Volunteering? 7 Questions to Ask Yourself First

If you’ve been a photographer for more than a week, regardless of your pro or amateur status, you probably been approached to volunteer to take pictures for one group or another. Those of us that have been around for a while have developed a 6th sense of how to sniff out the “Volunteer Opportunities” that are worth while and those that are for groups that feel entitled to our free labor. There are 7 questions to ask yourself before volunteering and five red flags to watch out for.

Right up front I’m going to say this:

There is nothing wrong with volunteering to provide free or discount photography for a cause you feel strongly about. Volunteering is key to being a part of the community. Do it and feel good about it. But do it for the right people that ask the right way.

Some Background

I’m a founder and current president of the growing NAPfS photography club. We have 120+ paid members as of today. Most are amateurs, but many are exceptionally good at what they do (see the monthly competition results). We also have good SEO so people find us when they google “Austin Photo Club.” The leadership gets a few solicitations for “Volunteer Opportunities” a quarter as a result. We normally ignore them because they aren’t really opportunities. Our members didn’t joined to be advertised at…

Recently we received a repeated email for a “Volunteer Opportunity” from a prominent Austin area event happening this fall asking for volunteers. The ask was pushy and included a lot of demands on the volunteers time and basically a full job application for an unpaid position. Initially we ignored it, but this last round I decided to respond because it appears to be predatory and unethical. I later heard they demanded a work-for-hire clause from volunteers which is strictly unethical and should cause anyone to black list them for future volunteer work. 

Thus this post. I’m hoping to give amateurs and new pros alike a concrete set of criteria to evaluate volunteer jobs.

7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Volunteering

The reason organizations can get away with taking advantage of volunteers is because most Americans want to do good and help others. There is nothing wrong with wanting to help out. Volunteering for a good cause is admirable. Just make sure it is a good cause and that they aren’t exploiting you. Here are some questions I ask myself before I take a volunteer job:

1. Do I have the time, energy and skill to do the job right?
2. Is the event something I enjoy photographing?
3. Is the cause the organization or event is championing one I believe in strongly?
4. Would I be willing to donate the cost of the shoot to the organization or event?
5. Do I know and trust those I’m working with?
6. Are other vendors donating their time and hard costs?
7. Is there some non-monetary compensation (access, opportunity) that makes it worth doing without cash pay?

Lets dig in point by point.

1. Do I have time, energy and skill to do the job right?

This is fairly straight forward. Don’t say yes if you don’t have the time or energy (creative, physical, etc) to do the job.

Don’t say yes if you don’t yet have the skill to do the job unless you are upfront about that. Tell the organizers what you can do and that you are interested in expanding and learning while volunteering. If they are OK with your skill level and learning “on the job”, the opportunity to do so is a kind of compensation if everyone is OK with the possibility you might fail. Failure is a normal part of trying new things and it should be expected and planned for.

2. Is the event something I enjoy photographing?

This isn’t a hard “no” question, but in general you should enjoy the thing you volunteer to do. At a minimum you should not hate it. We have a name for a task you don’t like but have to do: it is called a job and you get paid for it.

Volunteer work should be enjoyable. That doesn’t mean it can’t be hard work. I don’t enjoy shoveling mud, but I do enjoy helping people dig out after a flood no matter how filthy and hard a job it is. I deeply enjoy volunteering to help those in true need whatever the physical work that needs doing.

In the photographic world, I personally don’t find grip-and-grin social events fun. They are tedious and not something I enjoy at all nor do I see the value in the work to the cause. Normally, if the event is only that sort of work, I say no or let Josh handle it (he enjoys that sort of thing). The flip side of that coin is that most events are mixed. I will gladly do grip-and-grins at an event with other stuff I enjoy photographing thrown in.

3. Is the cause the organization or event is championing one I believe in strongly?

Don’t volunteer for “causes” you don’t believe in. This is also straight forward: do you believe in the cause? If the cause is documenting systematic racial discrimination and you think that is not a thing, you shouldn’t volunteer. If on the other hand, you are part of that movement, absolutely consider volunteering.

Don’t be afraid to tell someone soliciting your free labor that while you understand the importance of the cause to them, it isn’t something you are willing to donate to.

Most people shouldn’t have a problem figuring this one out. If in doubt, or you are lukewarm, you should probably say no.

4. Would I be willing to donate the cost of the shoot to the organization or event?

Amateurs might not get this one since they don’t charge. In that case, just skip this questions since you would never charge anyway.

If you are a pro, especially a new pro, look at volunteering as a donation of the fee you would have received if hired. If an event would cost $2500 to photograph without discounts (including things like the rights they are asking for, quick turn around or travel), ask yourself if you would be willing to donate that much money to the organization or event. Maybe you are willing to donate part of it through a discount.

If the answer is no, might be a indication to decline unless there are other factors. How much weight you put on this question is going to be highly personal, but consider it.

5. Do I know and trust those I’m working with?

This is a hard yes/no for me. If I distrust you (because of say, shoving a work-for-hire in front of volunteers), I won’t even consider volunteering, full stop. You shouldn’t either.

If I already trust you (we’ve worked together before professionally, or we have some other social relationship) or I can establish trust through a mutual connection (e.g. my wife works with you) then I may say yes provided some of the other questions are satisfied. Existing trust reduces my risk.

If you are an unknown and can’t provide a connection through someone I trust, I will likely say no.

6. Are other vendors donating their time and hard costs?

So, lets talk about “not-for-profit” in the United States. In theory, not-for-profit organizations (at least the 501(c)3 variety and a number of others) should have a mandated mission to forward the social good. That is part of the legal requirement to get a not-for-profit classification.

The reality is that many not-for-profits are just money making machines dressed up as charities. Just because an organization doesn’t pay shareholders dividends doesn’t mean it isn’t an economic engine to take money and concentrate it in the hands of a few (generally the executives and upper management or other organizations that need the services the not-for-profit provides and who use it as a tax shelter and to extract discount/free labor from others). Enough soap-boxing…

You should IGNORE not-for-profit status when deciding if an organization or event is worthy of receiving your donated labor, skill and equipment. Sounds strange, right? Unfortunately, in the US, being not for profit has 0 correlation to being a worthy organization.

Instead, ask a simple question: which other vendors are donating their time and costs? Which are giving them a discount? Which are they paying market price for?

If the answer to these questions is “we are only asking photographers to volunteer” say no, walk away and tell others to avoid them. They are predatory.

On the other hand, if some or all of the other vendors are donating or significantly discounting their services, you can feel somewhat assured that you aren’t simply being taken advantage of.

By ignoring the not-for-profit status you might volunteer for for-profit businesses. That is fine if they are putting on a charitable event for a cause you care about and have managed to get all the vendors to donate their services (including themselves in many cases). A team effort like that is worth getting behind!

7. Is there some non-monetary compensation (access, opportunity) that makes it worth doing without cash pay?

There is no reason you shouldn’t benefit from volunteering. Some of that benefit will be in pride and the warm glow that comes from helping others (again, some of the most fulfilling work I’ve ever done is shoveling flood mud out of flooded houses). Other times, the amount of work, or the cause doesn’t warrant an outright donation of labor, skill and equipment.

There are other possible rewards for volunteering. Many volunteer solicitations are quick to point out how good the networking will be. Ignore that… It usually isn’t very good unless you are already a master networker. And in that case, you don’t need to volunteer for the opportunity. You can still volunteer, but don’t count networking opportunity in the “compensation” bucket.

Other possible compensation:

• Social Karama – People see you doing good work and that makes them like you. That can sometimes lead to paid work or other intangible benefits like access. Corporations spend millions running charities and donating so they can advertise how great they are (it’s part of their advertising budget). There is no reason that you can’t do the same on a smaller scale while doing something you care about and feeling good about it.
• Access – A recent club speaker talked about how access is everything in photography. Sometimes volunteering gets you access to subjects you wouldn’t otherwise get access too. It can be worth it if you can really capitalize. That said, most volunteer work won’t put you in that position. If they need something very specific that puts you in contact with people you very much want to be in contact with (say a regional band you like and want to shoot for), it might be worth it.
• I Scratch Your Back… – This is similar to Social Karma. Sometimes you owe a favor to a friend. Just do it. Sometimes you want someone else to owe you a favor. Again, just do it, but remember to remind them of the favor you did when you call it in!
• Truly One Time – Is the event really something one time only? If so, being the photographer for it might lead to other opportunities (notoriety, other paid work, license fees, etc).
• Mentorship – Organizations seeking a lot of volunteers for a lot of work should include mentorship as a form of quid-pro-quo for their volunteers. That might mean they need to hire a lead for the event willing to spend the time giving feedback and teaching the newer volunteers.

I could think of others, but you get the idea. When evaluating this question, just be realistic and realize that most people VASTLY over estimate what volunteering will get them. Money is real and immediate. Other stuff is like buying lottery tickets. If you buy one you will likely loose your money. If you buy 1000 you will break even.

4 Red Flags

There are a couple of red flags that should cause you to pass right by that “opportunity.”

1. Volunteer Opportunities – NOPE!

The first is the solicitor telling you that it is an opportunity and how lucky you will be to be allowed to volunteer.

NOPE!

They are already being dishonest. If they can’t ask on the strength of their cause and how they run the event (“75% of the labor to host the event is donated or significantly discounted, would you like to pitch in?”) then they are likely just looking for free work.

If the person’s approach is to SELL YOU the unpaid job they need done, that should set off alarm bells in your head. See question question 5 (Do I know and trust those I’m working with?) above. People that you have a relationship with won’t (usually) pull that sort of underhanded crap if they value the relationship. People you don’t know will because they don’t value the relationship or you at all yet. The likely never will even if you say yes.

The way people ask for your help will tell you a lot about who they and their organization is. Pay attention to that information!

2. Work For Hire – Just Say NO!

I’m going to start with something simple:

It is unethical and borderline illegal to demand work-for-hire rights from a volunteer.

It is dodgy to ask for them from a paid contractor and requires fairly complex legal documents and monetary compensation to do effectively.

Now, lets talk about volunteers… It is absolutely unethical to ask a volunteer to sign a work-for-hire contract. If you see the word “work for hire” anywhere in the contract, walk away.

If someone puts a work-for-hire in front of you, walk away, never work with that group again and tell all your friends. They are unethical and can’t be trusted.

If in doubt, pay to have the contract evaluated by a intellectual property lawyer familiar with photography. Count this as part of your donation (same as paying for gas, insurance on your gear, wear and tear, etc).

3. Exclusive Rights – Nope Again!

If you are presented with a contract that includes any variation on exclusive rights, you should pass. Exclusive rights are basically a sneaky way of getting a work-for-hire clause in. This might be more unethical than work-for-hire. In the end it amounts to the same thing: a rights grab from a volunteer.

If in doubt, pay to have the contract evaluated by a intellectual property lawyer familiar with photography. Count this as part of your donation (same as paying for gas, insurance on your gear, wear and tear, etc).

Sometimes you might be asked for an embargo, or a limited period of exclusive rights. These are more ok. A lot of organizations want to control how images from their events are released to maximize the effectiveness of their social media marketing. They don’t want to be scooped. An embargo (a requirement that you not publish for some limited period of time) isn’t a deal breaker (unlike blanket exclusive or work-for-hire) if you understand why and agree with that reasoning.

4. Only Photography is Donated

If the only service donated is photography, say no, full stop.

They are paying for everything else. There is no reason photographers shouldn’t be paid also. They are just looking for free photography because they feel entitled to your free labor. That is called being exploited, not volunteering.

5. Overly Demanding Requirements – Maybe, but calm down…

If a volunteer ask includes a bunch of specific requirements, for example large blocks of availability, instant turn around, etc, think long and hard. In principle there is nothing wrong with being up front about what is needed. I like to know expectations. That said, is it reasonable to demand a week of mostly open schedule and another meeting to be allowed to volunteer? Maybe but probably not. The more specific and demanding the requirements, the more likely they should be hiring professionals. We are paid to deal with those constraints.

As a rule, I don’t take volunteer jobs that interfere with my paid work. If I do that, I starve, my house gets repossessed and I go bankrupt. If a volunteer job demands that, think long and hard about accepting it. Maybe take it if it checks enough of the boxes in the questions sections. Some volunteer jobs just require that much commitment (the number of hours I and the other leadership have put into NAPfS for example, all volunteer, is ridiculous). But be realistic.

At a minimum, organizations with long complex lists that are still seeking volunteers should show a willingness to be flexible. If not, they are not thinking of you as a volunteer, but as a hired worker they have a right to control.

A Volunteer Contract

A contact for volunteers is not necessarily a bad thing if you are familiar with photography contracts and comfortable evaluating them.

The problem comes when organizations (such as the one in the background section) are specifically targeting armatures and new pros who don’t have the experience to know when they are being exploited. Pros that have been in the business usually have the (painfully earned) experience to read a contract and tell if it is a rights grab (such as the one mentioned above) or just a way of stating expectations that are mutually agreed upon.

There are also some other minefields that a non-lawyer is unlikely to grasp. Part of volunteering may involve paying for (or asking for a free) review of the contract. At a minimum ask someone who has been a pro photographer for a while (years) to glance it over.

Things that could go wrong with a contract:

• Rights grab
• Pushing all liability for photo use onto the volunteer (indemnification) when it should really be the other way (the org should assume responsibility for their use of the photos).
• Giving the org the ability to do anything they want but restricting the volunteer as a way to manipulate them into providing more services than they intended.

I could come up with more and a contract can demand anything that isn’t illegal (which is pretty much anything short of requiring you to kill someone). Lawyers are professional scam artists. A lawyer wrote the contract. Make sure you have your own professional scam artist evaluate it…