// July 3rd, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Funny Job Listings
There seems to be a lot of confusion about non-profit organizations and whether or not you should be paid for the work you do for them. First off, non-profits do bring in money, either through the sale of merchandise or services, or from the donations of people who believe in their cause. Before any of that money is redistributed to their cause of choice, the bills get paid, and everyone working there gets a paycheck. “OMG you’re blowing my mind!! Doesn’t non-profit mean they don’t make money??” No – it just means the primary goal of the organization is charity, not profit. Where as a regular company puts all the money left over after paying salaries and bills into their bank account, non-profits put that money into their cause of choice. Here’s a fine example of a company trying to play on the misconception that no one gets paid for working for a non-profit organization.
From the listing:
We are a very small non-profit that is trying to redo our website with the help of a template program. We are in need of a web designer or web design student to volunteer some time to help us get the site up and running. We’ve already begun and know what we want, we just need someone who can do it faster than we can and perhaps help with writing a little HTML. As a non-profit we cannot offer pay for the services but you may use the site in your portfolio and perhaps take advantage of using our facility or services. Looking to do this ASAP so let me know if you are interested.
Thanks!!
Now, let me be clear here – I don’t hate charity. If you believe in the cause a non-profit is pushing, then sure, donate some time or money to their cause. It’s fishy to see a listing like this that makes no mention of exactly what cause you’re supposed to be donating your time to. Maybe they’re a legitimate non-profit that just neglected to mention who they are or what they do, or maybe they’re a shady company taking some liberties with the definition of non-profit in an effort to get their site designed for free. Any time you’re considering donating some time to a non-profit, don’t hesitate to ask for documentation of their charitable work, and don’t be afraid to ask that your work be tracked while working for them – after all, if they’re legit, you might be able to get a tax write off for your time.
UPDATE: Thanks to a tip from Jim Lillicotch, and a little additional research, we’ve discovered that you can’t directly deduct time spent working for a non profit as a charitable donation, however, you MAY be able to deduct it as a business expense. Talk to an accountant before doing any volunteer work – it may ease your financial burdens when tax time comes around!
Thanks to Larry S. for the tip!
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