Kirby wrote:I agree that having "reliable" volunteers is, of course, more helpful than having "unreliable" volunteers.
I guess that, just from an external perspective, if I volunteer a little bit, I'd still like for that work to be appreciated. If I volunteer a little bit and feel appreciated, I'd be more inclined to volunteer more and become one of the "reliable" volunteers.
Both of these points are incredibly important, although there don't seem to be many within the AGA who appreciate it.
In my experience reliability is important--there are few things more difficult to deal with than having someone commit to a major undertaking and then falling down. On the other hand, if that happens you have to ask why. Entrusting someone who appears out of nowhere with a significant task is just asking for trouble.
Volunteers need to be eased in to an organization like the AGA. I try to start them off with something easy--a one-shot job consisting of a couple of hours. Something that I could do myself without much trouble if things fall apart. That kind of job lets me figure out whether a person's time estimates are realistic, whether their schedule really allows for volunteering and determine how much support they need. The best job also allows you to introduce them to other volunteers in the organization.
While "unreliable" volunteers certainly exist, I will assert that in the majority of cases it's a case of a volunteer being asked to do too much, too soon, without meaningful support or guidance. When I have a volunteer getting burned out, I feel it reflects poorly on me for selecting an overwhelming task. Usually keeping the volunteer is as simple as giving them a few months off and finding a job more suited to their abilities.
On the second point I have asserted for many years that the AGA does a terrible job of thanking the volunteers who do step forward. Expressing gratitude costs nothing, and yet the AGA seems to be incapable of it. There is no mention in the yearbook nor on the webpage. Even the volunteering page on the usgo.org site has vanished, which is probably just as well since it was unrealistic and out of date. On the positive side, however, the AGA has finally started soliciting nominations for volunteer awards. I've already submitted a nomination.
Anyway, Tournament Directing a Congress Yuck! What a nightmare that must be. Directing my local tournament stresses me out enough, I couldn't cope with the 500 to 2000 people range.