seriously upset......why would they vote no?

This past spring we installed swing sets at the park. To save money we threw a mulch party/BBQ to encourage homeowners and children alike to help move the mounds of mulch to the play area to create a safe landing for the children.

Because of all the digging that went on and future projects in the works, there was alot of grass tore up that led too dirt being exposed. We have no irrigation at the park so weeds began to quickly creep in. After one Board Member asked what we were going to do about the weeds and the unsightly look they created, I decided to go pull them. While pulling the weeds, many adults simply looked at me with no offer to help, that was fine I enjoy pulling weeds. Two girls came over and without me asking started helping, asking what they could do to help and began pulling weeds.

We removed two huge trash bags full of weeds. They really stood above their peers, many Board members and adults. I wanted to recognize their community involvement with a special reward. We always associate rewards when the children in the neighborhood are involved in any type of cleaning up.

I posed to the Board that I wanted to approve 2-25 dollar gift cards to a local girl store, for the girls, along with a thank you card.

They are against it. I am upset. Them helping saved me time and helped the community save money by not hiring a contractor to come do this. Am I wrong in being upset?

Everything I do for this community and my fellow Board Members and they cannot approve my request of 50$ to reward these kids for their helping me.

Tamara,

I was trying to figure out all of the negative ways that the Board could have looked at this. I do think that there should be some sort of a reward to the girls but right now, I am trying to come up with a way that the association would not have to use cash.

I see where a thought might be that if they do give cards to these two girls, they might set a precedent for others to dive in for the $25.00 gift cards. That could have potential concequences with a line up of little troops wanting to earn cards too. Where would the money come from? That could pose a problem in the future.

This should be a lesson to all of the adults that passed you by without an offer to help. You might want to try a community cleanup day but that might be just another futile try at getting members out of their houses for the good of the community. But I do understand your anger because I would be angry too.

Donna, they could pull it from the thousands of dollars I have saved the community through volunteering my time vs. hiring a contractor. Seriously, I have saved us so much money. I enjoy that though, I am a volunteer FREAK!

Your mention of the little ones lining up brings me to thought: when I did the mulch moving party, it was primarily kids that helped out. (MOST ADULTS HERE SEEM SO LAZY) The big and the little. It was an awesome sight, with promise of a BBQ and ability to use the swings, little itty bitty kids were moving mulch in handfuls. It was an experience I will never forget. They were mostly in the way, but because the adults helping out encourage community pride, we worked around them with a smile.

i too am trying to look at ANY excuse for not doing it, and this is the only one i can think of:

$25 is the typical limit in the business world where cash must be reported to the IRS or the company accounting office. However, gift cards aren't USUALLY considered cash by the IRS/Accounting offices, but that varies and can change and is NOT legal advice and I am not an IRS expert.
Perhaps someone on the board is thinking that the $25 amount crosses some legal line, and requires more paperwork. Try for a $20 gift card, and see if that passes.

If it doesn't, then i have no idea why your board won't fork over a bit of money as a reward, except as mentioned before, they don't want to set a precedent.

Tamara,
The way that you worded that last sentence gave me another thought (It comes from my dark side). Maybe this particular Board views these little volunteers as not as important as they, the Board, are. Very typical of some grown ups. Yeah, rewarding the Board for serivce? The entire community has to vote on that one and I don't see your vote as being on the positive side of that.

Tamara - Sorry, but your are talking about two different things - "paid" volunteer AND volunteer.

I have faced the same thing myself - BUT the "terms" of the paid volunteer were laid out before the project started. (A 13 year old girl who hauled 30 bags of mulch and spread them in 3 different flower beds was paid. This was NOT volunteer work.)

It's a great time for those girls to learn that not everything they do will result in getting paid. Please don't think that you have to pay them anything at all. I like the idea of the praise announcement.

First and foremost, because we have an unwanted child sex offender in our neighborhood we do not call any public praise or attention to our minors.

I don't see it so much as being paid, just a recognition/thanks of their efforts to take pride in their community.

Seeing as it is so hard for us to do it my way, I would encourage options that would be sensitive to our situation. I do not want to go through 20 emails of why the kids should not be rewarded, but BOD should be.

DONNA - if the BOD does not want to recognize other neighbors for their volunteer status, then I would not be for waiving my fee's. MY vote would be no.

Thanks John, I did think it would be simple. FORGET THAT! Geeeesh.............I like your idea's, but as stated cannot do that with minors.

Since we have upped the anne to 10.00 (still in negotiations) I may type up a RECOGNITION award, buy some nice girly picture frames and present them and their families with that.

I would be very hesitant to set a precedent regarding any "payment" for volunteerism.

The kids did what they did without the intention of receiving any monetary or "gift" benefit from it.

If the board wants to get into the strategy of recognizing/rewarding volunteerism, then they should sit down and map out a program that does NOT equate to gift cards with monetary value in return for donation of time or talent by the members (or their kids).

People who volunteer without thought to enriching themselves through the act respond very well to other sorts of reward or recognition.

A simple item engraved with their names and the logo of the HOA, and a formal presentation at the next membership gathering would be an excellent way to recognize their efforts.

You'd be amazed how many people would then want to strive for similar recognition.

An "Above and beyond" lapel pin
An engraved brass "star performer" bookmark
An engraved crystal paperweight

there are tons of options that don't come close to the perception of "paying" for "volunteers."

And, as we know, "perception is reality."

Where is George, we need clarification on the words GIFT and PAYMENT

Tamara,

I think the little girls who helped pull weeds with you are to be commended. The knee-jerk reaction would be to reward them in some way. However, since you also mention a number of little kids helping with the mulch removal, it wouldn't be fair to reward the girls w/o rewarding all the other little ones who helped out. If you feel strongly about the help you recieved from the little girls, take them out for an ice cream cone yourself. If the board wants to recognize ALL the kids who've helped out that would be great. Just giving each one a little certificate would be a thrill for the kids. But, don't forget to thank all the adults who helped too. People generally volunteer to help w/o the thought of being thanked for their efforts, however, when they are NOT thanked some may harbor some resentment and won't be as willing to help out again in the future.

OH, and may I include..............any further volunteer work from me will not happen at this point. I will call a contractor to so the work.

Recognizing them formally at a meeting would be appropriate. It's not like you're giving out directions to their homes and the hours they'll likely be around. After all, they live in the neighborhood. Anybody who is creepy already knows where they are anyway.

But there is no way I would ever provide "gift cards" as a reward. Many people will consider them as "cash," after all, you DO "spend" them.

And it's the perception of "giving away money" that you want to avoid, not the actual reality of it.

Because we all know that TECHNICALLY "gift cards" are NOT "cash," but they spend just like cash. For all intents and purposes, it IS cash in that regard.

Giving someone hot dogs and cookies is still looked upon differently than giving someone a gift card that in an amount that is the cash equivalent of hot dogs and cookies.

Again, it's generally about the perception.

Michelle, I would always have a problem with calling out a child for "recognition" especially knowing their is a sex offender in the crowd. This, under any circumstances other than to testify in court, would never be OK with me.

I think the frames are great.

I think a medallion on a ribbon that they can wear around their neck and then hang in their room is great.

I'm still not sure I understand your issues with recognizing them at a meeting.

Do their parents keep them cloistered in their rooms?

How did the kids even get to participate in the mulch party?! Wouldn't that have put them on display for predators?

I'm just having a difficult time grasping this.

We have kids a local churches recognized in front of the congregations for special things they do all the time. One of the most favored hang-outs for pedophiles is churches. . ..

Seriously, check with their parents. If their parents are okay for the board to enter a resolution at a meeting to honor the volunteers, and then award them the recognition award in front of the members, then that would be so heady for the girls! They would LOVE it.

Tamara,

I, too, like your idea for the fluffy pink picture frames with the recognition award in them – I think the girls will be thrilled. Perhaps they’ll show them off to some of their friends, who will volunteer on future projects!

Let us know how this all turns out.

Bonnie

Michelle- your questions offend me. They are off topic and if you feel the necessity to debate why a parent would not want their child to be recognized or called to attention in front of a known child sexual predator, please start another thread.

I have been busy earning a living, getting paid obscene amounts by clients in DC for expressing my opinion about the bailout.

My reaction to all this: A thank you letter is all that should be sent. Also, Tamara, have you considered giving your two assistants something from you personally? I think that would be far more meaningful and solve the whole problem here.

After a recent storm earlier this year, I went over to help a neighbor cut up a downed tree. He insisted on paying me. I insisted that I did it voluntarily, that it was the neighborly thing to do, and no payment was expected or desired. I didn't do it to get paid. It was the right thing to do. Two weeks later two gift cards appeared in my mailbox.

Doing the right thing should be its own reward. We have to learn that. (Also, doing the right thing often gets you screwed. But do it anyway.)

The difference between gift and payment is based on expectation. If you do something with no reasonable (oh boy, that terrible word) expectation of payment, it is a gift. If you do something with either an expectation of payment, or if it is a job that is typically compensated then it is a payment.

The IRS is very clear about that.