# Really? I have to pay in order to volunteer? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 17, 2015, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065 "2015-08-17T11:59:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/21 "2015-08-17T14:37:35Z")
I’ve never known hospice volunteers to pay for anything besides their gasoline. Try hospice: they’re dying to meet you. Same for reading to the blind. It’s great. Blind people are out of sight. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/22 "2015-08-17T14:45:19Z")
Actually, I’m leaning toward the local Veterans Home. Their site says many of the residents get no visitors. I can go sit and listen to old war stories for a few hours a week. Plus I’m a Vet myself. The other I thought about was Habitat. I’m handy, but I don’t know if I’m up to lifting and carrying like I was 10 years ago. I can wield a mean paintbrush, tho, and I’m not above sweeping up after a job - goodness knows, I’ve done it on our own remodels many, many times. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/23 "2015-08-17T14:59:58Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > I’ve never known hospice volunteers to pay for anything besides their gasoline. Try hospice: they’re dying to meet you. > > Same for reading to the blind. It’s great. Blind people are out of sight. It’s tough to volunteer at the cemetery, though; they’ve already got people just dying to get in. Now that’s out of the way, I imagine that some “volunteer” positions are highly prized and competitive resume-building plums. Having a good volunteer reference is graduate school admissions essay gold, I know that much. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/24 "2015-08-17T15:01:19Z")
> [@FasterThanMeerkats](#): > > OTOH, it can be a simple filter to make sure you don’t want to take the time to train volunteers for whom $15 is financial burden, as they will probably experience other “problems” over time. High-maintenance customers and workers are more trouble than they’re worth and the same is probably applicable for some volunteers. > > It’s all a free market though, so if you don’t like the fee, just move on to the next organization. And you’ve just described the problem. That’s discrimination against people based on how much money they make, not based on their actual abilities. If someone gives you trouble, kick them out. Charging money doesn’t mean more devotion, it means paying so you have something good on your resume. Or because you’re some rich asshole who doesn’t have to work. ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/25 "2015-08-17T15:04:53Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Or because you’re some rich asshole who doesn’t have to work. Calling someone an ‘asshole’ for volunteering their time and money is very weird. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/26 "2015-08-17T15:34:32Z")
Sometimes it seems like the volunteer activities are a reward for museum members. You may be thinking of it all wrong, you’re not paying to volunteer, its offered only to paying members as a reward ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/27 "2015-08-17T16:08:49Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I doubt the museum charges employees $15 for the privilege of being background checked. It seems bizarre to charge the people you _aren’t_ going to pay. Don’t count on it. Not only have I paid for fingerprinting required for jobs with two separate governments, I have also paid registration fees when I was a volunteer in both Boy and Girl Scouts. (sometimes the unit covers the fee for leaders , but not always). ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/28 "2015-08-17T16:09:34Z")
I’m not sure I’d consider repairing exhibits, picking up in the parking lot, or setting up and taking down chairs for events to be a reward. In my experience, membership rewards are usually along the lines of 10% off in the gift shop. Anyway, I just started the process to volunteer at the Veterans Home. I could be their next BINGO caller!!! ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/29 "2015-08-17T16:12:00Z")
The Commemorative Air Force here in town has such a “volunteer” program. I think the fee is several hundred dollars each year for the privilege of donating your time. Now you might say that they don’t want useless people “helping” and ruining the planes, but they don’t have to actually accept all volunteers just because they walked up. As far as I can tell, even if you had an A&P, a complete set of tools, and actual B-17 maintenance experience, you’d still have to pay them to let you work on the planes. Let alone sweep the floors or dust the exhibits. OTOH, my wife volunteers at the Library for the Blind, helping make talking books. It’s a truly free volunteering operation. She’s put in over 1000 hours so far. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/30 "2015-08-17T17:36:40Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > There was a late night commercial on a local public access channel looking for people with private pilot licenses to volunteer their time fling organs to remote hospitals. Why would you need a pilot’s license to fling organs? ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/31 "2015-08-17T17:46:05Z")
> [@JeffB](#): > > Why would you need a pilot’s license to fling organs? You’re flinging them in busy airspace. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/32 "2015-08-17T18:24:19Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > . . . As for hiring someone to train volunteers - if there were no volunteers, they’d be hiring a lot more people at a much greater expense. How many $15 dues payments would they need to cover the salary of one trainer/coordinator? I’m willing to bet they don’t get nearly enough for that. According to Emily Grasslie, science podcaster, there are many more people who want to work in museums than museums have the budget for hiring. She’s paid by The Field Museum in Chicago, and when she asked around, there were maybe one or two employees who had been hired directly. The rest had all volunteered for years first and been hired after they had proved their chops. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/33 "2015-08-17T18:34:28Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I would have thought that _volunteering_ shows a little bit of commitment. Signing up to volunteer doesn’t show a lot of commitment. I’ve volunteered at various arts events where multiple volunteers are fairly late, or just don’t show up, and the other volunteers have to be shuffled around to cover everything. It’s easy to sign up and say you’ll volunteer for something, but also easy for on that day to just decide you’re too tired or don’t feel like it and don’t show up. So it seems like the options for the organization that needs volunteers is to either sign up more volunteers than they need and expect X% not to be there, or to require payment or some other further commitment and weed out the people that are less serious about volunteering. > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > There’s a pretty big difference between volunteers working in a lab and volunteers sitting at the front desk in a hospital saying “The elevator is down that hall.” I doubt they train someone coming in off the street to draw blood or stitch up wounds. But how vital is it for a volunteer to be there saying “the elevator is down that hall”? If it’s helpful, but not essential, then it’s not a big deal if there’s a volunteer or not. But if there absolutely needs to be someone there directing patients to the right area, then I can see the hospital needs to have some sort of commitment. But I’m glad you found a good volunteering place at the Veterans House. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/34 "2015-08-17T19:05:44Z")
I suspect that for a lot of places, fifteen bucks is more valuable than having another volunteer. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/35 "2015-08-17T21:18:59Z")
I’ve worked in informal ed (museums, zoos, etc.) for 10 years, and paying a fee to become a volunteer is absolutely par for the course. It allows facilities to offset some of the costs of onboarding new volunteers, as well as creating a relatively small hurdle which screens out some of the multitude of flakes out there. You shouldn’t blame the facilities for this, you should blame flaky volunteers. Nowhere I’ve worked has liked having to charge this fee, but it makes perfect sense. If you look for [volunteermatch.org](http://volunteermatch.org), the listing often detail any costs. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/36 "2015-08-17T21:47:54Z")
Agreed that it’s completely normal. While your labor may be free, your training, onboarding, scheduling and daily management definitely isn’t. Managing volunteers and making sure they have what they need to do their work well takes resources. And unfortunately, there are enough bad volunteers (the flakes, the people with agendas, whatever) that for many organizations bringing in volunteers doesn’t really gain them much. But with so many people wanting to volunteer, they may want to have a volunteer program anyway for the sake of community engagement. Putting up a little barrier to entry helps them screen out some of the flakes, recoup some of their costs, and give a better experience for the volunteers. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/37 "2015-08-17T22:10:54Z")
Is this so hard to see? Go to a cat/dog show. There will be a $5 admission price. No, they don’t make money from admissions - but they do discourage the “I wonder what’s in here”/“It’s hot outside, I’ll go in here” crowd. As soon as some people hear that doing ‘volunteering’ at a hospital gets you free run of the place, there are going to be ‘volunteers’ that are the last people you want in your hospital/museum/laboratory. “It keeps out the riff-raff”, as the expression goes. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/38 "2015-08-17T22:25:03Z")
Have you considered committing a misdemeanor or light felony? Getting assigned some court ordered community service might get you right through that red tape in some organizations. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/39 "2015-08-18T00:51:51Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > I imagine that if the $15 was truly burdensome, there is some mechanism to waive the fee. These places aren’t heartless, I’m sure. Why would it be heartless to turn away those who can’t afford the $15? Volunteering isn’t (supposed to be) for the volunteer. It’s not a Christmas gift where the recipient is obliged to accept it gleefully and promise to cherish it forever even if it’s sinfully ugly. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065/40 "2015-08-18T01:31:32Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Will the middle school require me to belong to the PTA before I can volunteer to tutor? No, but you’ll need to pay for your background checks before doing anything w/ kids; in school, coaching Little League, etc. Here’s the bullshit of it: Q: How many kids did Jerry Sandusky molest w/o failing a background check? A: All of them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-i-have-to-pay-in-order-to-volunteer/728065.md?page=3)