Store manager Marion Waterland, with part of her crew at the Fine Feathers Op Shop. Photo / Rafaella Melo
Store manager Marion Waterland, with part of her crew at the Fine Feathers Op Shop. Photo / Rafaella Melo
A waitlist of people wanting to be volunteers? In this economy?
It sounds like a movie script, perhaps even a fairy tale.
Some days Marion Waterland pinches herself too as her tiny op-shop in Greenmeadows fills once again with its team of dedicated helpers.
Waterland’s Fine Feathers Op Shop is defying not just a Hawke’s Bay trend, but a national and international trend, of charities struggling to fill volunteer vacancies.
Bigger players in the local scene, such as Cranford Hospice and Presbyterian Support East Coast, say finding new recruits is increasingly an uphill battle even after Hawke’s Bay residents make their January New Year’s resolutions.
They say the volunteering landscape has changed and the fickle state of bank accounts for both pensioners and families means it’s unlikely to get easier anytime soon.
Waterland says no one in the sector is doing anything wrong, both attracting and retaining, but clearly, what she’s doing is right.
The small Napier shop managed by Waterland for five years, which raises money for the Native Bird Rescue Charitable Trust on Waiheke Island, has a waiting list of eager helpers.
Her volunteering story montage began 25 years ago. She says she experienced some unpleasant situations in her earlier volunteering days.
“I have been spoken down to and ordered around,” she said.
Since she became a manager, she said she has been trying her best to recognise each volunteer’s effort, skills, and ideas.
“A large number of our volunteers have supported me for 15 years in the three separate shops for other charities I have managed. Each time I left to take up a new appointment, these loyal ladies would follow me.”
She credits her ability to retain volunteers to be sensitive to the workforce’s needs.
“Thanking them every day is important as is being kind and considerate as they are giving up their own time and incurring petrol costs to come to work.”
The shop currently has 25 volunteers. Usually, each one works a three-hour shift once a week, with two or three volunteers scheduled per shift.
“I don’t let them work any longer than three hours, neither put any demands on them to work extra shifts, although a lot of them make themselves available,” Waterland says.
The op-shop manager says she never asks a volunteer to do a job that she wouldn’t do herself.
“I don’t tell them what to do, I invite them and allot them a duty that is most suitable to them. It’s quite hard work mentally appeasing everybody, but it’s the way to get stickability.”
For many volunteers, the shop offers more than just a chance to give back. It’s also a way to connect with others and avoid loneliness.
Robyn Burns, 76, has been volunteering for eight years, which filled a gap after losing her husband.
“I love it. It’s been fantastic,” Burns says.
“Two weeks ago, we had a lovely afternoon at one of the girl’s homes. Marion got some platters, we sat outside, and we had a lovely catch-up. We are all friends here.”
Robyn Burns, 76, has been volunteering for eight years, which filled a gap after losing her husband. Photo/ Rafaella Melo
The average age of the group ranges from 60 to 86, with the exception of 18-year-old Kaitlin Elsworth, who is doing it for work experience.
The team comes together for an annual Christmas function and sometimes engages in social activities, such as lunches or coffee together.
“We try to have a meet at each other’s houses and bring a plate as a chance to get together and really get to know each one individually,” Waterland says.
In the past, she arranged group bus trips, fashion parades, and other fun activities.
However, she has had to scale back these events while caring for her late husband Tom, who died in August after a 12-year battle with dementia.
“I’ve been grieving for many years,” Waterland said.
The shop is for her, and for mostly volunteers, a place to make friends and avoid loneliness.
The same enjoyment and sense of fulfilment is available for those who decide to donate their time to other charity organisations across the Bay.
Presbyterian Support East Coast (PSEC), which operates charity shops in Havelock North, Taradale, and the Enliven Disability service, relies on a dedicated team of 100 volunteers.
According to PSEC’s head of marketing Debbie Bakkerus, although young volunteers are increasing in numbers, they don’t stay long.
“[They] enjoy gaining retail experience as a stepping stone to paid employment,” Bakkerus says.
“Volunteering at Enliven Disability provides young people with valuable hands-on experience in the health sector often inspiring them to pursue further studies and careers in healthcare.”
Bakkerus says retirees are still a significant portion of PSEC’s volunteer workforce, but seasonal job opportunities are starting to drive them away.
“One of the key challenges now is being driven by the current economic climate and people looking for paid work wherever possible.”
Despite the challenges, PSEC’s volunteers made a remarkable impact in the Bay community last year, gifting 9000 hours to their charity shops.
Bakkerus says the organisation is grateful for the volunteers' efforts, but there’s always room for more help. Currently, they need volunteers for their Havelock North and Taradale charity shops.
Street view of the Taradale PSEC Charity Shop.
The situation isn’t unique to PSEC. Salvation Army also has vacancies for its Greenmeadows and Napier City Family Stores.
“We are always on the lookout for volunteers. Volunteers are the lifeblood of what we do in supporting communities across the motu. This mahi wouldn’t be possible without their support,” a Salvation Army spokesperson said.
Cranford Hospice’s engagement director Carol Ann Stubbs said the ongoing need for volunteers is vital.
“Volunteers are a critical part of our workforce. They work in the kitchen, in the laundry, they do the flowers, the garden, they work in the stores. They all provide so much help.”
Cranford Hospice needs an additional 200 people for its street appeal.
Even with about 400 volunteers spread across their four stores and at the Cranford Hospice in the Bay, Stubbs says the organisation needs an additional 200 people for their street appeal.
She believes the decline in volunteer numbers is mainly because of busier schedules in life and the evolving economic landscape, which is reshaping the way people approach unpaid work.
“That’s why when we get volunteers, we treasure and look after them as much as we can,” Stubbs says.
