Fee Registration Policy for KS&A Volunteers

At its meeting held on July 24, 2006, the KS&A Board, by Resolution No. 06-013, unanimously approved the following official discount policy for KS&A Volunteers -

Summary

As a 100% volunteer-based organization, KS&A’s Board of Directors has developed the following “Fee Registration Policy for Volunteers” in order to address circumstances where our volunteers, or members of a volunteer’s family, wish to attend events and/or receive services for which there is a registration fee or participation charge.  This policy was developed by KS&A in an effort to provide an organization-wide policy with regard to all KS&A events that will be logical, fair, fiscally-sound and consistently applied to all KS&A volunteers.

Background

For several years, requests for price discounts and questions concerning payment responsibility have arisen from members of KS&A planning committees, volunteer staff, Board members and others in the organization.  Typically these questions have arisen in the context of conference and event planning which involve situations where committee members may have a personal interest in hearing the content of the conference on which they are working. 

At present, all KS&A events must function at or about breakeven level.  Often members of the planning committee for such events, volunteer staff and Board members make up a significant percentage of total event attendance, thereby making waiving and/or materially reducing registration fees inconsistent with such goal of being self-sustaining.

The result of these operational realities is that each event has ended up with different compensation policies, often depending on whether significant event funding has been obtained and the level of insistence that some form of concessions should be made.  This inconsistent practice has resulted in dissatisfaction among planning committee volunteers in particular.  We have repeatedly received encouragement for KS&A to establish a policy that is consistent, logical, fair and fiscally sound so that all volunteers - before they commit their efforts – will understand their payment responsibility for the event they plan to help to create and attend. 

Applicability

The Fee Registration Policy for KS&A Volunteers shall be effective as of March 1, 2006, and will address all KS&A Board members, all committee chairpersons and members of KS&A conference and retreat planning committees, all program coordinators, program assistants and other volunteer staff.  This policy shall not apply to paid staff members.  The policy also shall not apply to volunteers whose participation is on topics for which they commonly charge fees (e.g., a medical professional speaking on a topic within the field in which he or she is licensed and practices).

Proposed General Policy

In light of KS&A’s current and foreseeable financial constraints, it is recommended that the extent to which a volunteer stands to gain personally from an event should determine the extent to which he or she is required to pay the standard fee or a discounted fee equal to the actual cost of meals, lodging and childcare services used.  This determination will be based on the personal interest (e.g., age/stage and condition) of the volunteer in relation to the subject matter of the event they attend.  In other words, regardless of volunteer status or amount of effort, each person will be expected to pay either the standard Registration Fee or a Discounted Fee (covering only meals and services used) according to the personal benefit that he or she will, or will not, gain from the event.

Examples of the Fee Registration Policy

The family of a parent volunteer of a toddler with the condition attending a conference focusing on pediatric issues associated with that condition would pay the standard fees associated with individuals and families attending such event irrespective of their volunteerism.  Similarly, an adult affected by a condition attending an event whose curriculum is directed to adults affected by this condition will pay the standard fees irrespective of his volunteerism. 

By way of comparison, the parent of an adult volunteering for a conference directed exclusively to pediatric issues – or vice versa – would be entitled to the discounted rate based on meals and services used.  Similarly, a Board Member or volunteer staff attending a KS&A event to promote or fulfill organizational, rather than personal objectives, should pay the discounted rate covering only such costs.

Special Circumstances

The Board wishes to acknowledge two special circumstances, namely where there is scholarship funding available to help subsidize and/or defray the some portion or all of the cost of attendance; and where an event operates at a surplus (i.e., where total revenues generated by the event exceed its related costs).  In both of these instances, consideration will be given to the efforts expended by KS&A volunteers who serve on the conference planning committee or other volunteer staff role within the organization when weighing the merits of an application for financial assistance.  Thus, all things being equal in terms of financial need, in such circumstance, the person who served as a volunteer would be given a preference over the individual who did not.