'Tis unfortunate, however, that most volunteers do not stick around long enough to receive the thanks, and most teams bolt immediately. A blanket email is appreciated and reaches more than the few volunteers a team can catch.

For those of you who do not like receiving all of the emails, change your setting to "digest". For everyone who wants to give thanks, make sure your subject line says so for those who want to filter or delete without opening. These are easy fixes that should satisfy everyone.

The day that the positive notes are no longer written is the day that I will stop volunteering and/or coaching FLL.

Darlene Pantaleo
FLL Judge Advisor
Maggie Walker
P/F: 804.745.2493



On Nov 8, 2010, at 10:30 AM, Robert Haskins wrote:

> Speaking as a volunteer referee at states for the past two years, a
> personal thanks from the kids at a tournament directly to me means
> *much* more than a blanket email to this list from a coach. :-)
> 
> And on the topic of interruptions, it's more than the 10 seconds, it
> is also the "context switch" time that these emails take. So, for some
> people (like me), a thank-you email can cost me more like 5 minutes of
> time, once you figure in the "context switch" (interruption) time.
> 
> Also everyone, please trim your email/posts!!!
> 
> On Mon, Nov 8, 2010 at 10:19 AM, Mandy Wilson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
>> I understand that right before a tournament you have 20 hours worth of work
>> still to do and 3 hours to do it all so you are trying to be efficient with
>> your time and prioritize those things that are important to you… and you are
>> stressed about the lack of time.  Been there.  But I’m sure all of the
>> volunteers who put countless hours into this had something else pressing in
>> their lives too and yet they were still there for us.  So if it takes some
>> people 10 seconds to sort out that unwanted email in order to help pay back
>> volunteers for hours of their time, that’s ok with me.  Or just set your
>> filter to take all email with thanks in the body to put in junk if that 10
>> sec per email is really that important to you.  But let’s not stop giving
>> thanks.  At the end of the tournament, regardless of your results, I do hope
>> your team takes the time out of their busy schedules to stop and give thanks
>> to you.
> 
> -- 
> Haskins Family Farm
> Middletown, VA
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> 
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