Some volunteering opportunities in the Benevity Volunteering Catalog include a financial cost. The cost helps nonprofits cover materials, fees, or other expenses tied to the activity. This article explains what that means for your program, how you can find and curate those opportunities, and options your company can consider when employees need to cover amounts outside Benevity.
Opportunities with a "cost"
A volunteering opportunity with a cost is one where a financial contribution from volunteers, the sponsoring company, or both may be required to participate. Typical examples include:
- Supplies: Purchases such as ingredients, building materials, or items for hygiene or care kits.
- Fees: Administrative or activity fees the nonprofit uses to cover overhead, training, or direct event costs.
Nonprofits set these amounts so they can provide the resources needed for a successful event and maximize impact for the community you serve.
Finding and curating opportunities that have a cost
In the Volunteering Catalog, filtering uses the same concepts employees see when they browse. In the filter panel, open the Hosting and cost section. There, you can narrow by Hosted by (nonprofit or volunteer) and by Cost. Under Cost, select Paid to focus on opportunities that include a participation cost, Free for no cost, or Any to clear the cost filter.
You choose which opportunities to add to your program catalog. That includes deciding whether opportunities with a cost are available to your people.
On the opportunity details screen, employees see a Cost section (Free or Paid) and, when the nonprofit supplies it, How to Pay instructions.
Clarifying how payments work (for employees and nonprofits)
Amounts, participation fees, and other costs are set by the eligible nonprofit. Benevity does not determine, control, or collect those payments. Benevity does not process or facilitate payment for paid opportunities and does not guarantee that cost-related information supplied by a nonprofit is accurate, complete, or current.
Any payment or financial arrangement happens directly between the employee and the nonprofit, or between your company and the nonprofit when your business sets up an arrangement outside Benevity's payment flows.
Employees can read cost details on the volunteering opportunity page when the nonprofit provides them.
Considering how your company can help cover costs
Payment still happens outside Benevity's role as described above, but many companies use internal approaches such as:
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Expense reimbursement (often for materials)
Employees or teams buy approved items, then submit expenses according to your company policy and budget rules.
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Corporate donation linked to the opportunity
Where your program supports it, you may be able to set up a corporate donation in the Benevity platform and associate it with the volunteering opportunity so funds flow to the nonprofit to offset program costs.