How to find out from charity if a freelancer got paid for 'voluntary' work I did?

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

SpaceisthePlace wrote: »

It wasn't that he hadn't had the chance to complete it. The project deadline was looming and the work hadn't been done. He went on holiday presumably knowing the deadline would pass before he came back. I did the work so the deadline wasn't missed.

How do you know he hadn't done it? Maybe he had, but just hadn't delivered it. Maybe he delivered it while he was on holiday, to the deadline, but was told they didn't need it any more. Obviously it depends what kind of work this was but this is very possible in many situations.

Comms69

I think the distinction is that most posters are supplying the practical and legal aspect, whereas the OP is pursuing a more moral or ethical argument.

nicechap

SpaceisthePlace wrote: »

I would like an apology mainly because I was not fully informed about the project before I agreed to undertake the work for free (along the lines of 'Hey, SpaceisthePlace, by the way Mr Freelance has already been paid to deliver this project; knowing that, are you sure you want to do it?'). Secondly because I was not fully informed after I'd done the work but left to piece things together from hints and overheard conversations. They could have been straight with me. They weren't. And maybe legally they don't have to be, but it's a sh!tty way to treat a volunteer.

And it's not true that I've lost nothing. I spent five days in total on the project, that I could've used more productively than doing someone else's work for them.

I agree that the donors have also been wronged.

You are jumping to far too many conclusions without the facts.

And placing far more weight on views that agree with you than those that disagree.

At the end of the day, you completed a project the charity needed. Take comfort from that.

If you have any actual evidence rather than suspicions you can find out the charity's trustees details from google and if you remain unhappy, raise it with the charity commission.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

SpaceisthePlace wrote: »

I would like an apology mainly because I was not fully informed about the project before I agreed to undertake the work for free (along the lines of 'Hey, SpaceisthePlace, by the way Mr Freelance has already been paid to deliver this project; knowing that, are you sure you want to do it?'). Secondly because I was not fully informed after I'd done the work but left to piece things together from hints and overheard conversations. They could have been straight with me. They weren't. And maybe legally they don't have to be, but it's a sh!tty way to treat a volunteer.

And it's not true that I've lost nothing. I spent five days in total on the project, that I could've used more productively than doing someone else's work for them.

I agree that the donors have also been wronged.

The charity seem somewhat incompetent if your suspicions are correct, but hey, they are a charity. Most of them are incompetent. They could apologise if they wasted your time, which they have done if the freelancer had actually done it all anyway and they just panicked. But if it did need doing, and you did it, then you did what you agreed and helped them out. Their previous incompetence in paying for something and not following it up isn't really your issue.

You need to separate the incompetent waste of money issue from the wasting your time issue. They are two different things, of which neither, either, or both may have happened.

Undervalued

nicechap wrote: »

You are jumping to far too many conclusions without the facts.

And placing far more weight on views that agree with you than those that disagree.

At the end of the day, you completed a project the charity needed. Take comfort from that.

If you have any actual evidence rather than suspicions you can find out the charity's trustees details from google and if you remain unhappy, raise it with the charity commission.

Exactly so!

SpaceisthePlace

How do you know he hadn't done it? Maybe he had, but just hadn't delivered it. Maybe he delivered it while he was on holiday, to the deadline, but was told they didn't need it any more. Obviously it depends what kind of work this was but this is very possible in many situations.

I know for a fact that he hadn't done it beforehand. There were several team meetings with him present where the project was discussed and the fact it hadn't been done was talked about. He had plenty of chances to say 'hey I've done this already' but didn't. The nature of the work means he couldn't have done it while on holiday. I was asked to do it because it hadn't been done.

SpaceisthePlace

You are jumping to far too many conclusions without the facts.

And placing far more weight on views that agree with you than those that disagree.

At the end of the day, you completed a project the charity needed. Take comfort from that.

If you have any actual evidence rather than suspicions you can find out the charity's trustees details from google and if you remain unhappy, raise it with the charity commission.

Literally the whole point of my entire OP was how do I get evidence for my suspicions. I've been completely upfront about the fact that these are just suspicions, and that I don't have proof, and that I would like to get proof.

I've been very clear that what I want out of this situation is to know what really happened. And then IF what I think happened did happen, go from there.

scd3scd4

My mum has a saying............just because she has retired does not mean her time in not valuable and she has nothing better to do than other family members chores.

leslieknope

you're assuming they won't try to get their money back. at my workplace, we have freelancers for certain things. a lot of the time we do pay them in advance, especially if it's near the end of the budget and we have a surplus to spend. we ask them to submit their invoice early, as we would like to use that surplus, even if the work is then completed later in the year. if they don't complete that work, we would issue them with a bill for works not completed. this could well be the case. but you're only a volunteer and you do not have any right to their financials to know what is going on.

SpaceisthePlace

The charity seem somewhat incompetent if your suspicions are correct, but hey, they are a charity. Most of them are incompetent. They could apologise if they wasted your time, which they have done if the freelancer had actually done it all anyway and they just panicked. But if it did need doing, and you did it, then you did what you agreed and helped them out. Their previous incompetence in paying for something and not following it up isn't really your issue.

You need to separate the incompetent waste of money issue from the wasting your time issue. They are two different things, of which neither, either, or both may have happened.

But I wasn't fully informed before I agreed. So my agreement means nothing. I wouldn't have done the project if I'd been told the freelancer had already been paid to do it. It's not a situation I'm comfortable with, doing work that someone else will be paid for. I would've used that time to do something else.

I understand that him being paid only may have happened. That's why my original post was about how to find out if my suspicions are correct.