True, I do get money from the Google Ads on my sites. After paying for my website expenses, I make about $75 per month from that. That's the same thing I could be paid for just 2 hours of technical writing. I spend about an hour (sometimes more) on each BLOG post.
This past week, I read an email late one night from the sister of someone with a new rabbit - that had babies a week after she got her. She wanted to know if I had any tips on raising rabbits. She didn't know how many babies there were.
I admit, these kinds of emails really annoy me. I've written a 200-page website for those who raise rabbits and a huge website for pets. I've written over 400 BLOGS on rabbits. And yet she expects me to just write up for her all of the tips I know? I wrote back and referred her to the breeding section, which I noted included newborn care. I also said that she could take out the babies, count them, remove dead ones, and put them back.
She wrote back and told me that I had been no help and that I didn't need to be "snoddy." I wrote back and told her that I in no way had intended to be snoddy and explained that many people thought that you cannot handle newborn rabbits. Then she wrote back - her third time - and told me that she had told me "numerous times" that they were her sister's rabbits and not hers. Huh?
Should I have to point out to her that if she is unsatisfied with my free help and information that she is free to go elsewhere for it?
Maybe you've picked up on how annoyed I am with the attitude of this woman. I'm a volunteer. I do this because I love bunnies and I want to help other people. And I try to do a good job for those reasons.
This little situation has made me think about all of the volunteers needed to make our hobby successful. There are very, very few paid positions within our hobby. And the majority of paid positions receive only token amounts of money or benefits. I think you can count on one hand the number of people who can earn a living on what they make doing work for our hobby.
There's definitely a balance that needs to be maintained. People who accept positions and duties certainly ought to try to do a good job. Otherwise, it's probably best for them to step aside and allow someone else to do it.
I think there's often a fear that no one else will take the job. If that's the case, then it's time for the people who want the job to be done to either split up the job, re-design the job, update the methods and equipment, or offer enough compensation so that the job becomes more desirable.
So how do we make sure things go smoothly when volunteers are doing the work?
- Make sure we are doing our part - we make volunteers' jobs easier when we follow the rules and try to do for ourselves whichever parts we can
- Remember that the volunteer is working instead of just enjoying the show with his or her friends or spending their time on leisure
- Take into consideration that each volunteer's life responsibilities are different from everyone else's - spouses, children, jobs, other hobbies, church, community, grandchildren, crises, and much more take time away from "bunny time"
- Appreciate what the volunteer does right, find out what you can do to help the volunteer, and don't make a big deal over things that are small enough that you can let go.
So what is "volunteer abuse"? I think that being sarcastic and demanding are inappropriate. Threats are also inappropriate. Expecting volunteers to act on your timetable and at the pace that makes sense to you is abuse.
I had a woman at a show get really miffed with me because I wasn't registering rabbits quickly enough. There was a huge line. I had to leave the table a few times to make sure my rabbit got to the Best In Show table. I was lucky because my friends were looking after my rabbits for me, but it was still my responsibility.
I wondered if she ever thought about the fact that I spent half my day registering rabbits. I didn't get to visit with my friends. I didn't get to hear the comments on my rabbits. I didn't get to see my rabbit get a BRIS. I was exhausted at the end of the day. And I was one of the very last people to leave the showroom. And for that, I get $2 per rabbit, minus my postage and expenses (like ink, license, scale, Standard, etc.)
So what do we do when a volunteer (or someone in a nominally paid position) doesn't do a good job? The first question should be, "What help do you need?" This assumes, of course, that the volunteer was very clear about the expectations of the position in the first place. If the volunteer knows what is expected of him or her, and doesn't need help or accept help, then what do you do? I would evaluate the job. Are the expectations too high?
If the job is reasonable, the expectations are clear, and the volunteer will not accept help, then perhaps it is time to explore getting a different volunteer. But even firing a volunteer should be done in a courteous and diplomatic manner. There's never a time when taking a volunteer for granted - or even stooping to volunteer abuse - is warranted.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry “Home Of Grand Champions”
Precious Pet Rabbits
Affordable Web Site Design
