What Would You Say

[Desley (booktigger)]

I wouldn't let it put you off helping other people, i offered to do things for my local CP branch when I Fostered for them, and they didn't like them, yet the person I now foster for (although hesitant about CC first) has been really happy with things, and it has helped her out tremendously, as it has the other cat charity i foster for. So, 2 out of the 3 I have suggested it to have liked it and it has helped tremendously, just a shame about the 3rd.

[blackcat]

We all get carried away with our enthusiasm from time to time. Life would be pretty dull if we didn't. Sometimes you just have to pick your timing better 

[MBll]

Nahh  bc as Iv 'offered'  to help out  she pefers to do it alone so thats ok Im not going to bother now  just let her get on with things.    So that'll teach me not to ask anyone again lol    I just leave rescues to get on with it by themslefs   as they prefer that way no problem

[blackcat]

Hi Ratie, I think you probably need to talk to this person before you do things for them. Some people, mysefl included, would probably get a bit huffy if someone did something on my behalf without first asking if it was what I wanted.

You should also think twice before you give out people's contact details without asking if it is OK. You may know this radio person, but if you don't it could just as easily have been a bailiff or someone who was stalking your friend. Also I always treat reporters with healthy suspicion (comes of years in the civil service and having to make sure you get your message across without answering their questions  ). So, how about you contact her and ask if you can go over and talk to her, She may have heaps of things you could do, but at the moment you are telling her what you want to do, which may not be the right approach with this one.

Chin up and if she keeps on rejecting your offers of help find someone who appreciates your enthusiasm.

[Ela]

Sometime ago i posted an appeal for homes for this rescue on the tree site as she didnt know about this site, well i got a surprise email from a radio presenter  that runsa morning show in glasgow that read the ad & emailed me stating that part of his job was to highlight charitys & he was  interested in this small rescue & wanting to get the lassie in to do a talk on the radio about the work etc etc etc.   

I can see both sides, I had  this sort of thing, and to be honest I reacted similar to the lady concerned. In the end I did get one of the Fosterers to have a 2 hour radio programme from her farm. Apparently the show does a charity show  occasionally. The programme did not result in any enquiries at all and caused more inconvenience than anything.

I do like the idea of new blood  but I do not appreciate people trying to organise anything until I know them  well and they know how we do things and the reasons behind our ideas and also discuss with me their intentions before they act.

Although I appreciate this lady may know you very well, she may be one of those who like to do it alone, unfortunately there are some people who think they can do it all. and if it is not their idea it is no good. Although in reality if they accepted a bit of help they could save lots more.

[MBll]

Well just to update this a bit more..............


Sometime ago i posted an appeal for homes for this rescue on the tree site as she didnt know about this site, well i got a surprise email from a radio presenter  that runsa morning show in glasgow that read the ad & emailed me stating that part of his job was to highlight charitys & he was  interested in this small rescue & wanting to get the lassie in to do a talk on the radio about the work etc etc etc.   


Well i emailed the guy back with her name & contact details & phoned her about it well he managed to get hold of her & make  adate/time  for her to go in,   after all that i phoned her again & was told that she tried to get someone else to do it & didnt go in & wasnt keen or i would put it not interested as she says 'Im not a morning person'. 

I thought this would be a great chance to get more homes for the cats that shes complaining that she cant get homes for & also to let the public know about rescue work etc etc

[Ela]

Ela, I am sure that all of that is true, however in the instance that we are discussing, the particular person has not done any of that according to Ratie,

I appreciate I am generalizing, as you know on here a topic soon changes slightly although in this case it is about the same thing, obviously I do not know RatiesRule personally, although in  our eyes someone may seem purrfect and have good ideas, I cannot assume whether they were deemed suitable or not in the eyes of the rescue concerned. The only way I could do that is if I had been a fly on the wall

Also I know there are still some rescues sadly that think no one is good enought but them, and don't know or want to know that they could save so much more with help.

[blackcat]

Ela, I am sure that all of that is true, however in the instance that we are discussing, the particular person has not done any of that according to Ratie, so, in this particular instance, I think she has been overly cautious.

Managing a team of volunteers requires tact and the ability to ensure that every person making an offer is made to feel welcome even if, on reflection, it turns out they will be of little use to the organisation. However they should not be left feeling the way Ratie was feeling when she posted - that is, rebuffed and unwanted. This approach can be equally damaging to the reputation of the organisation as someone left feeling like that will discuss it with their friends and a whole raft of potential volunteers may not bother in the future as they 'know' that their offers will be rejected or treated with a lack of the appreciation that every volunteer needs to feel unless they are out and out masochists.

I have considerable experience in managing volunteers so I am aware of the pitfalls, however it is a balancing act which has apparently not been achieved very effectively in this particular point in case.

[Ela]

I can understand that, however it is also possible that by turning a cold shoulder, rather than at least hearing the offer out and saying you would think about it that you might just lose a really excellent opportunity.

I did not say that I do hear what they had to say, but as they talk some  dig a bigger hole  and you just know that you cannot use that person. e.g. Someone offerers help, they are invited to a meeting and they seem a nice person but  for the whole time ,perhaps 2 hours they  are blowing bubbles, pulling gum out of their mouths with their fingers, there is no way they could represent us. Or someone may offer to help but do not believe cats should be neutered. We get people offer to home visit (nothing else will do), they have no transport or phone, with the best will in the world we cannot use them.

Seems to me that it is possible to be be too cautious for your own good at times

When it comes to rescue we have to be very cautious as one false move could prove fatal. We have a responsibility to our guests  to get it right, therefore we need to be comfortable with all our volunteers. We cannot afford one loose cannon. loose cannons bring a bad name and then the only things that suffer are the little ones.

I would rather have few quality volunteers than setting everyone on who volunteers and spending my time sorting out the problems they cause. Sometimes it is easier and quicker to do a job yourself. I am sure others in rescue who post on here will know exactly what I mean. Also there can be financial implications if you set on the wrong person. You could spend hundreds even thousands setting them up only for it all to go pear shaped. To be honest unless you are in the front line of rescue I appreciate it would be very difficult to understand the enormity of it all. Even some of our fosterers do now realize what is entailed. They look after the cats they have very well but that is all they know, they don't know the heartache we hear about every day. Therr is no point in my calling them as I know they have no room.

[blackcat]

I get people offer their services to me sometimes and although they may appear OK there is a little niggle that for some reason you do not take up their offer.

I can understand that, however it is also possible that by turning a cold shoulder, rather than at least hearing the offer out and saying you would think about it that you might just lose a really excellent opportunity. I know if I was to offer someone help and have them show no interest, I would be less willing to give them a hand once they had given themselves time to process the offer and came back to me. There is a middle ground here that Ratiie's contact has failed to explore and by doing that, she or he is potentially losing someone who is really committed to providing help and assistance.

Seems to me that it is possible to be be too cautious for your own good at times.

[blackcat]

Ela, I have PMd you

[Christine (Blip)]

I think Sam is right to mention CatChat - RR, why not get the lady to write to CatChat Towers with her telephone number and then discuss with them what can be achieved?  That way, things are more regulated as CatChat is a registered charity and she might gain reassurance about how the internet can help her.

[Ela]

If she has a problem and someone offers a solution she should grab it with both hands.

That is not necessarily the case

B C, I dont think that is a fair comment, there could be lots of reasons why she is unsure, and I doubt it is because she likes having a problem homing her cats.

I agree 100%

Fair enough - I was in a bad mood when I posted. Should have bit my tongue...

That is exactly the reasons why some people would be  cautious to let everyone that offers help them, they have to be sure  how they may react to a situation. A loose tongue could cost a little one it life.

I get people offer their services to me sometimes and although they may appear OK there is a little niggle that for some reason you do not take up their offer. I am not one of these people who think we can manage, we can't and always encourage new blood but I have to be 100% certain in my own mind about that person.

[blackcat]

Fair enough - I was in a bad mood when I posted. Should have bit my tongue...

[Desley (booktigger)]

When I started fostering for CAT77, the lady who runs it was very dubious, as she thought it would encourage the wrong kind of people, but I told her that she still does all her normal checks, it is just getting people lookig at pics and interested before they contact us. So that might be worth trying, she could be thinking similar things. You could also suggest that you do the upkeep for a month, and at the end of it, she lets you know if it has helped.
BC, I dont think that is a fair comment, there could be lots of reasons why she is unsure, and I doubt it is because she likes having a problem homing her cats.

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

I agree with BC .... if she really wants to rehome her kitties she should be jumping at the opportunity to have some-one offer assistance.    Of course if she is computer "illiterate" for want of a better term then she may not realise what a godsend the internet really is.

Maybe you could print off some of the catchat pages for other rescues in your area and show her the sort of thing that she could have .. show her the success stories as well.

Explain to her that you would be willing to maintain the pages and she wouldn't have to be involved with the "computer" side of things as potential owners would still telephone her it would just mean more people would be able to know of her existence.

She is probably a bit disinterested because she doesn't really understand how it all works and is a bit  frightened to admit it.

[blackcat]

then maybe she is just one of those people who like to feel put upon. If she has a problem and someone offers a solution she should grab it with both hands. If she doesn't then she likes having a problem

[MBll]

To a small homed based rescue the benifits of rehoming on a site like this? 


 I know of a small rescue that Iv offered to help with stuff as she dosnt have acomputer/internet access the last time i spoke to her she was complaining that theres no cats going out but the phone  keeps going with folk wanting cats brought in & the few calls she does get for cats/kittens are not suitable as she advertise in adtrader & no where else?  Iv offered but it seems shes no interested?