Why Must I Pay to Volunteer?

Your tax-deductible service program contribution covers your food (3 meals daily), lodging, airport transfers, program management, team leadership, emergency medical evacuation insurance, and administrative costs. In addition, we provide supplemental financing to help meet our host’s many, on-going and special needs. But you benefit as well if you’re a U.S. taxpayer, because your program-related expenses, including airfare, are tax-deductible. Even if you do not itemize, you can deduct up to $1,000 of the contribution paid to Global Volunteers.

As a private, non-profit organization independent from government and faith-based funding, Global Volunteers’ programs are financed almost entirely by volunteer contributions. This is important because our community partners cannot afford to pay the costs of the services and materials we provide.

“The fees ensure the comfort and safety you pay for: extensive pre-trip reading materials, someone to escort you from the airport, security when using public transportation in high risk areas, on-site training, hotel accommodation, prepared meals, a volunteer coordinator on-site at all times, assistance dealing with local officials, etc. As well, Global Volunteers will use part of your program fee to pay for supplies donated to the hospital, school, or community being served.”

Charity Guide, now volunteermatch.org

How Do You Spend My Contribution?

Ninety-seven percent of our funding comes from volunteer program contributions. These payments support community development projects and cover on-site volunteering expenses, including:

Food: Three meals per day and purified or bottled water.
Accommodations: Culturally appropriate hotels, guest houses and community centers.
Ground Transportation: Airport transfers and community project transportation.
Team Leadership: Global Volunteers staff or volunteer team leaders, plus needed consultants.
Project Materials: Resources to complete or sustain community projects on each team.
Program Coordination: The costs for project start-up and management, 24-hour emergency phone contact with U.S. staff, community evaluation visits and exploration, team orientation materials, volunteer preparation, individual emergency evacuation insurance and supplemental medical assistance for programs outside the USA, international staff training, and host communications.
Administration: Office overhead and logistical support.

How To Assess the Value of Program Coordination:

Orientation. Including reading material as well as on-site orientation on local culture, history and customs.
Logistics. Providing an important connection to the culture and a first-hand view of social influences.
Safety net. Ensuring logistical and emotional support.
Clear expectations. Defining your responsibilities in the host community.
Affordability. Traveling to a country on your own vs. the cost of participating in a program.
“You might be surprised by how little the difference in cost is.”
– LeAnn Joy Adam, former Overseas Resource Coordinator at Stanford University

What Else Do I Have to Pay For?

You must pay separately for: Airfare or other travel to the site, visas, free-time expenses, alcoholic beverages, and trip cancellation insurance. In addition, if you prefer a private room, where available, you will pay a single-room option fee.

Single Room Option and Fee

Our volunteer lodging is generally budgeted for double-occupancy accommodation in hotels and guest houses. As a courtesy, we make available an option for single occupancy, on a first-requested basis, where and when it’s available in the same manner as in the tourist industry. Please note that a single room can be costly, depending upon the base hotel room charge and the added cost for the displaced individual in this arrangement. Private rooms are possible only when such arrangements don’t raise the cost of lodging for the entire team. Not all accommodations can provide this option for you.

Calculating the single room option fee:
Costs for lodging are calculated up to a year in advance, based upon historical numbers of single room requests for the specific accommodations. When setting the fee for a single room, we anticipate the likely number of single rooms within the contracted period with our vendor. The fee you pay is based on the difference between single and double room charges within our contract, plus the cost for the single room of the displaced volunteer.

Availability of single occupancy rooms:
Sometimes, the team configuration will produce a “default” single room which may be offered to volunteers in order of registration. However, no guarantees are promised until the program begins. Late volunteer cancellations/additions and hotel capacity can change up to the time of check-in. The only certain way to secure a private room is to request one at the time you register for your program. If you cancel your place on a team within 90 days of departure, standard refund policies apply, minus single room cancellation fees assessed by the hotel.

Why Must I Pay to Volunteer?

How Do You Spend My Contribution?

How To Assess the Value of Program Coordination:

What Else Do I Have to Pay For?

Single Room Option and Fee

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