Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Paying to Volunteer

Am I a guest, or am I a volunteer? Probably a little of both.

On one hand, I'm volunteering at Home & Life as a caregiver, teacher, assistant cook, nonprofit consultant, manual laborer, and odd-jobs man. On the other hand, volunteers have to donate a small amount of money for this experience -- and they're also outsiders visiting the family's home -- so both the adults and kids treat me as a guest to a certain degree.

Some of you may say "Wait, you're paying to volunteer?" The answer is yes -- and if you knew how many nonprofits get less out of their volunteers than the effort it takes to train and manage them, than you'd agree with me that requiring a donation is usually a sensible policy. There are exceptions, but that's another story.

And, since this is too serious of a post, here are some pictures of kids!

btj







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