WHY do people no longer come forward to serve on committees, help organise sporting events,?

I agree with bags - look at all the Sunday sports taking place every week, and all the activities available to young people!

DH and I are both Rotarians, (different clubs, I hasten to add) and are involved in a great variety of voluntary community projects and activities at home and abroad, all organised by small committees. For example, locally, the summer water festival, a triathlon, a 100k cycle sportif, rose beds in the park, youth leadership activities etc etc.

There are other organisations too, all getting stuck in, and thoroughly enjoying it.

(I was horrified by the stories here about people criticising the food and so on.)

My first experience of social volunteering was during the late 40's when Although my family worked 'in service' my first imtroduction to community service was watcing my cousin serving food at a WW2 Forces Service barracks.

During the late 70's - 80's so many so-called social & charitable societies were incredibly restrictive.. Rotary/Round Table/Masons, including their diminuative "ladies sections" considered themselves to be so socially exclusive that they banned anyone who even expressed a wish to join before being INVITED. Today they are reduced to advertising to gain new members.

My husband & I became members of our local branch of Samaritans in the 70's. It would be impossible to offer that open-door service now. We sat in an upstairs room, accessed straight from the street and waited without any protection whatsoever for whoever wanted to call in. At that time I still found my work colleagues were truly astounded that anyone could give their time for "nothing".

Today localism is severly tested, especially where it thrives in small towns & villages before incomers have the chance to integrate. It is fading as we cope with many major develpments bringing a sudden influx of incomers to any town or village.
I am fortunate to live in a rural town where we still have a large percentage of the population who can connect with each other over long periods of their lives. Of course this is changing and as our comunity expands it brings people in who are transient and see no value in becoming involved in local issues.
The Civic Society I belong to, spent a great deal of time and membership money, trying to recruit from the surrounding new housing estates - without a single response.
Fortunately our town still has innumerable voluntary groups which include our Museum & Theatre. We are also lucky to have so many active youth groups (Souts/Guides/sports/fire cadets/Museum staff/Saturday play creches etc. which are all run by volunteers.
Unfortunately when my daughter had to give up running her local cub-scouts, due to the demands of her job to travel overseas, there wasn't anyone who wished to take over.

Do SO agree with JessM & Goldengirl but with one reservation - the society I provided 'minutes' for became dominated by three newcomers/incomers, who simply bawled during meetings and 'explained' how we had previously failed!!!

p.s. I'm 70 soon so surely I deserve a rest!

I thought that when I retired that I would be able to do all the things that I had always wanted to do. My mother had a stroke and came to live with me for the last few years of her life. Then my children had babies. They went back to work and I took care of the babies. This theme is continuing to this day and another is due early next year. Of course I do have short periods of time when I can do my own thing but there are never enough hours in the day to garden, play guitar, make jewellery, write, walk the dog, read, volunteer, visit the sea or countryside, go to the loo...etc.etc.etc...
I would offer more help to local groups but I am exhuasted!!!

That must be nice. I remember my (mercenary) son being asked to man a blow-up rugby pitch game at our fete, a couple of years ago aged 17. His first question was, how much do I get paid? The answer was, a cup of tea and a slice of cake! To his credit, he has manned a stall every year since then, but I realised that I had never actually taught him, told him, about volunteering. Maybe because I resented being made to do so much by my mother from the age of 11. DBH's school have to have a session a week on personal and social skills, I shall mention it to him as a topic I think.

I find it hard enough to do a survey, simply asking peoples opinions of their local area facilities for example and the general attitude is that they are not interested or the 'what's in it for me' attitude which is so common today.
my elderly mother runs a group and most are her age late 70/80s and they fight constantly. I think younger people would be put off.

In general its just the changing attitudes in society today. We get comfortable in our own homes and don't want to go out to organise something that may not be appreciated. That is the key, when you are a volunteer you need appreciation, so if someone works hard on a committee to organise an event for others to enjoy, they need to be appreciated. I would happily work on a committee if I got a token of appreciation say a bunch of flowers occasionally or a nice card. My present voluntary work sends me cards regularly thanking me for my help and I love it.

People do turn up in our village - there's loads going on, thanks to all the enthusiasm. Spent yesterday afternoon sitting in the sun on the green watching the croquet league finals - very English.

Our local Open Gardens died a death a few years ago, and I was very relieved. There are definitely some things for which you have to be fully retired to be able to dedicate yourself to sufficiently. Killing every weed in a half-acre garden is one of them.

I have no idea but I'm sure others involved with local committees can tell us.

If not enough people are getting enthusiastic about certain things perhaps those things don't need to have committees, or even to be done at all. I suppose I'm thinking along consumer demand lines; if there's no demand for a thing, why do it?

People are willing and eager when it's something they feel strongly about, or are enthusiastic about, as in the examples given by thatbags and MiceElf above.

It's the more everyday, routine committee roles involved in a community organisation which are becoming hard to fill and where resentment builds up when some members feel put-upon. I don't know what the answer is.

I'm inclined to agree, thatbags. There are so many activities locally that are run by volunteers, and recently we had an horrific RTA a hundred yards from where I live. I put out an email to our local community (three streets) asking for volunteers to canvass to collect signatures asking for cal ing measurs on that rosd. Thirty people turned up on a chilly evening. Basically, I do think people are willing, certainly in the short term, but I think many are put off by the beaurocracy and the thought of a very long term commitment. Perhaps organisations need to find different models of volunteering.

I've been thinking about the title question for a while. My first reaction was that people do come forward to serve on committees, help organise sporting events and so on. How else would these things happen? There are far more activities for children nowadays than there were when I was a child and many of them are run by volunteers. My youngest daughter has been to Scottish Country Dancing classes run by volunteers, to netball practice sessions run by volunteers, to cubs and scouts run by volunteers, an art class run by volunteers, bicycle proficiency classes run by volunteers.
DH and I take part in archery practice. The club is run by volunteers. Volunteers run inter-club archery competitions.
Parents at schools run parent councils, PTAs, and are volunteers on governing bodies.
It's not the same people doing all these things.
etc, etc, etc.

Shadowing a job for a year is what happened in the church Young Wives group I used to belong to (way back when I was a young wife!) It was a good way of learning the job and being there when the holder had a domestic crisis to attend to.

A good idea, but it founders when no-one can be found to commit to starting the job in a year's time after the year as a shadow. What happened was that a small group of people cycled round all the positions and the shadow positions, and a larger group failed to come foreward for anything (but were quick to complain about those who did).

It takes several retirements/resignations/house moves to co-incide to force new people into office - then no-one knows the ropes and everything falls apart until a new batch have become the "old faithfuls"

It is often a good idea to ' split ' arduous jobs. Eg secretary into minutes sec and membership sec, outings organiser plus someone different to collect the money . Also having someone to shadow a job for a year before that person retires can be a good way of keeping continuity.

Our youth orchestra secretary said that people had been complaining about how she did the job. I said pick up the books, hand them to the grumbler and say you're more than welcome to take over. End of grumbles. Committees need a very focused chairman to prevent ' rambling'.

Actually I should try that approach - I have just started to use it more on DBH and it works on him!

Oh yes Elegran if whatever I produce, buy or serve is not up to their standard, They get first offer to take over and they soon shut up.

I hope you are ready with the obvious answers to all these complaints, ladies.

"You are quite right, if you want something done properly, you have to do it yourself. There does happen to be a vacancy on the committee.
Shall I propose your name to fill it? I can ask X if she will second it, and I am sure you will be welcomed. We meet on XXX every month/week to plan the next event and decide who will do all that needs done. There are never enough hands, and your help would be really appreciated"

I usually buy the milk (my purse) for the teas and coffees and it is not good enough that I only supply semi skimmed fresh milk. One really cannot get the staff these days!!!

I live in a small Community and we have a Communial garden where a few times during the year I try to organise a day where everyone can come to-gether and have a /chat//general get together at the last one I was told not to make such spicy food and that that there was no cress in the egg-mayo sandwiches and to make sure the garden was quiet for 6pm as a couple of the residents liked to take a nap early.All the food drink & chairs etc where allocated by just three of us so its a no win situation sometimes.It will be my birthday in 2 weeks and I bet they all turn up in the front garden for a slice of cake and a with out so much as an invitation,as DD always sets the chairs out for us to enjoy with GDCs.

Re the ''staff' thing - we were doing teas for one event when we were told off by separate people (please bear in mind that we had paid for and made cakes and sandwiches ourselves) for handling money without gloves (we had one person who ONLY handled money) for making the tea too strong, for not making a separate selection of gluten-free cakes, for not having a suitably large choice of sandwiches for vegetarians and for placing meat-filled sandwiches next to non-meat. It's very deflating when you are feeling tired.

My mother says that in her day, if people didn't like what was about to be served, they brought their own.

rubysong I think I shall suggest that we put an advert in the village newssheet for a couple of men. Who knows, it may get them involved in something else. DBH&Son help to cart heavy stuff about, but they aren't often around, one working or doing athletics or singing, the other at Uni.

We know several couples who go away deliberately just before our village fete so that they won't have to help out.

I've volunteered to help at an archery tournament next weekend. I'm doing reception.

Do you have new people moving into your area? When I moved Counties a few years ago I was invited to a WI Meeting by a neighbour. Well needless to say only a few weeks later I was a Committee member, I think because I did not mind doing the washing up. However I have made so many new friends, have a busy social life and love being part of the Village Community. We have a majority of more elderly members but by putting a write up in the Parish News each month, helping out at other events etc we have gained 4 new members and whilst some members are happy just to enjoy the social side we have also got new Committee member too and now of the 7 committee 4 have moved into the village.

I am a member of a local society and to date I have been the only person fundraising for the last 3 years. Money does not grow on trees but the majority still want their very subsidised Christmas lunch at a decent restaurant and away days to places of interest.

I cover for the treasurer and the person who sorts out the teas and coffees, and as NfkDumpling said, I was also treated as paid staff but only the once with a person ordering tea for herself. She was politely told she could get off her chair and pick up the refreshments.

I agree, it is the same people who volunteer or are asked to cover.