Episode 17: Do you Have a Right to Complain if you Volunteered to do Something?
Tech Op/Editor: Anthony Cordova
Music: Gifford Ivan Cordova III
Podcast Art: Nick Zinkie
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In All Seriousness
Do’s and Don’ts for Volunteers
During this week’s podcast, Jill advised listeners to only volunteer to do what they truly enjoy tackling. If the project turns out to be much more labor than expected, push through and maybe tell the person all that you did to complete the project at a later date.
Tony also urged listeners to keep volunteering if they like doing it. He said that if you find the need to complain, it’s okay to do it every now and then, but complain to yourself.
Here are more do’s and don’ts from Tony:
- If you have never volunteered before, try it. You may find it rewarding.
- Don’t take on too much. Be sure to always make time to do the things you enjoy doing for yourself.
- Service with a smile is always best. Yes, that project may be more work than you anticipated, but complain to yourself, not them.
Jill also has more advice:
- Don’t volunteer for the sake of volunteering. Do it because you truly want to help others.
- Learn to say no without remorse. When people know your abilities, they may often ask you to utilize them for free. If you find yourself stretched too thin or are more aware of how much they are asking you to do than they realize, talk it out. Maybe even ask for help. If they still consider it a one-person job, just say “no.” They will always find someone else to do it.
- If volunteering feels like more work than your actual job, then recognize that you are either doing too much or maybe you need to volunteer elsewhere.
Do you do volunteer work? How much is too much? Should you complain? Leave your responses in the comments section. Don’t forget to subscribe.
Of course we have the right to complain. When we offer ourselves with intentions of helping and in a spirit of cooperation, but then find ourselves overloaded with tasks, treated like paid employees, or having our own work hijacked because of who we are serving. Likewise, we have the right to complain when someone offers to volunteer to help us, but then they pull the project off course. Very often too much becomes too much…and we will either walk away in silence never to return, or we tell them this volunteer situation just isn’t the right fit. Sometimes service with a smile is a load of baloney.
Lol! We both agree with you, especially the baloney part.
Denis reads my work without complaint, but I don’t think I give him too much at a time because I don’t produce much at a time. Hahaha. When I give my book another edit, he says he will be glad to read it with an eye to focus., Hmmm, we’ll see how that works out.
Lol! I am sure he will read it without complaint. Thanks for listening and commenting. You know we appreciate you and your support. Jill will write you a long email once she finishes grading finals.