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Chloe Hall
ENGL 1102-097
Dr. Sally Griffin
March 26, 2014
First Draft of Paper

Volunteer abroad programs allow someone to travel, see the world, grow as
an individual, and do worthy things for another country. Volunteering abroad not
only gives someone the chance to give back, but it also gives someone a reason to
explore, have a team or program behind an individual to give them a peace of mind,
a place to stay, and a new place to explore. Volunteering abroad also gives an
individual the opportunity to learn so much about his or her own character. It
allows an individual to do things that they have never done before in their life.
Although many locals of ones placement could possibly do what they are doing on
their own, lending a helping hand, growing friendships with the locals, or giving the
locals the opportunity to have someone they can look to for advice or a shoulder to
lean on when going through tough times themselves is irreplaceable. The best part
of it all is an individual will have a better understanding of another culture,
challenge their comfort zone, and develop bonds with people they never imagined.
Unlike paid employment, volunteering abroad allows flexibility as someone can
choose how long they would like to be volunteering for and where they would like
to be whether it is improving childrens education in Tanzania, enhancing the
quality of healthcare in India, teaching English in Brazil, or assisting and supporting
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those affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa. Building a resume is another great
benefit from volunteering abroad as it shows a business or employer an individual is
committed, flexible, dedicated, and hard working. Some volunteering opportunities
offer placement within an individuals field of study that can also be of value for
career development. Although volunteering abroad comes with experiences of such
great value and so many benefits for someone to grow as individual, it can also come
with a large fee. Volunteering consist of giving up ones free time and unpaid labor
so many wonder why someone would have to pay to volunteer abroad and what
their money is going towards.

It is generally agreed that the volunteer is one who offers service, time and
skills to benefit others, provides voluntary personal aid while living in developing
communities, and gains mutual learning, friendship and adventurousness.
Definitions of volunteers necessarily include the recognition that they are those who
provide assistance, or unpaid service, usually for the benefit of the community. This
may be through formal involvement as a volunteer in an organization, and/or
independently as an individual. Therefore, the concept of volunteering is defined as
an action perceived as freely chosen, without financial gain and generally aimed at
helping others (Stebbins and Graham, 2004, p 208). In reviewing the international
volunteering literature, there is a focus on personal development and the role of
learning in changing or influencing the self, which introduces to the alternative
tourism experience issues relating to self-identity and change. It is proposed that
the concept of international volunteering, as an element within the context of
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alternative tourism experience, highlights learning as a central element of the
interaction with the destination culture and environment. The research of
Weinmann (1983) and Carlson (1991), in considering exposure to a new culture,
found personal development related to: greater tolerance; a more compassionate
understanding of other people and their individual differences; and the gaining of a
more global perspective and insight into new values, beliefs and ways of life.
Learning components within this exchange included academic learning, the
development of personal knowledge, self-confidence, independence, cultural
awareness and social abilities (Stebbins and Graham, 2004, p 211).

Benefits of volunteering abroad is not only helping a country in need, but also
taking advantage of your free time to explore the area of placement. Many non-
profit abroad organizations may use leisure time as an advantage to their
organization to gain more volunteers. The time contributed to participation in
international volunteering can be considered serious leisure and many
organizations rely on this free time in order to operate. It is evident that the travel
component of volunteerism in these alternative tourism experiences is an essential
component of the appeal of organizations operating in developing countries. Rather
than travelling simply as a tourist the volunteer may regard travel as an activity for
the stimulation and development of character. The appeal of travelling with a
purpose, working with communities in developing countries and spending time to
assist in saving natural environments, provides a strong platform for expanding the
conceptualization of tourist experience (Stebbins and Graham, 2004, p 213-214).
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The research in the area of volunteerism has shown that people working and
living together on jobs of social significance often results in facilitating
understanding and friendships that are more important to the participants than the
physical construction itself. Whatever the genesis of the program, it is the personal
encounter between the volunteer and the community that is essential. Additionally,
research on international volunteer organizations has demonstrated an orientation
towards reviewing the issues around personal development. The links between
volunteering and tourism can possibly be made more apparent when viewed as
leisure experience and the research on personal development and international
development volunteer programs initially provides some background for positing
such a conjunction in alternative tourism experiences (Stebbins and Graham, 2014).

Many non-profit organizations face the fear of fraud and embezzlement.
Along with the worries of non-profit organizations, volunteers and donors may be
concerned with where their fees to volunteer abroad and donations go. On October
26, 2013, the Washington Post reported that from 2008 to 2012, more than 1,000
nonprofit organizations disclosed hundreds of millions in losses attributed to theft,
fraud, embezzlement, and other unauthorized uses of funds and organizational
assets. According to a study cited by the Post, nonprofits and religious organizations
suffer one-sixth of all major embezzlements; second only to the financial services
industry. Nonprofits are generally established for beneficial purposes and assume
that their employees share the organization's philanthropic mission. As such,
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nonprofits tend to be more trusting of their employees and have less stringent
financial controls than their for-profit counterparts. Thus, they fall prey to
embezzlement and other forms of employee fraud at an alarming rate. By way of
recent example, as reported by the Washington Post: From 1999 to 2007, the
American Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about
the dangers of smoking, suffered an estimated $3.4 million loss as a result of alleged
embezzlement by a former employee. In 2012, the Global Fund to Fight Aids,
Tuberculosis and Malaria reported to the federal government a misuse of funds or
unsubstantiated spending of $43 million. In 2011, the Vassar Brothers Medical
Center in Poughkeepsie, New York reported a loss of $8.6 million through the "theft"
of certain medical devices (Devaney, W., Martin, D., Buell, N., & Tenenbaum, J, 2013).
Few non-profits can afford losses of any size, let alone $100,000 or more. Non-profit
organizations have found many warning signs that make it easier for dishonest
employees to engage in criminal behavior. Among these risks are; inadequate
internal controls, lack of management review, override of existing internal controls,
under staffing, relatively low compensation, whether wages or benefits, lack of
employee training, limits on career advancement, employees personal financial
issues, lack of strong company leadership (Zack, 2003). Non-profit organizations
need to become more engaged with management issues, and that usually increases
the stress between a chief executive and his or her board (a relationship that can be
strained even in the best of times). Less obvious, however, is how the zone of
insolvency can alter the relationship between organization and donor. If, for
example, an organization operating in the zone is offered a major gift with
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significant restrictions, it needs to make its financial situation crystal clear right up
front or risk violating the donor's legal rights (Mattocks, 2008).

Many of us, when we first think about volunteering abroad, think that it
should be enough that we give our time. Why should we pay for the privilege of
volunteering? What is our money going towards? How do we know it is not a scam?
Volunteering abroad can be referred to as arranged volunteering." It is
usually done through an organized program that makes arrangements with
nonprofits (usually called NGOs or Non-Governmental Organizations) in the country
where you volunteer (Fritz, 2014). On many volunteer abroad program websites
you will find the question Why do I need to pay to volunteer? under their FAQs
tab. Cross Cultural Solutions answered this question stating, With CCS, you dont
pay to volunteer. You pay for the assurance of living in a safe and comfortable
Home-Base; an opportunity to be completely immersed in a warm and welcoming
community, and to find the family that you never knew you had. Your program fee
enables us to create an incredible breadth of Cultural Activities, from language and
cooking lessons, to exclusive lectures on local culture and history. Your contribution
will help to create long-term sustainable jobs paying living wages for local people,
like the CCS directors, drivers, cooks, and house guards, and to make sure that
theyre all expertly trained. Youll pay so that the ingredients necessary for the CCS
cook to prepare authentic, healthy cuisine are purchased locally, and to ensure that
the trusty passenger van safely transporting you to and from your volunteer project
each day is ready for the job. The contribution of your program fee is an investment
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in your international experience, and in the local economy in a community that
youll soon call home.
Charity Guide explains the purpose of a service program fee: "Volunteers are
asked to pay for their own travel expenses, and even non-profit agencies need to be
reimbursed for recruiting costs, volunteer training, and on-site coordination.
Volunteer vacation program fees range from $50 to $3,000+, depending on the
agency's degree of involvement and the accommodation provided. Volunteer
vacation program fees are relatively small when accommodation is "basic", such as a
tent in a national park, and when volunteers prepare their own meals. At the other
extreme, program fees charged by organizations such as Global Volunteers can be as
high as a few thousand dollars. But, in return for higher fees comes 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." LeAnn Joy Adam described the benefits of paying a
program fee to volunteer when she worked as the Overseas Resource Coordinator at
Stanford University: Orientation, including important pre-departure reading
material as well as on-site orientation on local culture, history and customs.
Arranged accommodations, providing an important connection to the culture and a
first-hand view of social and political events in the country. A safety net, staff to
provide logistical and emotional support. Clear expectations, your responsibilities
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(in the host community) are clear and well-defined. Affordability, when you
calculate the difference between traveling to a country on your own and the cost of
participating in a program, you might be surprised by how little the difference is
(Global Volunteers, 2013).