A volunteer begins by helping with one event. Soon they hold the keys, answer the messages, and know how to solve problems nobody else understands. Each request seems reasonable, but the role has become much larger than the commitment they originally made.

Leaving can feel like abandoning people they care about. The group may interpret continued effort as proof that the arrangement is sustainable, while the volunteer experiences increasing resentment and exhaustion.

The problem can be in the arrangement

Former volunteers have described overload, limited voice, cliques, and disconnection as reasons for leaving. Exhaustion can therefore be connected to how the role is organized and whose concerns are heard, rather than only to the amount of work.

A group that relies on sacrifice may praise dedication without noticing that essential work has no backup. Encouraging someone to rest is difficult to act on when every task waits for their return. Sharing knowledge, reducing commitments, and allowing responsibilities to end can change that dependence.

Volunteer participation remains voluntary only when people can renegotiate or leave without undue punishment. The ability to sustain the activity should not depend on a few people repeatedly overriding their own limits because the organization has made itself unable to function without them.

Real cases