You Want Me To Pay To Do What? Paying To Volunteer Abroad

The 10th most popular page on our website is Why Do I Have To Pay?  This page is always in the top 10 page views.  Why? It's a valid question.  And on that page we attempt to be as transparent as possible with how we spend your hard-earned money.

That's why, when this week 2 Blog posts came out about this question, I was very pleased, to say the least.  I want to direct our readers to these two posts, because they each take a very different slant towards paying to volunteer, yet they both support it.  Again, supporting it for very different reasons.

One of the best articles on paying to volunteer comes from the Volunteer Before You Die Network.  Consistently, their posts and tweets are thought provoking and right on target.  Their recent post, "You Want Me To Pay To Do What? Thoughts On Paying Third Parties To Volunteer" was superb and explains how Nola Lee Kelsey (head of the Network) came from rejecting the idea, to understanding the reasons for paying to volunteer.  I encourage you to read the post and leave your comments.  I left some comments and I invite you to go to the post and read those as well.

By the way…Volunteer Before You Die has a new book coming out entitled 700 Places To Volunteer Before You Die and will be available July 1 this year.  If you have a twitter account, I recommend following @volunteerB4Udie and be a part of the conversation.

The next Blog post that came out was by Sarah Van Aucken who is the creative genius for Volunteer Global. She works tirelessly on all things "volunteering" and she is known as a bright spot in the field.

"What To Ask Before You Pay To Volunteer On Your Career Break" is a great post.  Sarah decided to skip over the "why do I have to pay" argument and go straight for the "why do some organizations charge $15 per week while others cost upwards of $7,000 per week?"  She does a fantastic job answering the question and then ends the post with 10 questions you should ask the agency.

If you have reconciled that you are going to pay to volunteer…read Sarah's post and start asking organizations these 10 questions.  Sarah has done you a favor and if you'll take the time to ask sending organizations these 10 questions, you will choose the right organization and project.  Also, follow Sarah on Twitter for great insights on volunteering abroad.

I've been doing this work for 35 years.  I always enjoy telling people that the three Founders of GeoVisions have a combined 105 years doing this work.  Oh do we have stories to tell!  More importantly, we appreciate the work of Volunteer Before You Die and Volunteer Global and others who dedicate their time and money to moving this work forward, and expecting senders and receivers of volunteers to be responsible and innovative.  Through their work, even after we are gone, they are creating a legacy of volunteering, volunteering abroad and voluntourism.  We owe them a debt of gratitude.

Do you have comments about the posts we've mentioned or volunteering abroad?  We would love to read your thoughts.

Why Do I Have To Pay To Volunteer-Part 2

In early January, 2009, I wrote a Blog Post providing some reasons people have to pay to volunteer.  Since that post well over 300 people have read it.  Comments have popped up in the last year and even the great people over at Brilliant Trips recently placed it on their own BrilliantTrips Blog site.

On the GeoVisions Website, we have an entire page dedicated to why people have to pay to volunteer.  We were surprised that it is the 8th most requested page on our site.  Since January 1, 2010 that page has been viewed over 4000 times.

That page has been updated with figures from GeoVisions' official 2009 audit.  We have added a couple of pie charts and have tried to make the page more transparent and explaining how we spend your money.  We hope you will become one of the many thousands of viewers to look over the updated Why Do I Have To Pay To Volunteer page on our site.

Can you volunteer abroad and not pay?  Sure you can.  If you go on your own without paying, you will want to:

• Research the project in full
• where are they, exactly
• how long have the been around
• what is sustainable about their project
• how many global volunteers are there at any one time
• how many injuries in the last 2 years
• where do they get their funding
• how are the funds spent
• will they provide references of other global volunteers on site now and who have been there in the last 12 months
• do they have a community impact statement or brief
• how many paid staff are at the project
• do they have a mission statement and goals
  
• You need health insurance
• NO! The health insurance you have now will not cover you adequately. You need specialized insurance.
• Do not buy only accident insurance...you need health insurance in case of strep throat, food poisoning and other ailments you can encounter on volunteer projects
• Make sure you have repatriation and return insurance. If you become so injured or ill you must return home for treatment, be sure that return trip is covered. And if you die, don't be a further burden on your family. Make sure there are funds to return your remains.
• Are you covered in case YOU injure someone or break an expensive tool or machine?
• You need to be covered for liability. If you damage someone's property, if you cause an accident, if you break a tool or machine and you are not covered you can lose everything you own. Protect yourself and your family.
• You need a backup plan in case your laptop, camera, back pack, passport, money is lost or stolen.
• Check with the airline to make sure of your rights in case you miss your flight or it is canceled or delayed. You might create an issue at the volunteer project and want to be sure of the backup plan.
• Is your accommodation nearby? On site? Safe? Clean? Is the food healthy? Safely stored? Ask for photos and talk to former volunteers about safety and food.
• How close is a doctor or clinic or hospital? Are there emergency phone numbers you can use and your family at home can use?
  
• Make sure you understand the number of hours expected of you to volunteer and make certain you have in writing the type of work you will be doing in advance. It is common to be told you will work with patients at a clinic and wind up stacking heavy boxes most of the time.
• If there is a problem (communication, expectations) who do you go to for resolution?
• If you want to leave early, how do you do that safely?
• Do you receive an orientation? How long does that last? Are you qualified to do the task you are volunteering to do?
• Do they have a website?

GeoVisions has an 8-page document we fill out and use when evaluating any project.  And we use it for ongoing as well as new projects. We suggest you do the same if you're going to do this by yourself and not pay.  Come up with questions you need answered before you commit to volunteer your time. Make sure this is the project for you.  One reason you pay GeoVisions is that we have visited the site already, and we have worked on eight pages of risk management issues to make certain you are safe and the project is everything it is supposed to be.

But flipping the coin to the other side, these would be some real reasons to pay a sending organization, like GeoVisions.  I'm kind of excited now to write Part III!

How about you?  Can you think of items I have left out for your research?  Have you done this before?  If so, can you share your experiences?  Because people are asking everyday, "Why do I have to pay to volunteer?

 

Tax Deductibility and Voluntourism – It Should Go...For Now!

Yesterday I reposted from various Blog sites on deducting your voluntourism program from your taxes.  The question was, "Tax Deductibility and Voluntourism-Should It Stay Or Should It Go." Today I'm making a case against tax deductibility and voluntourism in my own Blog.  It Should Go.  At least for now.

I don't want to rant, so I'm providing you 2 sources with independent links to use to evaluate on your own where you are volunteering and how you are spending your money.  Because if anyone is telling you that you can deduct the program fees or your trip because you're volunteering, they are leading you down the wrong path and setting you up for an unhappy financial outcome, should you be audited by the IRS.

I went to several non-profit web sites to see how this is handled.  I found this quote from one website: “100% of the payments towards the program fee are deductible for federal income tax purposes.”  Another one has this on their home page: "All your program costs are tax deductible**"

What I want to do now is give our readers some actionable and independent tips.  Here you go:

1. PLEASE if you don’t do anything else, download IRS Publication 526, Charitable Contributions at http://www.irs.gov. That is your guide because if and when you are audited, and this deduction comes up, the IRS will follow, to the letter, this publication and will assume you have read it. Keep in mind the expenses must be directly related to the volunteers’ work, and incurred only because of that work. The expenses can’t be personal, for family, or for living items or activities such as meals. Volunteers must keep reliable written records of the expenses. Most importantly, The volunteer cannot gain significant personal pleasure, recreation, or vacation from the travel.  And there are total hours you must be working, etc.  Without good records and receipts, you'll pay the money back.

2. Next do your homework. Download Form 990 for each non-profit volunteer program provider you have an interest in. Any non-profit who takes your money should display a link to their Form 990 which tells you how much money they make, how much money they spend, who is on the Board and their relationship to one another along with other interesting tid bits required by the IRS. If you pay any money to any non-profit and you have not read their Form 990 you have thrown your money out on the street.

Because some non-profits will not want you to see their Form 990, they won't make it available on their website.  So here is a link you can use.  Click on this link below and type in the name of the organization you want to volunteer with and download their most recent Form 990.  Their expenses are there, salaries, benefits, what they spend on programs abroad, Board Members and any compensation, etc.  Look at their income (your money) and then total up what they spend on the projects.  Then ask them where the rest of the money went.  They are a public charity afterall.  Find them all right here:

Foundation Center Form 990 Finder

Here at GeoVisions we think it’s distasteful to deduct your trip.  At a time when our Government is Trillions of dollars in debt, and with rising unemployment, asking the Government to pay for your trip abroad is unthinkable.

For anyone to spend their hard-earned money and their precious time volunteering to make life better for someone else and then at the end of the calendar year hold their hand out to our government and expect the government to reimburse them for volunteering is unbelievable to me. It is the height of hypocrisy and the very definition of narcissism. To think that much of yourself that you offer to volunteer and then expect money back from the government because of your offer to volunteer is simply an act that reverses the very definition of volunteering.

If I donate $500 to your charity and then deduct that $500 on my taxes, I didn’t donate to you. I loaned you $500 until the government repays me. How is that volunteering or donating? It isn’t. You’re not a volunteer. You’re working because you’re getting paid. Not there on the spot. But you’re deducting what you paid “to volunteer” and you’re getting a financial consideration from Uncle Sam. You got paid. You didn’t volunteer. Even on my most generous day you put yourself out on loan.

In the end, GeoVisions made a conscious choice to be a for-profit company and not a 501 c 3 charity. We certainly had a choice. We provide great opportunities for people. And for host communities. And I am so proud of each and every volunteer that comes through our doors. THEY CANNOT DEDUCT A DIME. They are truly volunteering their money, their time and their talents. They are the true heroes that make the world a better place.

Tax Deductibility and Voluntourism – Should it Stay or Should it Go?

Industry watch person and consultant, Alexia Nestora of Lasso Communications posted a blog post by Journey Etc. last week about declaring a tax deduction for a volunteer vacation.

Especially now, with the economy still bad and unemployment still rising, it is a valid debate.  I hope you'll join in.  I want to thank Alexia for putting up the original post from Journey Etc. on her own site and for keeping the debate alive.  And thanks to Michele Gran for making certain Global Volunteers is the model 501(c)(3) and posting not only IRS Guidelines but for having a strong policy and ethic on how hard you actually have to work to honestly and legally declare a deduction for volunteering abroad.  I wish the others were like Global Volunteers.

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From Voluntourism Gal: Notes on the Voluntourism Industry

The debate has always been around, should volunteer vacations be tax deductible? Does the mere word ‘vacation’ being used in marketing take away from the level of service that volunteers do in country? Or is the deduction in fact a marketing tool?

Journey Etc wrote an article on this topic addressed at travelers, what do you think about it? Let’s start the debate again.

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Voluntourism – A Vacation with Tax Benefits

You probably know that business travelers can often deduct all or a portion of their travel, even if they are having some fun. But did you know that  you can also get a tax benefit from your vacation? You can  if you are willing to do a bit of work as a volunteer with a non-profit organization.

“Voluntourism” is becoming a popular option for travelers that want to make the most of their vacation.  By volunteering with a non-profit organization a person can travel to almost any global destination, experience the  culture of an area in a whole new way, and have a sense of purpose and of doing good with their vacation time.   And then to top it  off, some or all of their vacation expenses can be deducted on their income tax returns.

To get the tax deduction on your US  Return you must volunteer with a US non-profit corporation.  Habitat for Humanity is one organization that has volunteer opportunities both local and abroad. You could also contact an organization that specializes in voluntourism such as  Cross Cultural Solutions in New York or Global Volunteers which is based out of Minnesota.

There are a number of factors that determine if you can deduct some or all of your travel expenses.  In general the amount deductible will depend upon how much time you spend doing strictly volunteer activities, versus how much time you spend doing strictly vacation activities.

Whatever your skills or talents, there is a volunteer opportunity for you. You can help children and adults with their English. You can provide medical services, or you could help build a home.  You can work, with children, seniors, teens and adults.

When working with a volunteer agency expect to pay your own airfare, plus a program fee that will generally include lodging and meals.   Prepare to be flexible and open to new experiences. Do not expect classy hotels and fine dining.  To save money volunteers are often housed with local families or budget hotels and eat the local food.

If you want a vacation with a purpose, one where you get to really know the local people and culture, and one that comes with a tax benefit, consider voluntourism.  You’ll be glad you did!

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Michele Gran Says:

October 4th, 2009 at 3:23 am

Thanks so much for the mention! I’d like to make one important correction to your article regarding tax deductions for U.S. taxpayers.

In fact, the IRS has very strict requirements for volunteers to average 8 hours per day on the volunteer work project, and that any “tourism” added to the service program may void the tax deduction. (That’s why we eschew the term “voluntourism”) For over 25 years, Global Volunteers has adhered to these requirements, and offers only full-day work projects, while advising that any “add-on” travel will require an opinion by a tax attorney regarding the tax deduction.

Our volunteers have never been challenged by the IRS on this policy. You can read our guidelines here: http://www.globalvolunteers.org/faqs/faq9.asp

Thanks again for your interest in this important way to give while you learn about another culture!

Lower Program Fees To Volunteer Longer

So it only makes sense, doesn't it?  Volunteer longer and make more of a difference.  But staying longer costs you more and is much more of a commitment for most people.  So why are program fees more expensive the longer you stay?

GeoVisions is reversing this trend slowly.  Check out our Conversation Corps--China program.  The longer you stay, the lower the program fee.  If you can make a commitment to stay for 3 months, your program fee will be less expensive.

Think about it.  Your airfare is your airfare.  Stay a day, stay a month, stay 3 months.  The airfare is the same.  "L" visa?  $130.  It is what it is.  Stay a day or stay 3 months the visa fee is the same.  Because it is a Conversation Corps program, your room and board is covered already.  The GeoVisions advantage is that the program fee is reduced the longer your commitment.

It is true all of our other programs are just the opposite.  But we have started with China and we'll begin to make as many changes as we can.

We are including 2 weeks of Mandarin, 2 nights hotel in Beijing with room and board, a half day of orientation and a 1/2 day tour of Beijing.  Airport transfers, transport to the host family and weekly activities...just in case you need MORE to do.

We hope you will enjoy this program and this new concept.

Randy

Why Do I Have To Pay To Volunteer, Part 1

The topic we are asked at GeoVisions most is "Why do I have to pay to volunteer?"  We have a page on the GeoVisions website dealing with paying to volunteer.  You can click here to read that page if you like.

I thought I might take some time over the next couple of weeks and get into the subject of paying to volunteer in more depth.

Gregory Hubbs, Transitions Abroad editor, answers the question on why volunteers have to pay this way: "Primarily because most volunteers are more of a liability until they are trained to help the local community. Often the money spent volunteering is best spent on the local volunteers/people, particularly if the outside volunteer does not have medical, teaching, technical or other useful skills which would allow them to “hit the ground running.” In addition, it is usually very important for there to be continuity in a volunteer project for it to truly succeed in helping those who need it."

I think the best way to understand another person or point of view is to stand in their shoes a bit.  So, as you read this Blog entry, see if any of my comments strike a chord.  You can always comment, and I'll try to address your issues.

We have a few Red Fox in the area of Guilford, Connecticut, where I live.  I've done a lot of research on the Red Fox and let's say I want to make sure our local Red Fox families can survive here in Guilford and can exist safely with humans and our pets.  So I establish my Protecting The Red Fox Association (including several local volunteers) and I quickly find I need to get someone from the Long Island Sound Study to give me some advice (they did a study on the Red Fox and received a $40,000 grant).  These people are now my "experts."

A few months go by and now and we have rasied a lot of local interest in the Red Fox and our new project and our new Association sounds pretty cool. I log on to my Association email account and low and behold I have people contacting me from other countries who would like to come to the U.S., live for a while in the Northeast, and who have some kind of interest in the Red Fox.  And they want to volunteer with our Association.

I really do need more volunteers!  But these potential volunteers need a place to stay, they need to be fed, I'm going to have to pick them up at JFK airport when they arrive in New York and get them here to Connecticut.  I have to make sure they don't bring with them some kind of negative police record.  I don't speak German, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Thai nor Korean.  And they tell me they do not speak (or write) English all that well.  They all want to come at different times and they all want to go back at different times and they all want to study some English while they are here.  And 95% of them have never seen a Red Fox, so they are going to need an orientation and that means bringing my friend from Long Island out here again to do a proper orientation.  Many times.  Now I see a lot of dollar signs in my mind.  $$$$$

But I really have no funds (except a few local donations) and I can't afford all this.  What am I going to do?  I need more volunteers.  It would bring a new dimension to our Association to have some global links...that's always a good thing.

All of these wonderful volunteers are going to have to get their own visa, their plane tickets, their background checks and then either I have to find host families for them or they have to do that when they arrive because no one in my volunteer Association has time to look for host families.  What if our global volunteers are not successful in finding a family?  What will they have to pay for room and board?  Local transportation?  Getting to the Shoreline of Connecticut from New York City?  And back?  And will they help pay the costs of my friend from The Long Island Study to come out for orientation?  And how will they get to and from the English lessons?  WHERE will they take English lessons?  How will we communicate with them?

This is but the tip of the iceberg.

GeoVisions' job in all of this is to find sustainable projects around the globe who are open to foreign volunteers.  Then, we need to find volunteers to help them.  And to help the agency abroad we do as much of the coordination as possible to make our volunteers' arrival and stay at the project rewarding to all, safe, and as unobtrusive as possible.  That means providing insurance so volunteers are not a burdon to the community.  Finding host families or housing.  Making sure the volunteers received safe accommodation and healthy meals.  Taking care of the transportation.  But we will get into more of that in Part 2.