Some musings by Sallie as published by Volunteer Forever -( a great site for info and fundraising for your volunteer trip. and how clever is the graphic!)

This is my take on the most common mistakes made BEFORE, DURING and AFTER volunteering.

I want to precurse by stating clearly that I believe the vast majority of people who volunteer are doing so with the best of intentions. Our work at people and places brings us into contact with some pretty blooming marvelous people – some of whom may have made some of these mistakes, some of whom made none – oh shut up and get on with it Sallie…

BEFORE

1. (And most important of all) – not asking questions – just about every organization that recruits volunteers now lists questions volunteers should ask…..

2. Believing just because an organization tells you the questions you should ask that they are going to answer them fully. Beware smoke and mirrors! The answer to “where does the money go?” is easily whitewashed by allocating a whole load of costs to “project development” – yea but what does that mean and where does it happen… in the host country or in a cozy office in the UK or USA? Is the well paid chief exec’s whole salary allocated to project development? (if you need a reminder about the questions you should ask, Click Here)

3. Taking “stuff” – let’s face it, luggage allowances are low and if you are going for a month or so you will need the whole of the allowance for yourself . Please do not be tempted to take things with you for your project unless you have been advised to do so by the project or placement organization. In many instances the “stuff” can be purchased locally for at least the same price if not lower – and you are adding to local wealth – BUT most important of all is it sustainable? – will the project be able to repair it or replace it when you are gone ( so often we hear that perhaps a battery driven appliance would be a good idea if the project has no electricity – mmmmm but who’s paying for the batteries?) and indeed do they have the skills to use it? Is it culturally appropriate? – you see it’s a minefield!

4. Making unrealistic plans – our advice to our volunteers ( who are usually highly skilled professionals) is to “take what you think you may achieve and halve it – then halve it again – and then reduce it by 50%”….and remember, your reality is not necessarily the reality of the project you will be working with. You have skills but just about without exception you do not have MORE skills than local people just DIFFERENT skills from local people – and many of your skills just ain’t relevant skills in that environment.

DURING

1. Trying to do too much too soon – watch and listen first… be gentle with yourself and with local people .

2. Taking on too much – try to remember the goals that were set for you ( if you travelled with a responsible organization – then you should have been given some goals!!!)

3. Making promises that cannot be kept – it’s so easy for misunderstandings to arise – when you think you have said “I will try to do that” local people may well have heard “I promise I will do that” – you can imagine the distress this can cause.

4. Not complaining as soon as a problem arises. It will be a very unusual volunteer placement that does not result in at least one problem – all too often volunteers do not draw this to anyone’s attention at the time – probably because they are uncomfortable and don’t wish to ”create a fuss” . If you have travelled with a responsible organization there will be someone you can discuss your concerns with, who you are not working with each day. Don’t let an issue that could be resolved spoil the experience for you and the people you seek to serve.

AFTER

1. Not allowing for the emotion of leaving your project -that cliché “it was life changing” is always true to varying degrees – again, a responsible organization will have some feedback and support systems in place for you.

2. Inappropriate giving – WARNING – nearly all the countries you are likely to volunteer in do not have good postal services – if you post something you will lose it…and at best it will get stuck in customs and the project will not be able to afford to get it released! Again, responsible organizations will be able to advise you on the best way to continue to support your project, if that’s what you wish to do.

3. Not reporting bad experiences – we hear repeatedly from people who volunteered ( not with people and places I hasten to add!) who were poorly served by the organization to whom they paid their hard earned money. When we ask them to post their experience on the web or write a piece that we can publish they “don’t like to cause a stir” – well if we don’t draw attention to BAD practice it’s going to make it pretty difficult to replace it by GOOD practice. Here are a couiple of places you could report bad practice: Click Here or Click Here.

So that’s my take – now it would be good to hear from volunteers – what do you think were the mistakes you made?