Controversial opinion, but I think most volunteers are probably fairly ineffective, enough to round down to zero.
However, it’s super easy to be an effective volunteer. Simply: A) Be autonomous/self-motivated B) Put in some significant amount of effort per week C) Be consistent over a long period of time (long enough to climb up the skill curve for the tasks at hand)
Controversial opinion, butI think most volunteers are probably fairly ineffective, enough to round down to zero.However, it’s super easy to be an effective volunteer. Simply: A) Be autonomous/self-motivated B) Put in some significant amount of effort per week C) Be consistent over a long period of time (long enough to climb up the skill curve for the tasks at hand)
I agree with you. See Volunteering Isn’t Free as one example of elucidation for why taking on volunteers is hard, often net negative.
That said, I do not think this is a controversial opinion, whether within EA or overall. :)
Fair enough, perhaps it just feels a little risky for me to say “out-loud”