Apr 00 Viewpoint
Volume Number: 16
Issue Number: 4
Column Tag: Viewpoint
by Ilene Hoffman, Contributing Editor
Web-Based Volunteerism - Helping People or Lining Pockets?
"Naked a man comes into the world and naked he leaves it, after all is said and done he
leaves nothing except the good deeds he leaves behind". -adapted from the great Jewish
thinker RASHI (Source Unknown)
In 1997 President Clinton passed the Volunteer Protection Act. This act was designed
to protect volunteers from being unfairly sued or otherwise held unfairly accountable
for reasonable actions encountered while doing their "jobs" as volunteers. A random
search on the web uncovers many voluntary agencies who believe that the act has a lot
of holes in it, but that's not our specific beef here though. My beef is, where does it say
who is responsible for the volunteers who are poorly trained, over committed by their
"employers," and misused by profit making companies? What about the volunteers
who don't get any recognition or rewards for their time and achievements? There's
more to volunteer abuse, than being sued for a job well done.
When was the last time you knew someone who walked into an office and
said: "Hey, this job looks like fun, can I volunteer at your company?
It doesn't sound like a likely scenario, yet that is what's happening all over the Web on
"community-based" sites. (Why do I put community in parentheses, well, because I'm
starting to doubt the truth of whether these sites really constitute community
building, but that's a whole 'nother rant for another day.)
As an advocate for volunteerism I've put my money where my mouth is for many years.
I've worked with chronic psychiatric patients, drug involved teens, low-income
women, single parents, and computer user groups. All of these groups had one thing in
common: They were non-profit (501-C3) organizations helping some disenfranchised
population reach needed services. The keyword here is non-profit. Groups that deliver
needed services to some population which either has no access, no knowledge, or no
funds to receive professional services readily available to monied populations.
Volunteers aid agencies by providing needed services that help reduce operational
costs; there is no question of that. Volunteers aid people in many, many ways. So what
do the thousands of volunteers across the web really contribute to society? Better yet,
what company policies are in place to foster and reward these volunteers for their
hard work and commitment?
Are web companies abusing the privileges of using volunteers? I think so. If you go to
any community site, you will rarely find a non-profit organization. You will find
profit making companies who "employ" volunteers to further the company's goals and
enhance their ability to make money though. Not to belittle the volunteers themselves,
they are making a difference in people's lives. They provide information, impart
knowledge, help users navigate the web, aid in leading discussions (chats and message
boards), help design sites, and create a friendly user experience on the company's web
site.
The problem lies with the companies. One Volunteer Development Coordinator recently
expressed this concern in a mailing list: "Are these "volunteers" help[ing] the
company, which in turn will help the community? Or are they simply helping a
company that is trying to save money for their shareholders.
I think far too many profit making web-based companies are sapping our valuable
volunteer resources by enticing people into volunteering for their own gain. America
Online, which at least provided free accounts to their volunteers, was the target of a
suit, when their service costs were reduced and the volunteers felt their rewards no
longer justified the means. The difference between AOL and many other companies is
they still provided those free accounts, no matter the dollar value. Most web-based
companies don't even pay volunteers' service provider costs. So, in effect, volunteers
not only give time, but actually pay for the privilege.
The Independent Sector claims the "volunteer rate for 1998 [was] $14.30 [per hour].
We arrive at the new figure each year after calculating the average hourly wage for
nonagricultural workers as published in the latest edition of the "Economic Report of
the President" (released each year (for the previous year) at the end of February) and
increasing it by 12 percent to estimate fringe benefits." This means that people are
expending volunteer hours at a rate that is most probably higher than their own
hourly wages at their jobs. Most companies are benefiting by the work done at that
phantom $14.30 per hour rate, but not returning anything to society or to the IRS for
that investment.
Some web-based companies even require volunteer work above and beyond their paid
workers' hours, and give volunteers the exact same jobs as the paid workers, both of
which I think may be illegal in some states. These companies are very good at building
internal loyalty and espousing the extra work is for the "good of the community" to
entice workers to give more and more of their time. Are these people rewarded in any
way for their extra time? Not on some sites. I wonder when the volunteers will realize
that they are being misused as a way to increase a company's profit and little else.
Got a comment? Know of a related law in your state? Know of a profit making website
who does it the right way? I'd love to hear it, email me at: ileneh@mac.com.
______________________________
Ilene Hoffman is a Contributing Editor for MacTech and TechRepublic magazines. She
is also the Administrator at MacFixIt.com Forums and has worked with many
community-based web sites. Comments on this article can be mailed to:
ileneh@mac.com.