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Not usually. The main reason that these organizations need volunteers is, is because most folks don’t think they are worth supporting, financially. This is oft
by ChrisMarshallNY 2y ago
Not usually. The main reason that these organizations need volunteers is, is because most folks don’t think they are worth supporting, financially.
This is often because they serve segments of the population that represent a small demographic, or because the causes they champion don’t enjoy mainstream support.
There are some organizations that abuse volunteers, but they are few and far between (but are treated as typical, when folks want to attack).
Also, when you pay for work, you get work, but there’s no guarantee of “heart.” In many cases, the emotional investment is worth far more than the financial worth.
I’ve been doing volunteer work for over 40 years. Much of it has been extremely valuable tech work, and much of that work has been treated in rather shabby fashion. When people get stuff for free, they often devalue it. This is common, in nonprofit work. It can certainly be maddening.
I do it anyway. I tend to think of the final end-users of my work, as opposed to the middlemen/women (BTW: volunteering is a great way to meet potential romantic interests -I don’t care; I’m married).
- immibis 2y agoIn a free market system, if nobody thinks something is worth supporting financially, then it isn't worth supporting financially, and doing it for free distorts the economy and reduces efficiency.
- jhklvdblre 2y agoIs there a difference between "I think this cause is worth supporting with my money (which will be used to pay someone's salary)" and "I think this cause is worth supporting with my time"?
- ChrisMarshallNY 2y agoWell, I'll do it anyway. I get a lot from it, personally. It seems we have different ways of looking at the world.
- vasco 2y agoLet's kill the old people then so we don't distort the market.
- amake 2y agoSounds like a shitty system.
- Empact 2y agoYou have a mistaken conception of the free market. The voluntary action we do in upholding our families and communities is foundational to the economy - voluntary action is the space in which economic liberty occurs. It doesn’t reduce efficiency because the volunteers are the judge of worth and their’s is the only opinion that matters. The cost of providing services can be quite low when the labor is volunteered, so the cost to benefit tilts heavily in the direction of net benefit, i.e. efficiency in producing positive outcomes at a particular cost.
- throaway2501 2y ago[dead]
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- triceratops 2y agoVolunteers clearly get value out of volunteering, otherwise they wouldn't do it. Everyone is free to define their own measure of value. That's one of the reasons it's called a "free" market. A market where money is the only measure of value is definitionally not a free market. > doing it for free distorts the economy It's very noble of you to do stuff for "the economy". Most just pursue selfish needs and desires like food, clothing, shelter, and wanting to make a difference in others' lives.
- dennis_jeeves2 2y agoWell, a free market system is 'free'. You donate your money or your effort or do neither. The money part of transaction is not set in stone.