Anybody else out there work for free? I mean pro-bono, gratis, no-charge work?
I am happiest and most satisfied with work when working for organizations that really need and appreciate my service. Now, donated services average about 10 hours per week, part of my time is paid directly to me by a corporate sponsorship via a 503(c) community development group (non-profit). Basically, I seek applications for projects from various community organizations (churches, church camp, habitat, state park, boys/girls club, and so forth), and then prepare a grant proposal for my labor and expenses. My goal, over the next 5 years, is to source funding for a foundation (and organize a volunteer executive board to administer), that would basically pay my salary, plus a helper. Thru donations, corporate sponsorship, and grant money, I want to eventually form a perpetual income-souce fund, with no contributions being used for direct funding — a total of about 3 million in cash assets. A lofty goal, but attainable in my community.
Similar situations? Crazy?
Replies
I finally did one day on a Habitat for Humanity project near me not too long ago and really enjoyed it. Years ago I had a taste thru my church youth group a few times and wanted to do a little more. Boy was I glad that I did, I just wish that I had a little more free time to try and do some more -the future owners were working on site, and everyone working that day was interesting and nice.
What sure got my respect was that the two guys running the project had done this MANY times before, and put in a tremendous amount of personal time on each one. Man, I went there feeling all warm and glowy about "how I'm a gonna help out" only to see how much more someone else was doing than me.
For me the balance is this: I will do it again, someday, and look for those same guys when I do, and I have tremendous respect for anyone who takes on anything more than that!
By the way, doing something like that thru an organization is a great way to go - they know all the ins and outs of dealing with it from experience. The two guys running the H for H project that I worked on just one day had stories about things going haywire in the past and the clever countermeasures they'd come up with over the years to prevent re-occurence (everything from theft, to volunteer issues, to zoning and construction tips & tricks related to providing housing for lower income people).
Norm
Pro-
I've done work with Habitat in the past, and loved it- wish I had more time to volunteer more. I'm interested in your other idea though about the organization you want to form. Care to share more about how that would work- either in the Forum or privately?
Bob
I'm not that big on the idea of running a Saturday group of wannabe DIY'ers on a HFH. Arrrrgghh!! :) More like, as I do now, show up on a weekday at X place (camp, park, etc), with tools, etc to accomplish a 1 or 2 man job. Most I have done the receipient provides materials I, (+/- helper) provides labor, tools, know-how, etc. Often times with labor help from site manager or who ever (community service workers, volunteers, retirees, etc).
On slow days when I'm not in the middle of a project, (or not wanting to start a big project on a Friday before taking off for the weekend, or waiting for a sub), I've been know to just show up at a facility where I've worked in the past, and just asked outright "What do you need done today?" The look of gratitude, almost salvation, in some managers/execdirectors eyes at the time I show up is worth the time spent. And I've found myself immersed in some amazing, rewarding, or oddball projects (kinda a pig-in-a-poke) when I do this.
Realistic to fund this full time? Maybe
Rewarding? Definately
If I won the lottery, I think I'd do just exactly as you're doing. There are truckloads of things that need attention. But I don't have the time for even a small percentage of them.
I LIKE working for free for one sort of twisted way - If the boss ticks ya off, there's no reason to hang around, or ever come back.................(-:Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself.
Funny you would use that phrase, Ron, "If I won the lottery....."
About two years ago, the guy that rented the office space in the hallway next to my office hit the lottery in Georgia for a little over $6 million.
At age 65, he decided to take the lump sum rather than the annuity payout. The very first thing he did was to buy a new Toyota Tundra pickup to replace his ragged out Caravan, so that he could do his Habitat work more efficiently. Honestly, he was always one of the kindest, best people I had ever known. It really couldn't have happened to a nicer guy . . . .
'cept maybe ME ! ! !
Greg.
I used to do it , but I finally got over it and so has the family . It was like putting down that old dog . Wasnt a nice job , but it had to be done .
Tim Mooney