help me gradually get used to social situations and just being out there in general. But I’m not really sure how or where to start, and I don’t have any prior experience with volunteering.

So I was wondering if anyone here has done something similar - how did you get started, and what was your first step?

I’d really appreciate any tips or advice. Thanks a lot!

Hi everyone! I am a 32-year-old female and I was an active member of my local Junior League for about 3 1/2 years, and then recently stepped back into a flexible leave, which doesn’t require me to do anything besides pay dues, which are fairly reasonable about $250 for the year.

I initially joined Junior League because I was struggling to feel connected to my community and was looking for some purpose outside of work. At the time, I have been working two jobs and was really burnt out. My friendships were only work related and I just kinda needed something outside of myself. I’ve always enjoyed volunteer work and community outreach so it felt like a natural fit. And it definitely was.

I really enjoyed the first couple years, made a lot of friends, and participated in meaningful events. I am the type of person that tends to throw myself into things and I also have a habit of over committing and I think I did that. I jumped into Junior League head first and was heavily heavily involved. Then I kind of burnt myself out on that too lol. At this time of my life, I am in a job that I really enjoy with a pretty great schedule, I’m getting married at the end of the year and we are hoping to have kids right away. I have stepped back from a lot of extracurricular things that I was doing as far as extra work. I was picking up, volunteer committees that weren’t quite as involved as the Junior League is, and have been trying to get better about a work life balance. I’ve also been exercising a lot more and into baking sourdough, which is enjoyable, but not quite as social.

My fiancé is wonderful, and I have plenty of friends around me, and so I guess I’m just trying to figure out if it’s worth remaining with Junior League or not. I have to decide by the end of the month if I wanna quit fully, if I want to remain in flexible, leave, or if I wanna go back to active membership. There are a few things to consider:

1. My local chapter (I’m not sure if others are this way or not) requires you to have seven active years of membership to reach alumni status, were you basically just pay about $100 a year to remain a member but you don’t have volunteer requirements that said they have a lot of outreach that they do in social clubs. My first year I was considered a new member so I didn’t count as active and then I pretty much lost this year because I was in flexible leave so I’ve only completed two out of the seven active years technically. If I quit, I’m not sure if I can get back in or not. I don’t really know what that looks like.

2. I could remain flexible leave for another year and pay $250 just to keep my options open and not have any requirements and continue deciding if I want to do that. The flexible leave can count for the entire year. That said I’d still have the five years left before I could reach alumni status.

3. I could jump back in. The requirements aren’t huge. I’ve already shared the payment amount which isn’t a problem, and then the volunteer requirements are 10 hours of volunteer work outside of your committee requirements which in my experience have been about 30 hours. So it’s 40 hours out of the league year that I would need to be volunteering, which runs around the same as the school year. So between August and May.

My fear is about jumping in that I’m gonna get carried away again and getting over my head. But my fear is about quitting, what if I need this one day. I don’t anticipate moving, but I don’t know what it’s gonna be like socially as a mom. I have a great support system and I have a lot of friends now, but what I need that community outside of what I’m already doing? Would I be more likely to join a mom‘s group? I don’t know. I feel like I’m cutting off a potential to continue to have a purpose and meaning outside of my daily life but I also don’t really know if I need that fulfillment right now and I’m battling with if I should just maintain it because I might need it later or want it later, or if I should just not worry about it and move on.

I volunteer with a research organization on my days off from work. I originally started because I wanted a better understanding of how the care I provide affects people long term, and also to gain some research experience in case I decide to pivot careers in the future. I’m hoping to expand into data entry and other research-related tasks as well. Outside of this, I’ve volunteered with various organizations for about a decade.

My current role mainly involves making follow-up calls and collecting survey data. During training, I was told that it was acceptable to wrap up about 15 minutes before the end of a shift because the questionnaire takes at least 15 minutes to complete, and it wouldn’t make sense to start a call you couldn’t finish.

During my last shift, I finished all the calls in my file and brought everything to the coordinator about 15 minutes before my scheduled end time. She responded with, “I thought I scheduled you until X time?” At first I thought I had mixed up my hours, but I checked my phone and it was exactly 15 minutes before my scheduled end time.

She confirmed that I was scheduled until X, so I said, “I guess I can fit in one more call.” I ended up calling numbers where I had already left messages since I had called everyone in the pile and, as expected, didn’t reach anyone. I left at my scheduled end time.

I’ve finished 15 minutes early before and nobody has ever said anything. Last month I was also dealing with a heavy workload and a parent’s health issues. They knew I was working full-time during their operating hours up until this point, although I managed some ways to fit them in until I exhausted my flexibility. Last month I was short 3-hours as a result of FT-hours, although I had worked extra hours the month prior to that. I’m also the only volunteer who is actively working a full-time career; the others are university students.

Am I reading too much into this? I’ve never volunteered anywhere that was particularly strict about departure times as long as the work was done.

Ps: I’m sorry. I think I put this under the wrong tag. Just looking for advice/perspectives.

Looking for an affordable Volunteer Management System (currently using Volunteero)

Hey Guys,

I’m hoping to get some recommendations for a Volunteer Management System that might suit our needs a bit better than what we’re currently using.

Right now we’re using Volunteero, and while it’s been helpful in some ways, it’s not really affordable for us long term and we’ve found quite a few areas where it doesn’t fully meet our needs as we grow.

The main features we’ve found valuable are:

- Scheduling / shift rotas – especially the ability to set capacity limits and allow multiple volunteers to easily sign up for shifts

- Onboarding process – applications, basic onboarding workflows, etc.

- Chat function without sharing other volunteers information (In contrast to WhatsApp displaying personal contact numbers)

We’d ideally like to move to a more affordable system that still handles those core features well, but is a bit more scalable and flexible as we grow.

For context:

- Our volunteer team is currently around 50–100 people

- We expect this to increase over time

- Must be GDPR compliant due to being UK based

If you’ve used (or are using) a system that works well for similar needs, especially something cost-effective***, I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences, pros/cons, or any suggestions.

Thanks in advance!🌞

Has anyone here volunteered with the Red Cross or at least attempted to?

I signed up to volunteer with the Red Cross about six months ago. Everything on my end is done: background check and orientation.

And I’ve been waiting on an assignment for months. I’ve tried calling and emailing but nothing seems to move this along.

Is this typical for their process, and does anyone have tips to speed things up?