Volunteer work - where to draw the line?

[LastDance74]

Just curious for some others input on this topic.

I currently host and administer a small website for a non-profit community service group I'm a member of. I donate my time and abilities, and cover all the costs of running the site.

In return I get the enjoyment of doing something for my group and all the educational benefits of maintaining such a site.

I now find myself in the position where two other groups within the same organisation have approached me to host their sites. Both groups also need assistance with updating their current site content and I would assume that there would be ongoing site updates/maintainence involved. While it would not cost me anything extra moneywise to help them out, it will cost me in time.

My dilemma is: Is it fair to charge these other groups for time and resources, even if only a small token amount?

What are other peoples thoughts?

 

[DonQuichote]

I think it is. But I also think it's better to tell them that it would cost you a lot of your spare time and that your spare time is precious to you.
Tell them they are not the only one who ask this favour.

Best regards

 

[CajunCenturion]

People volunteer to do things for lots of reasons. Besides the obvious philanthropic benefits, personal gratification, and such, there is also the potential tax benefits depending on what and how you give.

With respect to your current dilemma, if compensation for your time is the heart of the issue, then perhaps there are non-monetary compensation alternative that you can persue. Perhaps there is a tax benefit. Otherwise, you can simply tell them that you'd be more than happy to provide the hardware and internet connection, but you really don't have the time to work on their site. Or offer them a rate reasonable with the current circumstances. And of course, its not always wrong to just say no. Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[xutopia]

hey guys! i'm back!

I think you should be honest with them. If you find it is a bit too much for you tell them that you don't have the time to do that much work voluntarilly. It might land you a job. Gary

http://www.xutopia.com

Haran

 

[sleipnir214]

Remember that time at the [DMV|grocery store|office of your college's dean|post office|etc] where you asked the guy behind the counter to do you a favor, and he said he wouldn't because if he did it for you he'd have everyone else asking for the same favor? Now you understand what he was talking about. File this under "No good deed goes unpunished".


Unless the other organizations intend to provide unique critical information to your community, I think you are under no ethical obligation to donate any more of your personal resources than you already have. Asking for token compensation is well in order.

To take CajunCenturion's advice on non-monetary compensation in another direction, offer to do it for them, but only if they buy the beer. ______________________________________________________________________
TANSTAAFL!

 

[johnny99]

What I would do is first of all get them to cover your costs so that what you donate is you time.
If you want to donate money to them, do so, but do it like everyone else.

Have a "clean cut"
If you run their website make a contract (doesn't have to take more then 5 lines) what costs they cover and what costs you cover and how you can terminate your end of the deal.

To contract could be as simple as this:

Running web-site xyz on a DSL line <speed> on you very old Pentium 166 (like my Linux box).
No garanties and &quot;as is&quot; service.
If hardware needs upgrade or fixing they will pay the costs.
Costs for the DSL line is payed them.
You will normaly donate 5 hours a week if posible.
If you want to stop doing this volunteer work you will give them xx weeks notice if posible (again no garanties)

Your problem could be that you would have to cover a lot of the costs and put in a lot of hours. Not that they could take you to court, but you would feel like &quot;leaving them behind&quot; so you could feel that &quot;you have to&quot;.

This small contract will not prevent you from using 3 times as many hours. Just put a &quot;level&quot; on things.

/johnny

 

[xutopia]

hey how about getting them to offer you ADSL at home for the deal? Gary

http://www.xutopia.com

Haran

 

[LastDance74]

Thanks everyone for your feedback on this one.

You're all right, I could say 'No'. I don't know why that never occurred to me as an option - I guess it's the volunteering mentality

sleipnir214: Yep, there is no &quot;critical&quot; information to
be displayed - the pages serve more as a general information source and I guess as a kind of advertising tool for membership. So I should feel no ethical obligation.

I have decided to go ahead with at least one of the projects though. Thanks Johnny99 for the simple contract idea. If I nail them down to what they get and what I will and won't do it should work okay.

Incidentally, xutopia was spot on. One of the requestors has referred me on to a small business and after a meeting last night I now have a paying project. Karma?

Thanks again

 

[garwain]

my approach to this is I tell them what my regular price is for the project / hosting / whatever then offer them a good deal since they are non-profit / charity / whatever

I have one site hosted on my server now that I'm charging $130/year, Canadian which is my default package one of my programmers has put a lot of time into developing the site, for free. I really should be tacking on another $5 or so because they are over quota on both disk space and bandwith, but since they are a chairity, I'm leaving their account as is. Next year I think I'm going to do the calculations as to how much extra it should cost and work it out with them so I can get a tax break for the donation.