Pietrowski estimates that there are 4,000 organizations in Warsaw working in the social area and about 3,000 in other areas, like the environment, education and health. But over six years, the center has attracted only a hundred, and Pietrowski now spends hours each day trying to figure how to increase their participation. The Warsaw center has registered more than 600 volunteers, and 30 percent have not been placed. The problem of developing rapport with organizations is illustrated by the center's attempts to team up with hospitals. We are trying with two of them, but for the moment I give up.
Money is a real problem for hospitals.
Doctors and nurses stage protests for better salaries, and investments are needed to modernize equipment. It is difficult for management to introduce volunteers because staff members, concerned about job security, view volunteers as a threat. Management is leery because it requires assigning a staff member to supervise the volunteers, which is difficult to justify when the administration is overworked dealing with core functions. The more regimented an organization is, the more difficult it is for it to incorporate volunteers into its structure. For the hundred organizations that do participate, the center wanted to ensure that they dealt with their volunteers in a professional manner.