Please Don’t Go Quiet on a Charity…

Have you ever been for a job interview that went really well? And they said they’d contact you in a day or two? And you never heard from them again? Miserable feeling, isn’t it? I bet you checked your e-mail every few minutes and made sure your phone was working. Maybe they lost your contact details. Eventually you realise they just don’t want you.

That’s how some of our charities feel. They heard from a volunteer who said he or she could probably help them. They’re thrilled. They’ve been trying to get this project off the ground for months. They haven’t the time or skills to do it themselves. And paying for it? Not a hope. There are so many other demands for the tiny amounts of funding they manage to win.

So a volunteer is a godsend. And it’s someone with IT skills and who seems to understand their problems. Fantastic! They tell everyone in the office. Finally that website, database, whatever is going to get sorted out. The volunteer will be here soon so they start preparing the information for the project.

And then they never hear from the volunteer again…
There’s probably a good reason for it. The volunteer may have too much to do at work, or realised that he/she doesn’t really have the right skills for the job, or the dog might be sick. But the charity’s left in limbo. They may wonder whether to try to contact the volunteer themselves. But would that seem too pushy? They’re volunteers, after all.

So, please, if you’ve contacted a charity about a task, or even started work on one, and then can’t help, let them know. Put them out of their misery. You don’t have to tell them that you hated the biscuits that they gave you at the initial meeting or that the receptionist’s accent sets your teeth on edge. Just tell them politely that unfortunately you can’t help with this project.
If you can’t face telling them on the phone, just drop them an e-mail. Or send us an e-mail and we’ll tell them.

After all, it’s only common courtesy…

Anne Donnelly