You are very correct.  Firing a volunteer could cause some difficult P.R.
problems.  Those must be weighed against the problems the volunteer is
generating and a determination made where the greatest problem will be.
 However, we should never put ourselves in a position to be held hostage by
such considerations.  If held hostage by a volunteer, then we are going to
be held hostage by Board members, donors, patrons AND paid staff.

Again, that's why they say it is sometimes lonely at the top.  You must
make tough decisions and you could live or die by them.


------
Robert Handy
Brazoria County Historical Museum
100 East Cedar
Angleton, Texas  77515
(409) 864-1208
museum_bob
[log in to unmask]
http://www.bchm.org

----------
From:   Cynthia L. Ogorek[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent:   Monday, February 01, 1999 3:47 PM
To:     [log in to unmask]
Subject:        Re: volunteer horror stories

In theory I would agree with Mr. Handy's "firing" solution for the
problem volunteer. Unfortunately, volunteers often are attached to
potentially sticky public relations problems. If they are giving you
trouble inside the museum, imagine the kind of "bad-mouthing" they will
do outside the museum if they feel they have been "injured" in some way.
There's some sort of underlying philosophy in the volunteer psyche that
if we're doing the museum a favor and it doesn't have to pay us, then,
in a sense, beggars can't be choosers.
  I also think that if the volunteer were somehow connected with the
museum's board, a "friends" group or the affiliated historical society,
firing the volunteer could be more trouble than working with the person.
   Maybe the director should have been called into situation. He or she
might have had another take on the problem or the person that could have
gotten everyone off the hook with little bad feelings.
    Just some thoughts.
Cynthia Ogorek
Matteson Historical Museum
Matteson, Illinois


Robert T. Handy wrote:
>
> Has anyone ever heard of the idea that you can and sometimes should, fire
> bad volunteers?  How much staff time was wasted on, how much bad will was
> generated by this particular volunteer?  Doesn't sound to me like it was
> worth it.  Yes, she would be upset.  Yes, it is difficult to do.  But
would
> you tolerate that from a paid employee? No.  Would a paid employee be
upset
> if he/she was fired?  Yes.  So where is the difference?
>
> ------
> Robert Handy
> Brazoria County Historical Museum
> 100 East Cedar
> Angleton, Texas  77515
> (409) 864-1208
> museum_bob
> [log in to unmask]
> http://www.bchm.org
>
>