Pay to volunteer…Why?
I frequently find myself at the end of a touching documentary or a heart-rendering news piece telling myself that there must be something that I can do to help the situation. So I turn to the place with all the answers – the internet.
The empty google box stares at me, expectantly. What do I want to know? Why not try “How can I help the world” – just 469 million results appear. Seems there is no shortage of answers to that question. Where do I start? I browse through the first page and discover that volunteering seems a good place to begin the journey. A paid ad takes me to a site called the “GVN Foundation” a non governmental organisation based in New Zealand. The site enthuses me with great ideas about volunteering. My enthusiasm is short lived. To join one of the projects I first have to pay $350 which is transferable to the project and if I am (and they, I guess) accepted as a volunteer. My presence in South Africa on a conservation project for 8-weeks comes in at $1947.
$1947 + flights, visa (if required), travel insurance and personal spending money. It strikes me that helping the world is an expensive intention. My search continues. I encounter website after website offering life-changing volunteer opportunities. Projects are offered by NGO’s, charities, not-for-profit and outright businesses but regardless of their registered status they all charge you money to participate.
Interestingly when you compare two organisations, one set-up as a not-for-profit (Voluntary Projects Overseas) and another established to make a profit (Projects Abroad) all things being equal you can crudely work out the profit that the latter makes. Two examples:
Teaching in Bolivia – VPO = £1500 for 3 months – PA = £1845 for 3 months (£345 profit)
Let’s take another example
Teaching in South Africa – VPO = £1900 for 3 months – PA = £2595 for 3 months (£695 profit)
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not against paying to do voluntary work or people making profits. I have a Masters in Business Administration for goodness sake. My question is why is that?
