Open Forum

1-27-16

What is the current consensus in the industry regarding the record
keeping of a volunteer's time spent travelling from home, to and from a
non-profit, such as a museum, workplace, or organization, etc.? Although
the I.R.S. rules are clear on this subject, the I.R.S. does allow for a
mileage deduction going to and back home from a volunteer's workplace or
project. This would indicate an acknowledgement of time spent travelling
for the purpose of volunteering otherwise the deduction would not be
allowed. Whether or not the non-profit records the time and uses it for
any purpose would be their decision. To my knowledge there are no
universal "written rules or regulations" on this subject and it is a
protocol or procedure of a specific non-profit's individual logic. Is
this correct?

Al Frank
Museum Consultant
Denver, Colorado

____________________________________________________________
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This is a good question and I do not think there is a standard protocol concerning documentation of volunteer hours.

I believe that most museums do track volunteer hours and this is done in a number of ways. Larger museums where there is a Volunteer Program Manager (and a budget) usually have some kind of software system to track hours, but I would guess that this is just the hours contributed to the museum and not the time getting to and from the museum.  And I think numbers will vary if people include or exclude lunch breaks. The idea of documenting hours at all is usually to show the quantity of time contributed to the work of the museum. And getting an accurate number depends on one's ability to get volunteers to actually keep track of the time they spend working for the museum - some are better than others, some require excessive nagging to get them to report anything, sometimes it is a general estimate of time and sometimes there is an actual log sheet.

When I do an orientation with new volunteers I alert them to potential IRS tax deductions, but it is up to them to look into this and to keep records they might need. I keep a database that shows monthly totals for volunteers, and in some areas of the museum where there are a lot of volunteers they actually fill out log sheets. In other areas they keep track of their time any way they want and I request them to report a monthly total. If called upon by a volunteer to verify their work hours, I can certainly do that. For some where I keep old log sheets, I could verify dates and times (but my space is limited so I do not hold onto those for long). Since I have addresses for volunteers I could also verify the distance they travel, but they would definitely need to keep documentation of the cost of buses, trains, or parking, on their own.

Bottom line, record-keeping when it comes to volunteers can vary widely from one institution to the next depending on size, human resources, how well organized a volunteer program may be, and cooperation of volunteers to track their time.

I hope others may chime in with information on this topic,

Lois

------------------------------
Lois Kuter
Manager of Volunteer Services
Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
Philadelphia PA

Original Message:
Sent: 01-27-2016 12:43 PM
From: Al Frank
Subject: Volunteer's time record keeping

1-27-16

What is the current consensus in the industry regarding the record
keeping of a volunteer's time spent travelling from home, to and from a
non-profit, such as a museum, workplace, or organization, etc.? Although
the I.R.S. rules are clear on this subject, the I.R.S. does allow for a
mileage deduction going to and back home from a volunteer's workplace or
project. This would indicate an acknowledgement of time spent travelling
for the purpose of volunteering otherwise the deduction would not be
allowed. Whether or not the non-profit records the time and uses it for
any purpose would be their decision. To my knowledge there are no
universal "written rules or regulations" on this subject and it is a
protocol or procedure of a specific non-profit's individual logic. Is
this correct?

Al Frank
Museum Consultant
Denver, Colorado

____________________________________________________________
It's time to unwind
Open roads await. Plan your next getaway with avis.com
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/56a901e590b161e548fbst03duc

Original Message------

1-27-16

What is the current consensus in the industry regarding the record
keeping of a volunteer's time spent travelling from home, to and from a
non-profit, such as a museum, workplace, or organization, etc.? Although
the I.R.S. rules are clear on this subject, the I.R.S. does allow for a
mileage deduction going to and back home from a volunteer's workplace or
project. This would indicate an acknowledgement of time spent travelling
for the purpose of volunteering otherwise the deduction would not be
allowed. Whether or not the non-profit records the time and uses it for
any purpose would be their decision. To my knowledge there are no
universal "written rules or regulations" on this subject and it is a
protocol or procedure of a specific non-profit's individual logic. Is
this correct?

Al Frank
Museum Consultant
Denver, Colorado

____________________________________________________________
It's time to unwind
Open roads await. Plan your next getaway with avis.com
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/56a901e590b161e548fbst03duc

Our Volunteer coordination is decentralized with staff coordinators assigned to specific Volunteer groups (i.e.: Horticulture, Education, Archives, Mill Restoration, Plant Sale, etc.).  Volunteers are managed by the department involved.  Each Volunteer logs their own time (some on a PC others in a notebook) and each department compiles the data.  Some groups include travel in their reporting, others may not.  The volunteer is responsible for their own tax management and may request documentation.  The departmental volunteer coordinators meet as needed to keep policies consistent.  We have a common Volunteer application form and a recognition program based on hours served.  We compile volunteer hours annually and include this data in the Annual Report.  We have about 400 volunteers and they are identified as volunteers in our Raisers Edge but we do not have the RE module or the IT infrastructure to track their hours in this way.     

------------------------------
Robert Gutowski
Director of Public Programs
Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia PA

Original Message:
Sent: 01-27-2016 12:43 PM
From: Al Frank
Subject: Volunteer's time record keeping

1-27-16

What is the current consensus in the industry regarding the record
keeping of a volunteer's time spent travelling from home, to and from a
non-profit, such as a museum, workplace, or organization, etc.? Although
the I.R.S. rules are clear on this subject, the I.R.S. does allow for a
mileage deduction going to and back home from a volunteer's workplace or
project. This would indicate an acknowledgement of time spent travelling
for the purpose of volunteering otherwise the deduction would not be
allowed. Whether or not the non-profit records the time and uses it for
any purpose would be their decision. To my knowledge there are no
universal "written rules or regulations" on this subject and it is a
protocol or procedure of a specific non-profit's individual logic. Is
this correct?

Al Frank
Museum Consultant
Denver, Colorado

____________________________________________________________
It's time to unwind
Open roads await. Plan your next getaway with avis.com
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/56a901e590b161e548fbst03duc

Hi Everyone

This is our definition of the McDowell Sonoran Consevancy volunteer hours, where we also include some pre- and post- activities as part of these hours. For some events, our volunteers/stewards must prepare supplies for a hike, gather tools for a project, obtain educational supplies and props, transport horses or bikes for patrols, or conduct other activities prior to or after a specific event.

These kinds of hours should be included as volunteer hours if they are specifically required/needed to prepare for a Volunteer/Steward activity. For example, if a Steward is assisting in a hike, volunteer (hours) time should include preparatory work like checking or getting supplies, reviewing the trail conditions, ensuring equipment is operating and in good condition, etc. And if visitors have any follow-up questions after the event, this additional time and research should be included in an individual's hours. However, if a Volunteer/Steward goes to a restaurant to network with fellow volunteers afterwards, these hours would not count.

Transportation can also be included if supplies need to be moved from the office to the trailhead, or if bikes and /or horses must be transported from a remote site to the trailhead. Also, a steward’s time can also be counted when researching a new hike route, identifying specific bird and wildlife habitats, etc. as long as this activity contributes to the mission of our organization. Volunteer hours would not include transportation from one’s home. However, if a volunteer must travel from one trail to another as part of an activity, that time should count.

For our over 550 volunteers,. we use a program called Volgistics.

------------------------------
[Kathy] [Dwyer]
[Director of Steward Operations]
[McDowell Sonoran Conservancy]
[Scottsdale] [AZ]

Original Message:
Sent: 01-27-2016 12:43 PM
From: Al Frank
Subject: Volunteer's time record keeping

1-27-16

What is the current consensus in the industry regarding the record
keeping of a volunteer's time spent travelling from home, to and from a
non-profit, such as a museum, workplace, or organization, etc.? Although
the I.R.S. rules are clear on this subject, the I.R.S. does allow for a
mileage deduction going to and back home from a volunteer's workplace or
project. This would indicate an acknowledgement of time spent travelling
for the purpose of volunteering otherwise the deduction would not be
allowed. Whether or not the non-profit records the time and uses it for
any purpose would be their decision. To my knowledge there are no
universal "written rules or regulations" on this subject and it is a
protocol or procedure of a specific non-profit's individual logic. Is
this correct?

Al Frank
Museum Consultant
Denver, Colorado

____________________________________________________________
It's time to unwind
Open roads await. Plan your next getaway with avis.com
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/56a901e590b161e548fbst03duc