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Money Moral Dilemma: Should I pay the charity for my cuppa?

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Former_MSE_Nick
Former_MSE_Nick Posts: 463 Forumite
I've been Money Tipped!
in Charities
This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...

I volunteer for a charity once a week, where I regularly donate food, clothing etc. and offer my services in any way I can. Drinks and snacks are served and I usually have a cup of tea whilst I'm there. There's a tin asking for voluntary donations towards the cost of this, but I've never contributed as I feel that I give enough already. Is this mean of me - should I also pay for my cup of tea?
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Comments

  • happyinflorida
    happyinflorida Posts: 807 Forumite
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    I can't believe you don't.

    What part of charity don't you get?
  • TBagpuss
    TBagpuss Posts: 11,203 Forumite
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    What do other volunteers do?
    I would pay, as otherwise yo are either being subsidised by the charity or by your fellow volunteers who do pay.

    The only exception I can think of is if the tea is provided for clients/customers who are expected to contribute, not *just* for staff, *and* there is a general expectation that staff do not pay. However, I am guessing that isn't the case or you would have mentioned it.

    I'd donate.
    All posts are my personal opinion, not formal advice Always get proper, professional advice (particularly about anything legal!)
  • forzaitalia
    forzaitalia Posts: 61 Forumite
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    I would pay my way, it's a charity after all. If all the volunteers/employees didn't donate the costs would soon add up. I used to work for an animal charity and used to bring in my own stationery and shared it out amongst the others. Also spent many an hour hand rearing pups, kittens and rabbits, all in my own time although the food was provided by the charity. We all did this, it just seemed the right thing to do.
  • HappyMJ
    HappyMJ Posts: 21,115 Forumite
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    Some people just can't afford the spare cash to give to a charity as well as the free labour. I used to ask the charity I worked for to pay my expenses of getting to/from the site otherwise I just couldn't afford to give them any of my time. They had no problem helping me out with a day travel card worth about £6. There's no way at the time I could have found £6 having no income of my own and no references to get a job to earn any money so could not have done the charity work.

    If you can afford the 20p or whatever they're asking for the cup of tea pay it. If you can't don't worry about it.
    :footie:
    :p Regular savers earn 6% interest (HSBC, First Direct, M&S) :p Loans cost 2.9% per year (Nationwide) = FREE money. :p
  • davidxhobbs
    davidxhobbs Posts: 10 Forumite
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    You have given your time for free. Why should you pay on top of that when the people who run the (larger) charities are laughing all the way to the bank.
  • tallgirld
    tallgirld Posts: 484 Forumite
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    If you feel you give enough then don't contribute towards the tea.

    If you feel bad about it just stop drinking it.
  • gloriouslyhappy
    gloriouslyhappy Posts: 596 Forumite
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    Who provides the tea supplies? If it's the other volunteers, then I think you definitely should contribute. If it's the charity management, then it's up to your conscience, but having donated your time and your goods, surely a few pennies for a cup of tea could be spared?
  • chris3cm
    chris3cm Posts: 5 Forumite
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    I regularly help out at a charity shop and donate goods. The manageress provides tea, coffee, cake, toast, soup free of charge to the volunteers as she regards this as a small way of thanking us for our services. We're happy with that and we pay for any goods we buy from the shop. It works well.
  • sue.b_2
    sue.b_2 Posts: 105 Forumite
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    If paid staff don't pay you shouldn't either. I volunteer with several charities and the rules differ in all of them, sometimes at different sites within one charity. I don't claim travel expenses from most of the charities but I do from the one that pays its head office staff vast sums but pays local managers the minimum wage. I am considering claimingfrom the other charities in future, if I can be bothered to fill in the forms, then donating it back to the charity with Gift Aid.
  • kemali
    kemali Posts: 1 Newbie
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    Absolutely not! You give up your time to help the charity so the least they can do is supply a cuppa! We all know that a cuppa costs pennies so don't feel guilty. At £6.50 an hour if you work there for 3 hrs you're giving them nearly £20 of your labour so I think that's a very fair exchange!
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