leave volunteering to the kids of UT

now i'm not going to advocate against all volunteering, that would be stupid. but there is one thing i don't understand. why do some volunteer organizations make it so difficult or tedious to volunteer? everyone always says they need more volunteers, so why be assholes about it?

i realize that for some types of volunteering certain training is required, and that's fine. but a perfect example of what i'm talking about is the VITA (volunteer income tax assistance) program i volunteer for. in order to participate this year i had to 1) sit thru a 3 hour tax lecture, 2) sit thru a 3 hour computer training session, and 3) pass the certification test, which is exactly comparable to last year's test.

you're probably thinking that's not too bad, but it's a huge pain in the ass when i have other things i'm doing. i have 5 classes for which i actually do work (despite what some blawgs might lead you to believe about law students), i'm in 2 other clubs/societies at the law school (no one can ever say my hatred for law school is due to not getting involved in shit), i have a poker night, and i enjoy some time for myself too. plus, the tax lecture is a huge pain in the ass since i've taken both federal and advanced income tax classes, as well as participating in VITA last year, at which time i heard the exact same lecture. is it really necessary for me to hear all the same shit for the 4th time? i think not.

as far as computer training goes, this year the program is online instead of downloaded. despite this, the program is basically the same, with only 1 or 2 minor changes. it would've been more reasonable to hold a shorter, 30-60 min session for returning volunteers, while giving the new ones the entire orientation.

and the certification test, oh for christ's sake. if you did it the previous year, you've proven your ability. i can see retesting someone after a very long break (e.g. making old people retake driving tests so they fail and cant enrage me on the road), but it's only been a year. if i cant remember how to file a tax return when people only give me a W2 and 1099 then i should be euthanized, really.

maybe i should get a job with a non-profit volunteer organization after graduation. we've already discussed how they pay unnecessarily high salaries all while feeling good about themselves for what they claim to do. just think, the money you donate can go straight into my bank account! you want to just give it to me now?