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Provided by Rachel Epps Spears, Executive Director of Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta
How can we thank volunteers for their service to our organization?
It's always a good idea to show appreciation to your volunteers, just be careful how you do it. Volunteer appreciation lunches, plaques or other small tokens of appreciation are entirely appropriate but don't be tempted to pay your volunteers "a little something" for helping out. Giving a volunteer any amount of money (even a small stipend) is the fastest way to transform him or her into an employee, subjecting your organization to the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (which governs minimum wage, child labor laws and overtime pay), worker's compensation insurance, and other federal and state laws. You can give volunteers non-cash items of nominal value but keep in mind that the IRS considers gift cards or gift certificates to be the equivalent of money. Don't give gift cards to your volunteers unless you are prepared to make them an employee and give them a W-2. Keep in mind that if you are subject to an IRS audit, the agent will likely ask you about volunteer gifts. Bottom line -- your volunteers should be volunteering because they believe in the work of your organization, and not because they expect any financial reward in return.
Rachel Epps Spears is an attorney and the Executive Director of Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta, which provides free legal services to eligible nonprofits that serve the poor and disadvantaged.
http://www.pbpatl.org/