Volunteering
I’m so angry I don’t know where to start.
I got a call last week from an NGO I’ve collaborated with before offering my interpreting services for free and later finding out that that congress had a high budget that was spent in fancy catering and paying expensive acomodation to the speakers. That, I didn’t like. But I decided to give them another shot. And when they called and asked me to participate in a campaign in local schools talking about children’s rights, I thought it could be nice. So, we had to meet at 7.30AM at the NGO headquarters. I get up early enough, I leave the house with plenty of time and I’m at the door at 7.26. I wait. And I wait. They didn’t give me a phone number to call in case something happened,but they did have mine! So I wait. And keep waiting. And at 8.05, 35 minutes past the meeting time and 40 after I arrived, I see a bus approaching and going my way home. I get on it, my hands frozen because I was so worried about not being late that I forgot my gloves. I go home and send them an email which reads:
Good morning, XXXXXX. As we agreed, I was at 7.30 at your headquarters. I’ve been there for 35 minutes and nobody showed up. I was willing to help, but not to waste my time. I have a job and I put it on hold so I could participate in this project, but what I can’t do is wake up earlier than usual, go somewhere and stand in the cold for over half an hour for nothing, I’m sorry.
Maybe I could have been softer, but the cold weather makes me grumpy. I didn’t want to leave to get a coffee across the street in case they came, so they wouldn’t have to wait for me!
And trust me, when I need a coffee, I need one. Like now. Off I go.
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Comments
Now here it comes, their reply:
Oh, we’re really sorry, this girl was supposed to call you, maybe she forgot.
And together with that email, a couple more generic ones sent to all volunteers informing about upcoming activities. WHAAT?
I write:
That’s not an option. If I hadn’t showed up you would have thought how irresponsible of me and how unacceptable it is for people to commit and never show up. You’ve been calling me for weeks, at all times of the day (even ay 9pm!), several times a day, to get me to help. I have received 21 emails from you since October 1st asking me to help. And you couldn’t call me just one more time, send me one more email, to avoid me that. Well, if that’s the way you work, please do not contact me again, I won’t be available to work with you any time soon, I’m sorry.
They reply:
Well, if that’s your choice we respect it. But we hope you’ll chhange your mind and not let this little thing break our relationship.
I didn’t bother to reply to that.
here is the post (click on my name) i have been talking about.. thanks for letting me use your photo.. luv.
nihal’s last blog post..Sevdiğim Şeyler…
very rude of them but be proud of yourself for giving, don’t let that experience change that part of your heart :0)
tabbyintexas’s last blog post..17 Nov 08
Stumble it!
that’s frustrating. that e-mail is ok nothing too harsh, you said what needs to be said.
p.s: seriously what’s wrong with this anti-spam thingy? i had to use a calculator this time.