Page 160 - ShowSight - January 2020

Why Do People Stop Volunteering?
BY KYLE POTTS
Why do people stop volunteering in dog clubs? Why is it so difficult to find people to help out, even on the smallest task? The answers will vary from “I just don’t have any time”, to “I’m not showing any more so I don’t have the interest”, and then there is one that I was given very recently;” I don’t want to be beat up like I see happening to the board”. That last one made me sad to hear, but there is a ring of truth to it.
The election of officers and board of directors is becoming more and more difficult each year. I see the Nominating Committee calling for volunteers and encouraging people to step up. My own experience may serve as something to think about for those contemplating stepping up in the club.
Thirteen years ago I made the decision to run for a board position. I heard the current members speak of wanting to get off the board. They said they had done their time and they were tired. I accepted it as a fact and I thought that I had enough free time that I could help out. I did not come onto the board with an agenda in mind, and I had no thoughts of changing the club in one direction or the other. I really knew very little about what the board did, but everyone around me told me it wasn’t difficult and didn’t really take up much time. Now, either they weren’t doing “it” correctly or they flat out lied to me, because it is difficult and it does take time, if you do it correctly.
When I first was elected to the board, the board meetings were fairly quiet, we didn’t have a lot going on in the club, and the biggest issue to hit towards the end of my term was the Breed Standard revision ballot. While there was some controversy swirling around that, it wasn’t enough to cause me great concern because I was not in charge and it affected me minimally. Under the leadership at that time, the board operated with little or no input from the membership. Decisions were made and not questioned, and no one complained about it. If there were members who were unhappy with the direction of the club, they didn’t voice it much.
After four years on the board, I was ready to run for President. The Presi- dent was stepping down and I was told that I was the next logical candidate for the job. I knew going into the role of President that there was one thing I wanted to see happen. I wanted to shift the bulk of the decisions that affected
152 • ShowSight Magazine, January 2020