Here is the question: When do we stop volunteering our well gotten wisdom and information and say no to free? I love volunteering and I love helping-and if you are in the world of non profits these two words go hand and hand. Add directing and producing community theater into the mix-and you learn to value those who give so much of their free time and find ways to return the favor. You also learn that after a while- you have to stop giving away the milk-or else the dairy will run dry. Non profits thrive on good volunteers-but who really wants to stuff envelopes and do the work that non profits will not hire someone else to do on a regular basis? Good volunteers are becoming scarce. I too have begun to cut back on my free time and all that goes with it or rather, does not. I have recently started to cut back and soon I will stop for a while. I think for artists, it is hard to say no- because we want to contribute and we want to use our gifts for a variety of reasons. And also as artists, we forget to place a value on our time-and suddenly we are volunteering away our time-time that could go towards paying jobs. Recently, while volunteering three hours of a splendid Saturday morning- I overheard a conversation that started me thinking about my volunteering-and then I tallied up the hours I have been volunteering for a non-profit over the last eight months-and compared that to what I would have made had I been paid for what I normally ask for this kind of work- and right then and there, I changed my thinking entirely. The conversation I overheard was with two women, one of whom was seeking the advice of the other. Our community is small and businesses get tapped out for sponsorships and donations-as do those who are asked to do work pro bono.
“I get asked all the time to take on work- major work-for free-which always ends up being the one job that is the most difficult.”, one woman said, as she eyed the cherry tarts. The other woman said she got so tired of people asking her to do free work, she started choosing one organization to assist and set a time limit of what she would give. This gave her the opportunity to volunteer and not feel resentful. Hmmmmm? Cherry tarts paid for, the two meandered off and I never got more of the conversation.
About 6 months ago I received a call from someone who has little to none experience directing and producing-but he was thinking he alone could breathe new life into our local theater. He blatantly said to me he had no idea what he was doing, but asked if I would come on board as his volunteer assistant and show him the way. “Ya know”, he said, “because you have been doing this so long!” He of course, was asking to be paid-which I learned after the phone call ;never mind the fact he had no idea how to create a budget or a rehearsal schedule. Then I found out what he was asking to be paid for his inexperience, and realized I would be doing all his work- for free. I backed out of the deal. I don’t need this kind of experience after 22 years of being in theater. The project did not get off the ground.
When people are aware you will do the work for free-they will let you keep doing it. This I know. No one will tap you on the shoulder to remind you to stop- you are not getting paid. I am wrapping up a project I offered to take on-because no one else would -and then I am bowing out of volunteering for a while. My free time now has an asking price.