Can I make use of freegle

As a volunteer can I respond to offers on Freegle and use Freegle in the same way as a member with no admin status?

Of course you can - you are a member of the group after all! Sometimes it feels a bit difficult however, so below are some things that some volunteers do to make sure they don't beat other members to the post (pun intended) and keep looking - and acting - squeaky clean.

To ensure that your group is 'non-profit' (as that is part of the affiliation criteria of Freegle) make sure you don't give yourself an advantage by asking for items before they go on the board. It is also unethical and likely to bring Freegle as a whole into disrepute.

The following are suggestions of good practice, they are not meant to put you at a disadvantage. However members do notice and complain if they think group volunteers are taking advantage of their position.

• Although we continue to use the Yahoo terminology of ‘owner’, please remember that this term may upset some members – if you do feel the need to tell someone, it is might be better to stick to the term 'volunteer' or ‘moderator'.
• Expect no different treatment from other members in transactions because of volunteer/moderator/group owner 'status'.
• It can be easier if your don't ask for items you have approved yourself (a big volunteer team helps here) but that of course depends on how many people moderate on your group and how often.
• Leave a response to posts a short while so you aren't always the first to reply.
• Some volunteers only post wanteds instead of responding to offers.
• You could set up an alternative ID for posting and responding to posts so the member doesn't feel under any obligation, but then again a member might feel better if they do know who you are and are not hiding behind another ID.
• Don’t feel you have to state that you are a volunteer – you are no more or less important than any other member when it comes to the decision of the person making the post you have responded to.
• You could encourage the Fair offer policy to be considered by all members of the group to show that you are not going to nip in quickly!

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