Volunteering

The VFCGS Seminar 2012 is fast approaching. (Volusia Flagler Council of Genealogical Societies)

The Flagler Society is the host this year, Roots and Branches is obligated to assist them.  They have asked for two volunteers who would be present at their meetings and also provide assistance on the day of the Seminar.  Our president has asked for two members to volunteer for this duty but nobody has spoken up.  We will be the host for the seminar in 2014.  If we do not assist the Flagler group then we cannot expect the other societies to come and help us.

This lack of volunteering is a plague on all clubs these days, several large genealogical societies have stopped publishing their newsletters, have shut down their web sites and some have disbanded because of this lack of participation.  R&B can barely man the volunteer desk at the library.  A large part, as far as genealogy is concerned, is the internet.  Now that library systems are making various services such as Heritage Quest and Fold3 available for free access from home we get fewer and fewer "customers" in the Gen Room.  On many Thursday afternoons there will not be one visitor.

What to do?  We have nearly exhausted efforts to get people to step up.  It boils down to a question of  how important do you think a genealogical society is?  Is it important to you?  Is it important enough to make a special effort to volunteer?  Unless enough people think it is the club will stagnate and cease to exist.

Now to the specific problem we face with the Flagler seminar.  The trip is a long one, 54 miles from Deltona. At nearly $4/gallon for gasoline my little Saturn, at 20 MPG, would cost me nearly $20 for each round trip, not to mention the wear and tear.  Multiple trips would be required for the meetings leading up to the seminar and again on the day of the event.  This is not a very appealing thought.

Perhaps we should offer someone an amount, say $30 per trip?   Or perhaps we should admit that we cannot provide volunteers and withdraw from the VFCGS?   Are we getting any benefit from our association with VGCGS?  Can we hope to hold up our end of the association?

What do YOU think?  Let's talk about it.