To keep volunteering or to quit?

[shootingstar]

You've given a lot and given well.
Throw yourself in those personal projects. You may come back to volunteering in cycling in a different way.

I've volunteered for 4 different organizations over a 15 yr. period. I didn't feel like slave labour and my career is a blend of direct client service plus planning and technical. I didn't feel like slave labour because for 2 of non-profit organizations, paid staff really did work very hard for low wages but for high skill performance and dealing with a lot of public demands and expectations.

One of the organizations where everyone was volunteer, was a cycling women's organization. Did rides, ran workshops and had a conference every 2 years. We attracted over 300 women in southern Ontario. The hardest part, laura was the 4 core organizers, including myself, had to give up on the organization after 5 years. WE were burnt out but there was no new volunteer blood to carry the organization forward. It was a very sad feeling for all of us.

I do have a good friend still via that core group. Yes, she is cycling advocate and has a paid govn't job in alternative transportation.

Meanwhile my partner is an uber volunteer after his retirement. So Crankin, I disagree it's often women. IN the cycling advocacy world (in Canada), there appears a preponderance of male volunteers. World of cycling advocacy includes technical discussion with municipalities on infrastructure which to me, I find boring vs. igniting interest in cycling for the public. However after awhile there are some talkers, but no action...which includes some women.

Meanwhile my partner seems to tolerate endless committee meetings and regional/provincial meetings. He is a good organizer and loves helping fledgling non-profits in carving out vision and making it happen. He is known in the Greater Vancouver area.

Meanwhile I haven't volunteered for anything in the city where I live in past 5 years... I haven't taken time to figure out what lights up my interest to volunteer. Except my energy has turned "inward"? to blogging/writing and art, if I'm not cycling.

[rebeccaC]

Meanwhile my partner seems to tolerate endless committee meetings and regional/provincial meetings. He is a good organizer and loves helping fledgling non-profits in carving out vision and making it happen. He is known in the Greater Vancouver area.

Your partner is enriching your life too through his volunteering and those positive feelings he brings to your relationship.

I have a richer, happier and more satisfying life because of the volunteer work I’ve done/am doing. When I focus on others rather than just myself I gain more purpose, empathy and self-efficacy. I also enjoy working with people/causes outside of my usual social/work network and the developing of new relationships with people working together towards a positive community mission. For me the optimism, joy and purpose I’ve gained from my volunteer work far outweigh the time I’ve spent.

Someone who isn’t enjoying it anymore should be like laura, asking themselves why and pinpointing what’s bothering them….that can help them decide in a thoughtful way how to proceed.

[Crankin]

You are right, Shooting Star, in the cycling advocacy world, it is mostly men. Not so, in the worlds where I was volunteering. I must say, though, the only volunteer gig I have truly enjoyed is my bike leading/teaching with AMC. I am doing what I'd be doing anyways, and there was no learing curve in terms of the part in dealing with people. However, after a couple of years on the bike committee, I did step down. Too much work for someone with a full time job. Now that I am working less, I do occasionally go to meetings, when i know they are discussing an issue I have been involved with. They have asked me to rejoin the committee, but, I always say no. I am happy to lead rides and teach at the bike workshop, but that's it. I think you hit the nail on the head when you talked about your partner's tolerance for endless committee meetings. I have no tolerance for that! I spent too many hours listening to arguing about whether it would be tuna or egg salad served at functions. Also, as an educator, I spent 32 years in endless, mind numbing committee meetings, staff meetings, etc. when it could have been done by memo or email. I also intensely dislike asking people for money. I just can't do it, no matter how much I believe in a cause.
My current job takes a lot of emotional strength, and part of my self care is being selfish with how I spend my time. That means taking lots of time for fitness/cycling, being with my DH and friends, and just overall not doing anything else that's a drain on my energy, like sitting in endless meetings. Laura *should* proceed thoughtfully, but burnout is pretty common in volunteer organizations for all the reasons that have been discussed here. I am not perfect, and at this point in my life, I have stopped doing things and seeing people that don't make me happy!

[shootingstar]

My current job takes a lot of emotional strength, and part of my self care is being selfish with how I spend my time. That means taking lots of time for fitness/cycling, being with my DH and friends, and just overall not doing anything else that's a drain on my energy..

Your job how you give is important.

Part of my problem right now, is living in a city where I don't feel in synch but know that I might be stereotyping the general populace. I live in a city where the most caring, outspoken organizations on local social justice matters are much smaller and their public "voice" is more muted. Probably because less volunteers, locals more deeply emeshed with business (for money) or just...burnt out/don't have energy to speak out publicly. Living out in the prairies is different from Toronto or Vancouver.

I've never been part of volunteer organizations where we worried much about food. (Just strike a deal with a local Chinese big restaurant and throw the fundraiser there. ) It was more on govn't policy, our positions to govn't and what to present to govn't as part of a non-profit organization on social justice matters, building coalitions with other like-oriented organizations -- OR publishing/in the arts that had a non-mainstream voice/vision (if it wasn't cycling).

LIke Rebecca, I am at my best when I'm "mission" driven for volunteer work... I certainly have learned so much from other incredible volunteers, especially those who will speak out on behalf for the organization and for the organization's "clients".

I feel for you laura. There is fatigue and above all, some sadness. That's how I felt when we had to dissolve the women's cycling group in Toronto at that time.

And now I realize in my dim memory, that I also was passionately involved in that alternative magazine, we also had to put the magazine to bed because of lack of new volunteer blood to take up the torch. We had 300+ paid subscribers to our magazine(!, including universities) across North America. It was such a sad feeling to " bury" this magazine and its voice.

But now, just discovered another volunteer has recently put into wiki about the magazine: http://www.asiancanadianwiki.org/w/Asianadian Some people even scanned and .pdf'd all the issues! So glad someone did this 2 decades later..

So I wrote a note to my writer-niece....wanted her to know someone else in the family did actively support literary efforts...

Just sayin' this so that people know that volunteer work given in passion, may unknowingly inspire ..the next generation. More than you realize.