Volunteers are worth their weight in gold. Most homeschool organizations are run completely by volunteers who are doing a wonderful service to their community and other homeschooling families. What’s a volunteer worth? Priceless? Independent Sector, a coalition of nonprofits, calculates the worth of an hour of volunteer time.
The estimate for the value of volunteer hour jumped by 74 cents, from $18.77 in 2006 to $19.51 last year, according to Independent Sector (IS), a Washington, D.C.-based coalition of nonprofits and foundations.
Washington, D.C. had the highest hourly value ($30.10) . The top states were all found in the Northeast: New York ($26.18), Connecticut ($25.75), Massachusetts ($24.29) and New Jersey ($23.62).
In all, 10 states eclipsed the $20 value and all but seven had values of more than $15.
Source: https://www.independentsector.org/programs/research/volunteer_time.html
Could your homeschool group survive if you paid your volunteers these wages? Probably not…they are indeed quite valuable.
I am frequently asked if a volunteer can be paid. If you pay a volunteer, she is no longer a volunteer anymore.She is an employees and your homeschool organization will owe employer taxes such as Social Security, Medicare, Unemployment and Worker’s Comp.
I recommend homeschool groups show appreciation though thank you notes, gift certificates, verbal appreciation and praying for your volunteers.
Carol Topp, CPA