Assigning a Value to volunteering in Requests for Proposals
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This paper adds to the discussion on the economic value of volunteering, by looking at the value that is assigned to volunteering in requests for proposals (RFPs) by non-profit organizations. Based on case studies from the Czech Republic, the paper defines the theoretical basis for calculating the value of in-kind volunteer contributions and illustrates this with real examples of allocations from European Economic Area (EEA) and Norway Grants.
Summary
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The economic value of volunteering is an increasingly important part of volunteering management. Some requests for proposals (RFP) enable nonprofits to include the value of volunteer time in compulsory co-financing. These RFP include the European Economic Area (EEA) Grants and Norway Grants.
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The research presented in this paper includes two case studies from EEA and Norway Grants in the Czech Republic: the Czech NGO Programme, responsible for allocating grants between 2009 and 2014, and the Active Citizens Fund, responsible for allocating grants between 2014 and 2021. Each of these use different types of specialist replacement wages.
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The paper presents arguments for including in-kind volunteering contributions in RFPs, as well as possible values of these contributions, including the relationship between the type of volunteering and the number of hours necessary to achieve these values. The case studies illustrate in real numbers the formulation of the costs of volunteer hours.
