Burnout among the most committed

The reliable ones absorb everything until they stop.

Every volunteer programme has a small number of people who do a disproportionate share. They say yes, they cover gaps, they are on several rosters, and the organisation depends on them heavily without ever deciding to.

This is comfortable for everybody until the person stops, which they do abruptly and often permanently, and frequently with a sense of resentment that the organisation never noticed. The pattern is well recognised and rarely prevented, because the person is not complaining and the coverage is convenient.

Noticing requires looking at hours by person rather than at total coverage. Where one volunteer accounts for a large share of a roster, that is an organisational risk and an individual welfare issue simultaneously.

The intervention is usually to reduce their load against their wishes, which is uncomfortable. People in this position frequently insist they are fine, and the organisation's obligation is to the sustainability of the arrangement rather than to their assessment of their own capacity.

It is worth noticing that the volunteer who does everything is frequently also the one who cannot be told anything, because their contribution makes the conversation awkward. That combination is how a single person's practice becomes unexaminable, which is a risk in any service and a serious one in services involving vulnerable people.