Do have a cuppa vs bog off and make it yourself

Whenever I have volunteered for a charity I consider that I am there to help them in any way I can. They may ask me to help with admin - but if they want me to do anything else I will be happy to help.

I was once asked to babysit the manager's toddler as she had been let down by planned babysitter and had a work meeting - it certainly wasn't what I'd been taken on to do, but if it helped I was delighted to do it. The charity benefitted just the same.

It's only one morning a week and in the job description which, I presume, you knew about before you signed up, so I'm not quite sure why you are standing on your dignity as if making tea is beneath you.

Yes, you are there to do admin and if you seriously cannot do that job because you are making drinks, then tell the person who set you on.

I volunteer 2days a week in a charity shop.
I didn't realise how much a was valued until a few weeks ago.
I was having a serious problem with another volunteer ( she has been there 10yrs. Then I heard that another volunteer was having the same problem. She was lying about 'mistakes' that were happening.
I told my manger that I wouldn't be volunteering anymore.
My manager phoned the area manager, explained the situation. He asked her how much do you need (me) my manager said " I can't do without her"
Area manager phoned the other volunteer and told her she wasn't to go into the shop on the days when I work.
If some might think this is unfair I will say that the shop is used by her as a meeting place for her and her friends because she has lived in the area all her life and knows everyone.

I agree, it is an inefficient use of a volunteer's time.

It's a charity, Grandad, so perhaps they reason that using the services of a volunteer is cost-effective.
I am assuming that they provide their own preferred beverages, cups (washable) and just require an unpaid dogsbody to wait on them four times each morning.

There must be a lot of time wasted going to the lavatory.

It seems strange to me that this company still engages in what many would view as a very outdated practice.

My own company (like so many others) has for a considerable number of years changed over to the use of coffee and tea dispensers plus adjacent water coolers. As we insist that all staff using computer monitors break from continuous viewing of those monitors for five minutes in every half an hour for eyesight reasons, then they usually go out to the coffee, tea or water dispensers located in the reception and also adjacent to the restroom, collect a drink or use the toilet and return.

The above also has the benefit of dispensing single-use cups (which are recycled) and therefore helps prevent the spread of colds or other infections among the staff.

To have a person who spends a large percentage of their time serving drinks to employees would seem to be highly inefficient, even if that person is a volunteer.

Indeed, in most commercial organisations in this day and age, having a person to serve drinks to other staff members disappeared many years ago, at least in this part of the world.

documented in the office procedures
yeah, right!

As merlot says, let them find another mug.

It's not as though OP has entered into a paid contract though is it? She's a volunteer. Surely she can't be tied down to doing anything.

And why shouldn't it "demean her"? She's not a little office junior.

Stop stirring, you!

silverlining perhaps the name change changed other things as well. I worked for over 10 years for Age Concern as a voluntary home visitor. Ther was a team of about 25 of us and we had the happiest relationship withthe professional staff. I even joined the paid staff for 6 months to cover maternity leave. I only left when funding for the scheme finished and it had to be closed down.

However I joined another charity in a similar role and left after a year, because of the lack of support they gave their volunteers.

They'll just have to find another mug then.... Geddit?

It was clearly stated at the start of her involvement that it would be her job to do that. Why then start complaining that she felt it demeaned her? If she thinks she should be doing better things then she shouldn't have taken the job.
As to the others in the office they could be manning phones and taking extremely stressful calls for all we know.

Exactly, Gonegirl. If I was going to be a volunteer tea maker I'd go to a day care centre or something similar where I'd get some satisfaction out of doing a service for people who are there to enjoy themselves.

I think if you volunteer at a charity you should be working for the charity, not for the paid employees.

I think the people Alima has to cater to sound a bit precious, though, Jane10!

I volunteer twice a week at a charity. I have no expectations as to how I'm treated. I like going there and doing what I do. However many cups of coffee people have is not a problem. Of course I'm not very precious!

Alima let them make tea

Your services will be much appreciated elsewhere to help those in desperate need of help. They sound as if they have arranged this 'charity work' very nicely to suit themselves!

It sounds as if tea person is a role on its own, which they could probably find someone to fill.
Looks like they may have to now.

I volunteered to do admin. Nobody mentioned the tea making responsibilities as such. First saw them when given the office procedures to read. In my view that is excessive. very time consuming too. Some have their own cup, each has their own choice of drink, most don’t wear their name badges so it will be weeks before I know who is who anyway. (There are two toilets in the building). I used to work for the civil service and no way were they as bad as this lot. No, it isn’t below my dignity to make the tea but it certainly isn’t why I volunteered. Will very probably give up this next
week and look for something more useful.

It seems rather a waste of your skills to be a tea lady, particularly if you are expected to do admin in between the tea rounds. Sounds as though they have arranged the 'office procedures' to suit the office workers, not the charity.

Four cups of tea during a morning ?. If they had my bladder, they'd not get much work done! Bit excessive isn't it? Two cups maybe. I think I would take it up with the office manager, nobody needs 1 cup of tea per hour.

That’s how we work too glammananna but if the poster has a documented agreement with that duty written in then that’s part of her duties surely
We probably have three or four coffees/ teas between 8.45 and 1 or 2 pm we don’t stop to have them so they are not coffee breaks just a cup in your work area Most of the time half mine goes cold as I forget I ve got it whilst I m working

I worked part time in a school at one time alongside someone who was a sort of a friend of a friend. It turned out I was to answer the window to questions from pupils (I didn't know all the teachers or the procedures), do the admin plus photocopying etc which was miles away down a corridor. The worst bit was the other staff plus a very belligerent technician came twice a day to sit in the office and loudly demand why I hadn’t made all the brews! No one else did anything towards it, it was down to just me plus washing up afterwards etc amongst everything else! The ‘friend’ laughed along with them all. I had been a Personal Assistant in a previous life and wasn’t used to being the dogsbody! I blew up one day and said make it yourself and left!

Concentrating!

I would forget their request, be absent minded whilst contracting on your work...

Oh sorry, I forgot.