4 ms·

I dislike the "non-profit or charity" section. There is a HUGE difference between a non-profit and a charity. For instance 62% of hospitals are non-profit. http

I dislike the "non-profit or charity" section. There is a HUGE difference between a non-profit and a charity. For instance 62% of hospitals are non-profit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-profit_hospital http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-profit_hospital If they don't rely on volunteers to survive, if they have revenue other than donations, then you should be paid. Ask the person emailing you/calling you if they themselves are a volunteer.

nostrademons 16y ago
A lot of hospitals rely on volunteers, despite being multi-million-$ nonprofits. My mom volunteered for one in high school and said it was one of the more rewarding jobs she'd had. Aside from the various work-experience and work-ethic things, she also learned how to make the bed with hospital corners, which my sister and I benefited from all our childhoods...
- moultano 16y ago
  I'm coming to this mostly from my mom's perspective. She's a medical illustrator which means that hospitals make up a substantial fraction of her revenue, but she's constantly getting calls from "non-profit" hospitals that expect to be able to use her work for free. It just strikes me as disingenuous for a highly paid professional to be calling another professional asking for their services, and expecting to not have to pay for them. I'm skeptical of a non-profit that pays a lot of professional people for skilled work, deciding that it isn't going to pay certain types of professionals for skilled work.
lukeschlather 16y ago
I'm a volunteer. I get a $450/month stipend plus room and board. The non-profit I work for has revenue other than donations. But we definitely rely on volunteers to survive, and that includes real volunteers, though most volunteers do at minimum get room and board. So yes, the non-profit picture is more complicated than the flow chart. But personally, I don't need a stipend to do what I'm doing. A warm room and good food in some of the most beautiful country on Earth is good enough for me. Incidentally, if any Christian hacker types are interested in spending some time (3+ weeks) in the Cascades, I might have some "volunteer" work for you.
- pavel_lishin 16y ago
  At which point does you stop being a volunteer, and start being underpaid?
  - lukeschlather 16y ago
    I don't know. I've got all the necessities and plenty of luxuries, so I'm content. Money is a pretty poor way of describing my quality of life.
CallMeV 16y ago
It pays here to do some research. If you can find out who volunteers regularly at the non-profit, find out about the place from them. For instance, my local hospital runs a volunteer League of Friends who perform regular fundraising drives for equipment such as neonatal equipment, scanners and so on. The League has an iron-clad reputation, and listing on your cv that you have done volunteer work for them actually counts as a mark of honour when applying for local jobs.

nostrademons 16y ago

A lot of hospitals rely on volunteers, despite being multi-million-$ nonprofits. My mom volunteered for one in high school and said it was one of the more rewarding jobs she'd had. Aside from the various work-experience and work-ethic things, she also learned how to make the bed with hospital corners, which my sister and I benefited from all our childhoods...

moultano 16y ago
I'm coming to this mostly from my mom's perspective. She's a medical illustrator which means that hospitals make up a substantial fraction of her revenue, but she's constantly getting calls from "non-profit" hospitals that expect to be able to use her work for free. It just strikes me as disingenuous for a highly paid professional to be calling another professional asking for their services, and expecting to not have to pay for them. I'm skeptical of a non-profit that pays a lot of professional people for skilled work, deciding that it isn't going to pay certain types of professionals for skilled work.

lukeschlather 16y ago

I'm a volunteer. I get a $450/month stipend plus room and board. The non-profit I work for has revenue other than donations. But we definitely rely on volunteers to survive, and that includes real volunteers, though most volunteers do at minimum get room and board. So yes, the non-profit picture is more complicated than the flow chart. But personally, I don't need a stipend to do what I'm doing. A warm room and good food in some of the most beautiful country on Earth is good enough for me. Incidentally, if any Christian hacker types are interested in spending some time (3+ weeks) in the Cascades, I might have some "volunteer" work for you.

pavel_lishin 16y ago
At which point does you stop being a volunteer, and start being underpaid?
- lukeschlather 16y ago
  I don't know. I've got all the necessities and plenty of luxuries, so I'm content. Money is a pretty poor way of describing my quality of life.

CallMeV 16y ago

It pays here to do some research. If you can find out who volunteers regularly at the non-profit, find out about the place from them. For instance, my local hospital runs a volunteer League of Friends who perform regular fundraising drives for equipment such as neonatal equipment, scanners and so on. The League has an iron-clad reputation, and listing on your cv that you have done volunteer work for them actually counts as a mark of honour when applying for local jobs.