Sunday, January 15, 2023
A volunteer, someone doing
pro bono work, anyone offering free help, does not, in doing so, abrogate their professional responsibilities or conduct. I told a volunteer at a fund-raiser once that he was late and had caused us to be short-handed. “I’m only a volunteer,” he said. “No,” I said, “what you are is thoughtless. Go home.”
It’s ironic when I’ve helped at fund raisers for professional groups that no one bothers to make sure the microphone is working (or even present), or there’s transportation from the airport, or the publicity has been properly distributed. I don’t mind compensating for bad conditions and lack of preparation, but I do mind dealing with people who were apparently born on third base and think they’ve hit a triple.