Stowarzyszenie Wiosna brought to account

My charity involvement experience in 2025 - has already been comprehensively summarised and since then, I have not changed my mind with respect to far-reaching criticism towards Szlachetna Paczka's arrangers. The 2025 edition will be finalised for me in late March 2026, when a sofa, ordered just recently and replacing a shoddy one bought online by donators and returned to the shop, is delivered.

In one of the discussions past the final weekend, the leader asked about Stowarzyszenie Wiosna's financial statement. The penny dropped, while I dropped everything to look into publicly available financials of the organisation for 2024.

The key findings are perplexing:
- In 2024 Stowarzyszenia Wiosna raised over PLN 31 million from private and corporate donators.
- Expenses for aid to those in need reached to more than PLN 4.5 million.
- As a non-profit organisation, it regularly produced operating profit of over PLN 6 million yearly and earned interest income of over PLN 1 million yearly from financial assets it held.
- At the end of 2024 the entity behind Szlachetna Paczka accumulated PLN 28 million in cash and bank deposits and PLN 6 million in corporate and government bonds. Financial assets increased by PLN 7 million vs. end of 2023.

Jaw drops open. Why has nobody made a mess about those numbers if the figures are within everyone's reach?

In early January 2026 I received an open invitation for an in-person meeting with Stowarzyszenia Wiosna's representatives in Warsaw, held yesterday. I signed up for it, wondering how much room for a genuine and open discussion would be given by the event's hosts.

It turned out the four-hour event was attended by mere 60 people and over most of its time we were split into five groups. The teamwork we had been meant to do was not fully done, as short discussion panels morphed into bitter experience sharing and I did not shun taking part in it. Stowarzyszenie Wiosna's employees listened carefully to all regrets spoken out during the sessions. Time will tell, if they take it to hearts. 

With respect to cash-richness of Stowarzyszenia Wiosna, I raised my reservations in person to one of executives after the event ended. We had a frank discussion, however I do not buy in the explanation that PLN 34 million is an atomic-case scenario reserve to carry on with the next edition if zero donations are made next year. Firstly because during 15 years of my hands-on experience in corporate finance I have never seen proceeds of any organisation going down by 100%, nor any entity bracing for such scenario. Secondly, because yearly running costs of Stowarzyszenie Wiosna are some PLN 10 million lower than its cash cushion, hence at least some room for depletion is given.

My mission is completed. I have accomplished more or less as much planned, i.e. spoke up, were audible, with little hope anything is going to change. Fighting itself ought to be a virtue even if you are fighting a losing battle. Sometimes you don't lay down your weapons just to assure yourself when you look in the mirror, you see a face of a man who acts righteously.

Szlachetna Paczka 2025 before the dust has settled

To be precise, it has not fully settled. One of families under my care stills awaits a sofa bed (delivery delayed), another one I have looked after waits for bedside lamps and a chair assembly which I will do myself. Four families' donators have buggered up and we (volunteers from Ursynów area) will need to fix up money from an "emergency fund" to meet their needs. Yesterday I belatedly purchased and delivered a shower booth for a family I picked up as a donator on 8 December. Well, the Yuletide celebration has not yet commenced.

My sixth edition is the first one when I am not in a relationship. The other person close to me used to be a counterbalance and kept by involvement at bay. This year I had decided to dedicate more energy to Szlachetna Paczka and now feel drained of it, yet not on account if my relationship status, but due to organisational errors made all along.

The recruitment process has been screwed up. Far too many people on managerial positions and as rank-and-file volunteers should have never found themselves in their roles. The absence of black lists (of people with negative feedback from previous editions) has definitely contributed to this.

In the very area of Ursynów we onboarded 64 families to receive aid (vs. previous record of 54) and had around 35 volunteers (10 more than in previous years on average). Quantity of staff has not translated into quality. Although we have had some outstanding newcomers, the number of insufficiently involved (or disappearing along the way) volunteers was appallingly high. Needless to say duties they had undertaken had to be taken over.

In the run-up to the final weekend there has been a massive problem of families not picked by any donators. Volumes could be spoken of reasons why it happened like this, but since there is no proof any of my theories is right, I will keep them for myself. In social media the most common notion was putting it down to some families' sky-high needs, which even if justified, are hard to be fulfilled by ordinary people (may a costly leaking roof repair serve as an example).

No reliable statistics will show how many Paczkas (neither "box" nor "parcel" renders well what a Paczka in Szlachetna context is) have eventually been prepared by the volunteers and their companions. In Ursynów area 4 out of 64 families have been picked by us. Additional time and money spent on saving families from being left out in the cold are the biggest cost hidden in joyful celebration of the recent edition.

I would hazard a guess Szlachetna Paczka is one of the most demanding forms of volunteering which can be taken up in Poland. It is not just about coping with horrific stories of o people's penury, but also about time dedicated to do it properly and having to arrange a lot on one's, frequently making extensive use of one's multiple resources.

I believe past this edition Szlachetna Paczka's relationship with donators and volunteers will be under strain and lots of effort will have to be put to rebuild them.

Will Stowarzyszenie Wiosna face criticism it ought receive? Each year it seems those in charge of the initiative are learning from mistakes made in a previous years. But once a new edition kicks off for good, it turns out history repeats itself, but the price paid by the most responsible volunteers goes up.

A call for a slow-down

The recent weeks have been overly hectic. A combination of things going uphill in Szlachetna Paczka (and me trying to solve all oncoming problems), a pile-up of complicated transactions on the table at work and other minor stuff have been depriving me of time to get proper rest and recharge batteries.

On Thursday, 6 November I woke up before 6:00 a.m., commuted to the office, toiled away in haste, knocked off after 5:00 p.m., came back home, changed clothes and cycled to Warszawski Ośrodek Interwencji Kryzysowej (no English equivalent of such centre I would be familiar with) to have three meeting with families to be potentially taken care of as part of Szlachetna Paczka programme. I returned home shortly before 10:00 p.m. with head full of issues to be sorted out.

On Friday, 7 November the plan was to put the white shirts to the washing machine and hang them out to dry on a balcony before setting off to Ośrodek Pomocy Społecznej (council centre for social welfare) to pick up papers for Szlachetna Paczka and then to work, the to have three other charity-related meeting in the evening. Upon eating breakfast I realised the washing machine did not make any sound. I headed to the bathroom it check it out. The appliance was dead and not reacting to any methods of restarting. I had to open the washing machine, whose drum was full of water. I managed to get rid of the dirty water overflowing the bathroom, get the shirts out, wring them and put them into a bowl. As I was about to take the unwashed shirts to the balcony, I felt a strain in my back ribs, behind my chest. It virtually paralysed me. I only managed to fall over in a controlled way. I could not move for some 10 minutes, then as the pain begun to ease, I crawled to the bedroom, scrambled up to bed and weighed up pros and cons of calling an ambulance. As I was feeling better minute by minute, I did not decide to do so.

Some two hours later I felt good enough to leave home, take a 504 bus to pick up documents from Ośrodek Pomocy Społecznej, ambled to the underground station and turned up late at work. In the office, I felt unwell and gave in after two hours, took the laptop and headed home. Back in my bedroom, I ordered a telemedicine appointment, told a doctor what had happened a few hours earlier and was instructed to report to a hospital immediately. Kind of scared I called a taxi and 20 minutes later I was in an emergency ward of Medicover hospital. Long story short, I was thoroughly examined, mostly to rule out heart attack and diagnosed with a muscle crump, then given a drip with antispasmodics. After a two-hour lie-in, I was discharged and felt well enough to return home by public transport, calling on a pharmacy to buy myself painkillers.

On Saturday, 8 November I carried on with painkillers but went to the swimming pool in the evening. On Sunday, 9 November I cleaned my flat and gave up on my painkillers, as they were playing havoc with my stomach. On Monday, 10 November I was back on my bicycle. Up until now I feel well, although I do have no idea what caused the incident which took place on 7 November. I presume it was stress and haste overload, so the lesson learnt is take less on my back and slow it down. I am trying hard, but the process is slow and I stand a chance to pull it off once Szlachetna Paczka is over, i.e. in the second half of December.

With respect to the broken-down washing machine, it turned out my MPM appliance had most likely given up the ghost due to steering module defect. Such spare parts are not manufactured, nor sold as used ones and none of local technician wanted to take up the challenge of repairing the washing machine of that brand. I felt guilty of producing nearly 60 kilograms of rubbish (I hope somebody recycles parts of that washing machine), but also enjoy the comfort of using a brand-new Bosch washing machine. Before ordering it, I have made sure crucial spare parts are available and the appliance is constructed in a way which facilitates repair of nearly all imaginable defects (AI helps with such exercise and substantiates its answers). Besides, my new washing machine has been manufactured in Poland, near Łódź. Happily, my other white goods, all purchased in 1Q2019 are holding up well and I hope they will outlive substanially my washing machine which had served me for six years and eight months.

Szlachetna Paczka – my sixth participation

My track record of volunteering in Szlachetna Paczka is getting longer, though not broader. I have deliberately chosen not to go beyond what affects the area of Ursynów, but while aiding some locals in need, I have gone through roles of area leader, deputy leader and logistics co-ordinator. This year I am one of two deputy leaders and again, I am in charge of logistics.

I keep recalling the 2024 edition as a moderate cock-up, not as massive as in 2020, but proving a mediocre, conceited leader can screw it up all the way. Fortunately, the ex-post evaluation procedure worked properly and the guy has been ousted from the charity, but what has been squandered last year needs to be restored and lessons from what went wrong must be learnt.

This year, as I am single (over the last five editions, I was in relationships), I have decided to devote more of my time to undertakings which matter and where my deeds have impact. For work-related reasons, I have not filed my candidacy for the position of the area leader, which I definitely not regret. This position carries so many development opportunities that it ought to “change hands” each year. This year’s leader is a reasonable guy, yet badly lacks self-confidence and drive to move things forward, skills which are essential in this role. I try to buoy him up as much as possible and hope he spreads his wings by mid-December.

My first visits to a family being a potential beneficiary this year was on 16 September, a record-early onset. So far, I have been in process of visiting six families and my plan is to see the back of it by the end of October. The reality will likely put paid to my plans. A crucial element of my role of an experienced volunteer is onboarding newcomers and sharing tricks of the trade with them. This year we have a record-high number of volunteers in the area, with some of the freshmen being outstanding, while with some might give a rough ride.

Histories of hardships our potential beneficiaries encounter seem tougher this year. As a seasoned volunteer I know how to tackle them, but I also spot sings of burnout. The primary reason for this is being confronted with my parents senescence. This means I prefer to work with younger families, whose stories do not prevail in the circle of households we reach.  

There are moments I would opt for sticking to logistics-related tasks and giving up on family visits. I perish such thoughts, since working with the disadvantaged directly is the essence of Szlachetna Paczka. Besides, if am to be a team member, I must not be out of touch by not experiencing what fellows volunteers face up to.

Szlachetna Paczka - edition 2024

A thing of the past is becoming my fifth edition of Szlachetna Paczka as a volunteer. Sadly, it was the second-worst after 2020, when spreading benevolence was harshly hampered by Covid-19.

You could put it down to some sort of burnout. Ahead of the final weekend I also hatched such idea, but with hindsight I realised this has not been the case. Many things have gone wrong from scratch, with knock-on effect only worsening the final outcome.

I blame the most the leader, in charge of our area in 2024 edition. Having the experience from 2022 in mind, I refused to repeat a stint in that role and to be consistent with my decision, I strived not to be a back seat driver. Frankly speaking there has been no chemistry between us, but so was the case with all experienced volunteers. The guy lacked balls, lacked charisma, lacked drive and such spark that brings a circle of people together. 

Volunteers were not motivated properly; as a result we found far fewer families to be visited than in previous years. This year 65 families were visited and 42 onboarded (proportions from previous years: 2023 - 85/54, 2022 - 84/53, 2021 - 73/46). 

Visits to families started out with a two-week delay. Consequently, instead of 20 families published on the directory opening day, we had merely 4 to be picked by most precious donators.

Besides, there was a country-wide problem with donators, bigger than 2 years ago, but miraculously it was solved around a week before the final weekend, most likely thanks to a vivid media campaign. When the outlook was really bad, I bended over backwards to find donators, however I felt dreadfully lonesome in my endeavours.

The volunteers in our area also were not doing their best, some of them dropped off along the way. Maybe they were not properly guided or motivated, maybe our line-up was tainted by bad luck.

The final weekend did not go as smoothly as it used to over last 3 previous years. Logistics-wise, it came to a major chaos, like never before. I'm still trying to figure out what combination of factors contributed to that mess. I believe most were beyond my control, with electric lorry's battery down after 80 kilometres - it had to be replaced by a diesel-powered one with half a million kilometres on the clock... I could have planned transports with more headroom, which will be a lesson learnt for next years. But had I been a minister responsible for logistics, after such series of cock-ups, I would have been forced to hand in my resignation (in a civilised country).

The joy of delivering gifts to families wassimilar to experiences from past edition, however it was accompanied by much greater fatigue. Luckily, I got over it quite quickly. Bad memories fade quickly, but the benevolence-induced delight remains for much longer and keeps me company in the period of peace and serenity which commences now.

Szlachetna Paczka 2023 - a write-up

This year the Szlachetna Paczka coverage comes up later than usual as the final days (weekend cudów) were staged a week before Christmas, not roughly 10 - 16 days ahead of the festive season, as customarily. The timing in the pre-holiday rush was not the most fortunate and hopefully in 2024 it will be held earlier.

This year's edition in my district was another record-breaking one, with 85 families visited by volunteers (+1 vs. 2022) and 58 taken on (+5 vs. 2022). The latter number meant logistics of collecting the paczki from donators and delivering them to families was a sort of a challenge, yet with proper planning in advance and more than a bit of spontainety in diverging from the plan during the final weekend, we have it without botch-ups (which I deem to be quite an achievement).

I feared 2023 edition in Ursynów would be impacted by high rotation of volunteers. Most of my friends who supported me in 2022 dropped off for several reasons and hence out of 26 volunteers less merely 7 had track record in the area. Nevertheless, the vast majority of newcomers have found their way in the Paczka easily and upon overcoming fears of first meetings with families, they carried on superbly. I am glad to have been a part of such team.

This year we received several applications (which must be submitted by third parties, not potential beneficiaries themselves) to visit families already contacted in previous edition. Not a truly fortunate state of affairs, since as a matter of principle, Szlachetna Paczka ought to be a one-off trigger of positive changes in families' lives. But as most of the recurring families were elderly people living on their own, we eventually have taken many of them on. In 2024 we will need to take a look at the formula of the wise aid and talk over whether to redefine our targets.

In 2023 I was a volunteer, a deputy leader and deputy logistics co-ordinator. My role was much less time-consuming than last year and I know I could carry on with such scope of responsibilities into 2024. I have not talked to the leader, whether she would want to continue her role. I know it is too early to raise the topic, given I realise how exhausted she is now.

The blend of fatigue and happiness which kept me company during the weekend of miracles and past it, is an unforgettable feeling. It sometimes takes to little to bring lots of pure you into someone's life, by delivering them ordinary stuff such as warm jacket for the winter or a brand-new washing machine, stuff we take for granted to have it in place, sadly still unaffordable for many. This year I don't experience the burnout I had a year ago. I feel now is the time to recharge batteries before the next edition, so temporarily do not crave for more, but I am quite sure my adventure with the Paczka is not over.

Next post due on 14 January 2024, once I am back from Wisła.

Changes

A short note written amid a hectic period to posterity (as nearly all recently) during two underground train rides.

Again, I have entered the phase of learning to live together. My girlfriend moved in to my flat a week ago. My one-bedroom 51 sqm place has become a kind of tiny, yet I bear in mind this is a temporary dwelling. The experience is different to the one I went through a few years ago, especially since I have invited a co-host to a space I had occupied for a longer while, instead of moving in to a flat rented together. We are doing some refurbrishments, preparing my girlfriend's flat before subletting, hence a lot is going on around.

Weather-wise, worth noting the current December is the "most wintry" since 2012. The average temperature in the first decade of the month had a material negative deviation, snow has been on the ground for over a week now. A mild thaw sets in today, but outlook for the second half of the month remains uncertain. Keeping fingers crossed for white Christmas anyway.

This year I am only a volunteer and a deputy leader in Szlachetna Paczka, with these role being far less time-consuming that last year. The circle keeps turning and people keep doing a good job, with a record number of 58 families from Ursynów receiving aid this year. I am proud to have had the contribution to set this machine in motion.

Corpo-wise, my workload has not eased up. Turning over a new leaf is due on 1 February - I am about to move to a parallel team dealing with more complicated transactions.  Lots of challenges ahead and with a bit of overstaffing out there I hope to have more space for recharging batteries.

The experience of the recent months has reinforced my dislike for life in haste. Being in constant rush is detrimental to physical and mental health, takes away pleasure from life, hampers relationships (all, not only romantic ones) and brings out a feeling of missing out on important things. The worst of all is the feeling that with such shortage of time I could not be a caring and committed father, fully involved in looking after children. The clock is ticking slowly, but the time seems to be running out too fast.

Next post on Christmas Eve!

Being a dab hand

The 2022 edition of Szlachetna Paczka was seemingly over, until mid-June, when I learnt a new tap in a bathroom of one last year's beneficiaries had not been installed. As a leader I  took over responsibility for seeing it through. Armed with my tool box, I visited the old lady in her flat on Saturday, 1 July. The job turned out to be not just for a plumber, as removing the old tap, stuck for 45 years, was not an easy one. I continued my efforts on Sunday, with additional tools borrowed from my father, but still could not remove the old tap. I reapproached the task with my fellow volunteer (being a builder by professoon) on Monday and within 3 hours we nearly made it (shower hose connection still makeshift). Last Monday I finished the job with my bare hands, with the sense of the mission fulfilled.

A few decades ago a male not taught to handle tools and do basic repairs and construction- or car-related works on his own was a rarity. These days the proportion have not entirely reversed, but the proportion of men having both hands left (is the idiom correctly used here?) In terms of household technical issues has considerably risen.

When looking at the reasons for less common "technical dexterity", I would mention a general trend towards outsourcing and focusing on stuff you specialise in and can do better than others, scarcity of spare time as well as changes in lifestyle (a tilt towards living it up, rather than toiling away).

Reliance on specialists has its bright and dark sides. As a matter of principle you farm out a job to professionals (whose professionalism, credibility and reliability in Poland can often be called into question) who should handle it better and faster than you. On the other hand, no specialist would turn up at your doormat right away, which might be nuisance, if a breakdown calls to be immediately fixed. Besides, such service costs quite a lot of money, yet it propels the wheels of economy.

My fellow volunteer estimated our job in beneficiary's bathroom would set her back between PLN 1,000 and PLN 1,500 (with VAT receipt). Had I spent around 10 hours doing overtime instead of doing it myself, I would have earned around PLN 1,100 after tax, so probably my overtime pay would not cover the full cost of the service.

At first sight it seems expensive, but if you dissect components of the price, you may change your mind. Of PLN 1,250 subtract VAT, income tax, social security contributions, petrol spent (only last time I could cycle, as the tools were too heavy) on getting to a client and back home, depreciation (and risk of damage) of numerous tool, a subcontractor if a task requires assistance. What you get divide by the number of hours sacrificed for the task and you will get something like PLN 40 per hour in cash to a professional's hand. Multiply 40 by 8 hours a day and then by 20 days a month and he will get a net earnings of PLN 6,400, on assumption he has a full backlog of orders. Up to you to judge whether it is a lot in Warsaw...

I must say the alternative of doing overtime insteads of doing it myself is not tempting... For a poor pensioner, over PLN 1,000 spent on the tap replacement and accompanying works would have been a huge part of her modest monthly budget. Therefore skills possessed by the volunteers feed with pride and joy.

Szlachetna Paczka-wise, it is the right moment to announce I will not continue as a leader in the coming edition and make a step back to a rank-and-file volunteer, advising and helping only if asked to do so. I have arrange as successor (she has been just recruited and I have congratulated her on taking over the role) and I am sure she will continue the great job excellently.

Expect the next post in August, once I return from Wisła.

(post written from the underground train during two rides to work).