When it comes time to volunteer...

One of the funniest dynamics in ROTC is related to the optional volunteer opportunities that always seem to come up. These optional activities always border on being required. Activities will range from going to El Paso for tutoring to putting on a small FLRC for the local middle school. Despite the differences in the actual activities, there are a few common trends. The first of which is the fact that no one wants to be there. The most challenging part of these activities is getting people to come out and help. It may not seem that hard to find a few volunteers, especially with almost one hundred cadets around. However, it is extremely difficult to get people to give up their time to help the program. Once people figure out that you are trying to recruit help and potentially take away their free time, they scatter as though you have body odor issues. When it comes time to get volunteers, I have a few suggestions. The first one is only have people that want to be there helping. One of the worst things that could happen is having a bunch of forced volunteers complaining and dragging their feet. These people are a cancer for volunteer operations because positive and upbeat attitudes are critical for the success. These operations are designed to build repore with the community. Having negative attitudes around will damage mission success. It is ok to have less people than you might need, but you must be careful not to burn out the volunteers. This will drastically affect their moods. The final piece of advice I have is take care of your volunteers. People that go out of their way to help others should be recognized. As an example, if you are doing a morning activity that prevents volunteers from eating breakfast, bring everyone a snack. This will make them feel appreciated and not starving. When it comes time to organize a volunteer activity, only use those who want to be there, and take care of them.