Volunteering at a race? Does it matter if it is for a non profit? (Read 300 times)

 

Where else?

Wut?

I volunteer at races because I want to help out, give back to the running community and because I sometimes get to race free.  If it's for or non-profit, that doesn't matter to me.  Smaller companies that are for-profit (like Hasher Rick's) can keep costs down by having volunteers. That's a win for the runners.  I'll volunteer for those regardless of free entry just to keep the running community going.  I'd still obviously accept a free race entry though!    Bigger companies (like the NYRR) might let you volunteer in order to just get in to an otherwise sold out race.  So that can be a win.  I'm pacing the NYCM this year, which makes me a volunteer.  BUT, I get to run it for free and help a lot of people hit their goal.  I do it for the free entry and the hugs at the finish line.  Sometimes I've found myself volunteering because I happened to be somewhere that had a race, and I just offered to help.

I simply don't understand why a corporation such as Competitor can make profit on the backs of volunteers. McDonalds cannot.

 

Hey, let's all go volunteer flipping burgers today!

I am guessing if Competitor tried putting on races in the same location for 18 hours a day, every day of the year, they'd have a tougher time keeping them staffed with volunteers.

I simply don't understand why a corporation such as Competitor can make profit on the backs of volunteers. McDonalds cannot.

 

Hey, let's all go volunteer flipping burgers today!

mcdonalds will take volunteers, why wouldnt they and what would stop them? most tasks in a mcdonalds require more training and supervision than handing out water cups and finishers medals do but they can find a place for you and your pals to volunteer.  For instance, my kids school does a "spirit night" at mcdonalds where the teachers work the counter and the school gets a portion of the proceeds from that night. same thing most races do. Your group/club/school/cause brings in participants and or volunteers and we will kick back some of the profit to your group.

Bottom line is, no one forces anyone to do anything. you want to volunteer your time to make an event happen, great. it is a fun and rewarding thing to do and without volunteers we wouldnt have events because the cost of staffing them would be prohibitive and not enough people would be willing/able to pay the resultant entry fees.

If you only want to volunteer for non-profit events or for events where you know exactly how much is going to a cause you like, that is your choice. If the money involved in the event is the most important part for you then you should do your homework, that is on you, and i dont want to live in a world where i sign up to volunteer and then have to go to a half hour class on the workings of the organization i am volunteering for followed by me signing two dozen disclosures and agreements that i know what i am getting in to so the event organization can cover its rear. Not to mention, there is a cost in time and resources to do all that stuff which raises the entry fee of the event.

Most of the people posting here seem to have some personal responsibility, they do their homework by going to the FAQ on the website, posting on their FB page or the old fashion route of calling their office and asking what you want to know, as opposed to the litigant who is fishing for lawsuits to further her career and line her pocket.

There are a lot of costs in putting on an event. The cost of closing streets for a marathon in a metropolitan area start in the six figures and that is before you get your shirt, medal, food, water, music, marketing campaigns to get you to sign up, websites, photographers, insurance, staff salaries, and the list goes on. Starting an event involves investment and risk and the people take that on should be compensated for that.

?? Not sure what your point is.

Starting an event involves investment and risk and the people take that on should be compensated for that.

Teachers volunteering at McDonalds? Good grief.

http://www.dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/docs/volunteers.asp

"Under the FLSA, employees may not volunteer services to for-profit private sector employers."

I read that to mean that employees OF THAT PARTICULAR for-profit private sector employer may not volunteer at the same employer.  McDonald's employees cannot volunteer at McDonald's.  Seems like a good idea to me.  But a Panera Bread employee can volunteer at McDonalds (or Competitor).  I think.

I simply don't understand why a corporation such as Competitor can make profit on the backs of volunteers. McDonalds cannot.

 

Hey, let's all go volunteer flipping burgers today!

Many wineries use volunteers to bring in the grapes.  It is a labor-intensive surge activity that only takes place a few days of the year, so it is not practical to maintain employees for the purpose.  Many people volunteer for these activities to be part of the winemaking process and learn from it.  Often there are other benefits given to those volunteering as well.

I am not a labor attorney and do not understand applicable law farther than to know that there are cases when a for-profit using volunteers is legal, and when it is not.

If people want to volunteer their time to a company that will make money with it, I don't have a problem with it.  But what concerns me is that I am highly skeptical that most of their volunteers fully understand what is going on and that money is being made from their volunteered time.