CAN VOLUNTEERS EARN CHARTERED MEMBERSHIP STATUS?
2006 August 3

Occasionally, we are asked if it is possible to earn Chartered Membership status in return for volunteer services. The answer is yes, with certain limitations. The reason for the limitations is that Freedom Force is a volunteer organization. All members agree to donate their services. Many of them, particularly at the leadership level, donate many hours every week with no thought of compensation. In addition to their time, they also pay membership dues. None of the leadership receives a salary or hourly pay for their time. Compensation comes in the form of awards earned by the achievement of performance goals – and all members have a similar opportunity to obtain those.

So a dilemma emerges: If we gave financial credit expressed in terms of dollars in exchange for the donated time of some members but not for others, we would be in the untenable position of saying that member A's time is more valuable than member B's time. Such a policy would soon lead to dissention and bitterness.

In the case of students, retirees on a limited income, persons out of work, and others who cannot afford our minimum dues, there occasionally may be justification for giving Chartered Memberships (without a stated financial value) in exchange for specialized services. Examples would be tweaking our web site for optimum presence among Internet search engines, writing news articles, or performing accounting services. In this scenario, members agree to donate no less than four hours per month on whatever task is performed and, in exchange, are given Chartered Membership status. This status is the same as if it were obtained through the payment of dues except that it does not carry a stated financial value. That means volunteers can assume a leadership position within the organization, vote at chapter business meetings, hold office, and serve on the board of directors of a local chapter. They also receive such bonuses as a recognition pin, a parchment copy of The Creed of Freedom, and participation in conference calls. However, since there is no stated financial value, they do not accumulate Funding Points in the Awards Program, and that means they do not receive a free subscription to the Audio Archives, which is based on those points.

So that we can know if the service is continuing or has ceased, we require monthly reports from volunteer members briefly describing the work that has been done and the results obtained. The receipt of this report will extend membership into the next month. If the report is not received for two consecutive months, their Chartered Membership will be converted to Certified status. However, it can be re-established simply by resuming the volunteer service or by converting to a dues-paying basis.

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