Think of volunteering and what do you imagine? Something worthy, altruistic even - but perhaps not very cool or fun.
The Orange RockCorps project works to dispel this myth by rewarding community spirit through music. In exchange for a ticket to a stonking gig, young people across the UK contribute four hours of their time to community projects. Worthy - yes. Fun - absolutely. Certainly the ongoing volunteer stories will attest to this.
The main distinction between volunteer work and normal graft is the absence of a monetary reward. So is it ok to offer an incentive to would-be volunteers and if so, can it still be regarded as volunteering?
This question sparked interest and debate within the mainstream media in 2008 (check out The Guardian piece here) and with the project just launched in the UK, Orange RockCorps was put under the spotlight.
As with all good debates, there's two sides. There are those who echo the RockCorps 'give get given' message, where volunteering is a harmonious exchange that all parties benefit from. Equally, there are others who believe incentives devalue the perceived selfless essence of volunteering.
The Feed asks if an incentive encourages a new generation to get involved - and stay involved - with a local community project, then what's the harm? To date, a significant 35 per cent of RockCorps volunteers in America have continued with charity work after the first incentivised stint, which makes for a compelling argument.
Equally, some worry that incentives place volunteers in the category of paid work. If this is the case, then can they even be called volunteers in the first place?
We have two videos for you to illustrate both sides of the argument, taken from a debate organised by Volunteering England.
Above is RockCorps co-founder Stephen Greene representing Orange in defence of incentives and below Sean Cobley, Executive Director of the Volunteer Managers Association, challenges volunteer incentivisation.
Now that's what we call a proper debate. Have a watch and tell The Feed where you stand on this thought-provoking topic.
