Value of time

[Papadaddy]

The true value of what we do (to the Council), is what they would have to pay someone to do the same job with the same skillset and training. Not what our employer pays us. Some people do it because they get recognized with beads, little pieces of pot metal shaped like a beaver, and bits of colored cloth to put on your uniform. Some of us don't get recognized, but do it anyway. Because as a citizen of this country, it's the right thing to do. Councils are getting quite a bargain when it comes to volunteer labor for keeping camps maintained, fundraising, establishing new units and recruiting new members. It's a crying shame that sometimes we are treated like crap. I think we've all experienced it.

[CalicoPenn]

I can certainly understand the argument that because the time is freely given, the value is zero. I can understand the argument that the amount one makes in their work-life should be readily transferable to volunteer work. But neither is 100% convincing. The first argument ignores potential earnings - if a person decided to work instead of volunteer, the time would again become valuable. The second argument overstates potential earnings in many cases as it assumes one will be making extra money in one's primary job - that may work for workers who are paid by the hour, or certain professional workers (like lawyers/doctors) who bill by the hour/patient, but it doesn't take into account the number of people on salary who get paid the same amount whether they work 30 hours, 40 hours, 60 hours or 80 hours per week.

 

I think the answer lies in how to determine potential earnings, and the way to do that is to consider it a part-time job in a specific field. My suggestion would be the Outdoor Recreation field. Part of it depends on where you live, of course, but the average salary for a full-time Outdoor Recreation Guide is about $30,000 per year. Part-timers make from $5,000 to $10,000 per year.

 

I would argue that yes, the time is priceless, but in a way it is a part time job with a value in the field of between $5,000 and $10,000 per year, depending on how active your unit is.

[Trevorum]

We can try to quantify the value of our unpaid labor, but let me flip the question: What is the value of your son's (or daughter's) experience in Scouting? Can you quantify THAT?

[OldGreyEagle]

Quick idea,

 

Find out the cost of a week long resident camp in the interest area of you son. Subtract the cost of one week at Summer Camp. The difference is the value of having volunteer leaders take the youth to Summer Camp

[JMHawkins]

Find out the cost of a week long resident camp in the interest area of you son. Subtract the cost of one week at Summer Camp. The difference is the value of having volunteer leaders take the youth to Summer Camp

 

Minor change to the number, OGE. Take the difference, multiply it by the number of boys going to camp, and divide by the number of adult volunteers. Last year for us, it would've been 7x the per-Scout differential.

[Beavah]

Eagle_23, you're working under a misconception that because you think your time is worth something then it IS worth something. I maintain that if you give it away for no pay, it is worth exactly what you were paid for it. That IS the American economic system and it is the way the volunteers are viewed by the professionals.

 

Yah, that may be the way some volunteers are treated by (poor) professionals, but it's back to Econ 101 for you, Mr. Packsaddle. The economic worth of the time invested is the value-added economically by the effort. In your own field of education there have been several studies of late computin' the economic value-added of teachers, in terms of mean earnings or productivity gains produced. It's quite high, I believe. Considerably higher than what they're paid.

 

Now, in terms of markets, yeh often see items inefficiently priced, despite what those tom-fool nitwit "efficient market theorists" claim. That's because there's friction to information flow, so that not everyone has access to full information or time to process it. Even more, though, it's because individual value functions are different, eh? Decisions are made more on an emotional basis than on an efficient market basis, as every advertising firm is aware. Most importantly, it's because of structural effects that get in the way of a free market, like government-run education monopolies and teacher's unions and worker (lack of) mobility.

 

So I think da economic value of a scouter's volunteer time is equal to the net value added. For the BSA, it's whatever fraction of that amount that accrues back to the BSA. Let's face it, the BSA's donor base by and large is the alumni that valued their days in the program, and to a lesser extent parents who valued their son's time in the program or community members who have had positive contact with kids in the program. And all of those depend on the volunteer scouters, not the paid professionals.

 

Beavah

 

[qwazse]

The value of my time is worth a decent cup of coffee, a beautiful sunrise, and a good campfire story.

 

The occasional bear or shark sighting is gravy.

[packsaddle]

Heh, heh, I sort of like the sound of part of that. I'm a gadfly to the econ types around here...and EVERYONE knows they're vastly underpaid.

But Beavah, you're bumping up against the economic genius of my old industry masters and the likes of Rick Santorum. And those guys aren't intellectual flyweights.....are they?

[SeattlePioneer]

A year ago, Boeing began making a contribution of about $25 per hour of time volunteered to Scouting by Boeing employees. That continues again this year.

 

That's a flat contribution regardless of what task the volunteer is doing. The volunteer/employee files a report with Boeing claiming a certain number of hours and Boeing sends the council a check.

 

So I'd say ---- $25/hour on average.

[momof2cubs]

You can't put a price on it. It's invaluable. We are helping to mold and shape the character of young boys and men. We are helping them become contributing and valuable members of society. Maybe even prominent members of society. Leaders.

 

There's no price tag for that. I will be FOREVER grateful to the men and women that have volunteered their time to the betterment of my children. I could never repay it.