Volunteers should think of themselves as unpaid staff. Staff people have jobs and tasks for which they are accountable. Volunteers have the same obligation as paid staff to do what they say they will do. Similarly, no one should tolerate incompetence and lack of follow through from a volunteer any more than they would from a paid person. In a group where everyone volunteers, it is really important to create an environment where people do the work they say they will do.
Volunteers have lives beyond the organization.
They should not be encouraged to take on more work than they feel they can do. Don t be surprised when Mary turns out not to be as good a trea-surer as you had expected. As part of respect for each others time, it is imperative to create and support an orga-nizational culture that encourages people to finish the tasks they take on, even if that means taking on fewer tasks. Also, some people have more time than others and so some people may be able to take on more work than others. This needs to be all right in the group and people with less time must not be made to feel that they are not doing enough if they don t put in as much time as those with more time.