When and Where to Use Wage Replacement Rates (or Not) for Volunteer Value
We do a disservice to volunteers and our organizations when we use these rates for all purposes or without awareness of their risks.
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We do a disservice to volunteers and our organizations when we use these rates for all purposes or without awareness of their risks.
4 Comments
Another FANTASTIC article.
Thanks, Curt! I have appreciated thinking through this issue with you.
I loathe wage replacement rates as the measurement of volunteer value. Most organizations use this rate and the number of volunteers and the number of hours as the ONLY measure of their success. It gives fuel to interns to sue, for labor unions to fight against volunteer engagement, and for board members to say, "let's lay off so and so and replace that role with a volunteer or two!" Thank you for posting this. Here's my last blog on a related subject: http://coyotecommunications.com/coyoteblog/2020/05/out-of-work-professionals-pushing-back-against-volunteer-engagement/
Thanks for sharing your blog, Jayne! So many good points that influence this conversation. It reminds me that too often, the value proposition of engaging volunteers is that they are inexpensive labor rather than a unique value-add that complements the paid staff to advance the organization's mission. That sends a terrible message to volunteers and staff, as Susan Ellis often noted.
I'm glad you brought up the overhead issue too. The desire to keep overhead low also prevents many organizations from investing in the volunteer function. As a result, they diminish the power of engaging volunteers.
I hope that these blogs can inspire new conversations about volunteer engagement and that we can highlight more of the diverse ways that volunteers contribute to our missions and our communities.
Thanks for the comment and for your leadership on this issue!