A Service Plan That Works Out the Kinks

Here are problems that volunteers sometimes encounter--and ways around them:

* Accepting a job that’s over your head.

Be honest and ask for something more manageable. “Sometimes a person will drop off because they don’t feel they have the skills to do the job,” said Carol Stone, president of the Volunteer Center of Orange County. “Maybe it was to design the copy for some brochures, but when they really sat down to write or create, they were not pleased with what came out.” Work with the agency or volunteer group to get a job better matched to your skills and interests.

* Doing the same task over and over.

Ask for a change, or find another volunteer job. Some jobs have a lot of variety built into them. Carmellia Williams has been volunteering for eight years, about 12 hours each week, at Santa Ana’s Southwest Community Center, which assists families in emergency situations with food, clothing and shelter. Her tasks include calling businesses for donations, working on a computer, typing, answering phones and helping other volunteers. “So it’s varied, and it’s been varied over the years,” Williams said.

* Becoming unable to do a job you’ve done for years.

Look for an opportunity that matches your current skills. A 92-year-old man recently told the Volunteer Center he regrettably couldn’t do his hospital volunteer job anymore after 23 years because he no longer had a driver’s license. “We called this gentleman up and said, ‘Your volunteer time is not over,’ ” Stone said, and found him another job. He now phones AIDS patients from home to check on their welfare.

* Finding that the agency hasn’t prepared anything for its volunteers to do.

Call the agency the day before you arrive to politely remind them you’ll be there and reiterate exactly what time you’ll arrive. Needless to say, if this continues and the problem can’t be resolved, find another agency.

* Unknowingly signing up for work in a high-crime area.

Take the usual safety precautions, such as making sure you know where the agency’s designated parking is, and “ask what safety measures have been incorporated so you can go to those places,” Stone said. “Because, let’s face it, a lot of very important volunteer work is, quote unquote, in the streets.”

* Having no clue how your task relates to the agency’s mission.

Find out how you fit in. “If volunteers don’t see how their job is connected to the mission of the organization, they are not going to stick,” Stone said. Volunteers are much more successful if they understand why they’re doing something, she said. “Then they feel a part of making that change in someone’s life, even though what they’re doing may be quite a bit removed from the person being helped.”