Volunteerism>?

Question

Note: this question was originally asked in the local DC area section, since the natives and wanna be natives lack the morals and smarts to answer, I now pose it to the US yahoo community

1. If volunteering is required in order to make a living/graduate from HS or college aren't we devaluing volunteerism. IOW people will do it to get ahead and not out of altruism.

2.What does this say about organizations that are willing to enforce a policy of indentured servitude instead of employing a qualified person? Are they that desperate to save money?

3.What about those who want to volunteer but are ignored becase the organization has a quota to fufill with said HS, University or other organization.

4. Aren't we slowly killing the American dream since those the only ones who can afford to volunteer or intern for more than one calander year are those whose families can afford to support them for said length of time. IOW we are maintaining the status quo

So far I like craven's answer. But to clarify I said did mention the DC area.

IOW the mindset of the non native is "If it doesn't make dollars it doesn't make sense." The COL here is extremely high.

This isn't to say that ppl don't volunteer but here volunteerism/interning (for a year or better) is a requirement for many NPO/or political jobs. I know someone who could only afford to volunteer for 6 mos. When asked about her volunteer experience by an interviewer she physically pointed out her length of time to the interviewer and was told, "That's not volunteer experience" (!)

As far as being turned down only an organization in total disarray would turn down someone willing to work for free. Most volunteers in this area push paper, canvass, do simple data entry and telemarket. Not something you have to have the highest qualifications for.

Finally, volunteerism does cost time one could use to pursue paid or better employment, time with family/ friends

Answer 1

Why does volunteering have to cost anything? Anyone can volunteer their time for FREE unless it involves going abroad.

Answer 2

Not everyone volunteers out of altruism. People volunteer for many different reasons: because they need work experience, because they want to explore different career opportunities, because they want to do something different than their paid work, because they are angry about an issue and want to address such, or even because they are angry at the organization and want an insider's perspective. Not all volunteers are doing it to "be good".

People are sometimes required to perform community service. What's interesting is that often, whether the requirement is because of school or the courts, people continue to provide that service long after the requirement has been met. They are getting something out of the experience beyong that high school or court requirement.

I agree that volunteers should not replace paid employees. I also don't believe volunteers should be involved to "save money". But if you gave me all the money in the world to hire all the paid staff I needed, I would still involve volunteers alongside paid staff. Why? Because volunteers speak more freely than paid staff -- they don't have a financial stake in the organization. Volunteers are willing to criticize when paid staff might feel uncomfortable doing so. Because volunteers tell their families and friends about the organization, and their comments carry a great deal of weight, because they have no financial interest in the organization. A volunteer who writes a letter to a newspaper or testifies in front of a city commission carries a great deal of weight in whatever he or she says, often moreso than a paid employee. And volunteers are a testimony of community investment and transparency -- an organization that does't involve volunteers, in my opinion, has something to hide.

No organization ignores candidates for volunteering in favor of people who have to fulfill community service requirements. If you are being turned down for volunteering activities, you need to ask the organization what you need to do to make yourself a better candidate.

Finally, volunteering is not, nor ever has been, the domain of the well-to-do. Low income people DO volunteer -- in huge numbers and with great passion. It doesn't cost a volunteer anything to provide community service, outside of time and transportation costs. Lots of organizations even provide free or lowcost childcare to volunteers.