In my experience, a person gives up some of their time and resources to aid the community. We are supposed to help one another. Volunteering has been part of my life since high school. Pledging for my sorority required it. The habit stuck. I volunteer all the time. My last assignment was on the Council On Aging. Our town has a beautiful senior center. It isn't officially part of the city , probably to limit liability. However, the major part of their budget comes from a grant from the city. We had a sticky situation when our director got so sick she could no longer work, not even if We accomodated her under the disability act. She simply could not do her job. This is a lovely lady who worked hard to make the center into what it is now. Her personality is all over the building and the programs. ...and she was well paid for her effort.
The personnel manual is very clear. Our director wrote it herself. The board approved it. But try to apply it. Politics became a big factor that We could not get around. No one could fire the director. All the seniors loved her, for our director was good to them. Oh, by the way, seniors vote. Elected officials backed off. I learned that each mayor in turn, treats the senior block quite gingerly. The issue got very emotional. Clear heads are hard to find when everyone is upset. Our attorney resigned. A vote was taken. Only myself and one other person would vote to apply the personnel policy. Everyone else lost backbone. The issue was never resolved. My term of office expired. I chose to not serve another term. The board deteriorated some more. The prime directive, that is to provide for our seniors, seemed to get lost. In my opinion, the staff served its own needs. ...called it "in house training". The financial director was arrested for "misappropriation of funds". He was paying himself a raise He thought he deserved.
Our beloved director, who thought the job was her right, sued the city. She had social security disability, a big pension, had a salary that made me jealous and an able bodied husband that was quite capable of working himself. This lady was covered financially. Then, she died and damn if her estate didn't win the suit. Cost the city big bucks, because the Council On Aging did not have the guts to apply the personnel policy . From this experience, I learned that I will probably always hold a minority position. Applying a clearly stated personnel policy seemed logical to me. I was mystified at the political obstruction. Other people saw it differently than I did. I made up my mind that I won't waste my time volunteering on boards or commissions unless I can be effective.