Being Paid to Volunteer, Is it Legit or Not?

Is it a question of legitmacy? Or is it a question of whether it can be called volunteering?
At what level of nothing in return does volunteering begin? They are forcing me to take money? Do I have to take it if I want to be total in altruism? Maybe willingness to take a side job maybe is not the same as volunteering?

i have worked for CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK and TELEFUND

both are groups which promote social, political and environmental change issues - i did fundraising and phone canvassing for both of them and i did neighborhood organizing for FCAN - this kind of work is often assumed to be entirely unpaid volunteer work and people were often surprised (and sometimes offended) to learn that its not

i absolutely loved FCAN, and i really enjoyed some of the campaigns i worked for telefund while i was with them, though there were a few i didnt really feel very personally invested in, they were all campaigns that i essentially agreed with and felt good about furthering

people sometimes get weirded out at the idea that the person they are talking to is getting paid for what they do, and i understand that, sort of -

but what i would say is that we all have to pay our bills somehow and if i (or anyone) can find a way to make a living (or part of a living) doing something that i think is important and makes the world a better place then as far as i am concerned that is a win win and is good for everybody

its way better than trudging through a job that i really dont like and dont feel makes any real difference in the world just so i can eat and still not have enough time to really be involved in the kinds of things i do think are important

so i salute anyone who can find a way to keep the lights on AND "save the world" in whatever fashion their particular personality and skillset is suited for

Me too. I loved every job I ever got paid for including the ones for non-profit organization. So I was trained to be a good employee by my mother actually. Do what is asked of you when it is done, ask for more. So I was willing employee volunteering to get paid for what I do? Perhaps more like a good employee with a good work ethic who always found way to love the work.

ren wrote: What if volunteering is the act of stealing someone else's job?

Seldom is the volunteer of the same caliber of the paid employee...

By using volunteers, you have to treat the differently, because most people have the "well I'm not getting paid for this" mentality, so if you are not happy with them socializing, or their crappy performance, your stuck...

They used volunteers to save cost at our fourth of July parade for the last two years... This year, they brought us paid employees back...

The first year, prescription meds went missing (co-worker had a few pain pills for his back and knees) equipment messed up/broke, used wrong, blah, blah...
Although they paid me to work, what they paid for was my level of service and knowledge...

I didn't have to work, I did "volunteer" to work, but for pay...

I do "volunteer" to do free volunteer stuff, but, they get what they pay for, lol.... I try to stay busy, on task... But I'm something of a talker, :lol:...

I don't particularly call what your paid EMT job does- volunteering. But it's equally important to what I do call it- a public service (well, volunteer is public service too). I don't think it matters whether or not you're doing it for payment or doing it for free- a public service where you help others is honorable, and to argue whether it's volunteer or not is just semantics. Does it benefit others around you in a meaningful way? Yes? Then it's worth doing.

Edan wrote: That's a pretty different situation to the one we're discussing.

Tellahane is working below his local fair pay, making it exactly the same thing. It's a job, and a fair day's work should be fairly paid. It's a workers' rights issue. He could cash in a full pay and give it all away. I think that'd still count as volunteering. Or he could refuse to do a job he doesn't need and give it to someone who does need it. I don't know if that counts as volunteering, but it's definitely awesome.
This is the medical/health industry we're talking about. Powerful lobby, lots of cash, lots of people, lots of demand for it, maybe even more demand for it than any other industry. The only thing they need volunteers for is to make more money.