Our Policy
The mission of Cross-Cultural Solutions is to provide volunteers to community Partner Programs. Our volunteers give the gift of their time, energy, ideas, and moral and physical support. We do not provide funding to Partner Programs or the people they serve. There may be times when our volunteers are asked for donations of money or materials, or feel—with the best of intentions—that they can help by making such gifts. We recognize that these may be difficult situations for volunteers to handle. However, we also know from experience that such donations can compromise the relationship between volunteers and the communities they serve and can damage our partnerships with local organizations.
If CCS or volunteers give money or materials we can be seen as funders when the purpose of our program is to provide volunteers. Giving money can lead to financial dependency on volunteers and can set unsustainable expectations for future volunteers and for the Partner Program's relationship with CCS.
Our Partner Programs count on having CCS volunteers as a sustainable human resource that will help them achieve their long-term goals in the community. This is a relationship of trust that has been built over many years and through the service of many volunteers. As a CCS volunteer, you will strengthen that relationship; however, if you give money or materials, you may undermine it. You may also negatively affect the Partner Program's relationships in the community and create long-term problems that damage, instead of support, their goals.
This policy was developed by our local in-country staff and our Partner Programs to ensure that the volunteer program is as effective as possible. Our Partner Programs are community-based initiatives who have carefully thought about the needs of their community, and designed programs and plans, to meet those needs in sustainable ways. They are the experts on what works in their own communities and all parties understand, admire, and respect this policy.
The CCS Donations & Gift-Giving Policy prohibits volunteers from:
- Giving money, gifts (including candies, pens, and toys) or materials to Partner Programs, the individuals they serve, and individuals in the community. This applies to volunteers even after their program has ended.
- Bringing supplies from home, unless specifically requested. All CCS Home-Bases have a Resource Center that holds many different supplies and tools that can be used by volunteers at their placements.
All participants are required to abide by this policy. Volunteers who violate our Donations & Gift-Giving Policy are subject to early termination of their program and will be unable to enroll in future CCS programs. Any violation of this policy will also result in an assessment of the relationship between CCS and our Partner Program, and may result in an end to the partnership. Remember that this applies to our volunteers even after they have completed their program and returned home.
Consequences of Donations and Giving Gifts
Here are just a few real-life examples of how donations have gone wrong in the past:
- CCS had a longstanding, positive relationship with a government-run day care center in Peru. The program had a very successful system in place that provided necessary supplies to the day care. Two volunteers began buying clothing, toys, and other supplies for the children at the day care center. When local government authorities discovered the supplies, they accused the day care director of corruption and mismanagement of funds, and she and other local staff were fired. The day care was closed, and CCS volunteers were no longer able to work with the children.
- Frequent monetary donations to a women's group in Tanzania created a crippling dependency on CCS volunteers. The women began to rely on volunteers for funding, rather than the income from selling their goods, and asked each new volunteer for large sums of money. Eventually CCS was forced to stop sending volunteers to the group, as our presence there had created more dependency than sustainable empowerment for the women. Had volunteers not been giving money to this organization, they would have benefited from perhaps many years of an ongoing flow of volunteers who could share ideas and provide service.
- A volunteer in Guatemala observed women in the community washing clothing a river while children played nearby. The volunteer decided that the women would benefit from having indoor plumbing, and had a faucet installed in the home of a woman in the community. When the volunteer returned to the community, he was surprised to see that the women were not using the faucet, and were still going to the river to do their washing. The daily visits to the river served as a social outlet and community-based day care for local families. The volunteer's assumptions about the needs of the community were incongruent with the actual desires of local families.
An Example of Sustainable Volunteer Work Instead of Donations and Gift Giving
In Costa Rica, a women's group launched a business in which they made beautiful crafts out of recycled paper. However, they had trouble selling them because the local people could not afford to purchase these craft items. In order to keep their business running, the women in the group began to ask CCS for donations of money and supplies. Rather than donating the requested items, CCS volunteers helped the women to develop more successful marketing strategies. They taught English to the women, so that they could communicate to tourists and visitors about their products. The volunteers also helped to translate materials, so that people could learn more about the products and goals of the women's group. Today the group is so successful and economically sustainable that they hardly need volunteer assistance any longer. The volunteers helped to empower the group in a lasting way through their service and an exchange of ideas.
CCS Resource Center
All CCS Home-Bases have a Resource Center available for volunteers. The Resources Center holds many different supplies and tools that can be used by volunteers at their placements. Volunteers should not bring any supplies from home. The Resource Center is well stocked.
The supplies in the Resource Center may be taken for use at the Partner Program; however, these supplies must always be returned to the Resource Center at the end of the day. Supplies or materials must never be left or given to the Partner Programs. If a volunteer leaves supplies at the Partner Program it will be considered a material donation. This would go again the CCS policy and create unfair expectations for future volunteers. All supplies taken to the Partner Program must be signed out from the Resource Center and then signed in upon return.
The Resource Centers are always stocked with culturally-neutral or local supplies from markets and shops in the area. our in-country staff purchases these materials locally specifically for the following reasons:
- If volunteers use items that are new to the community, once that supply is exhausted, the community may not be able to replace it or may need to rely on future supplies from outside the local market.
- If volunteers teach using materials that have unfamiliar cultural references there is a risk of the concept not being understood because it is not in a familiar context.
Other Ways to Make a Difference
Although it may seem that there are so many things you can not do, there are in fact so many things you can do to support your Partner Program and the work that they are doing.
Of course, your volunteer work is the number one way to support our Partner Programs and the people they serve. You are a link in a chain of past and future volunteers and over time CCS volunteers have a very positive impact in the communities where we work.
Additionally, when you return home you can inspire others to volunteer at your Partner Program. You can also stay involved with global issues and take action on issues that you feel passionately about. We encourage you to support your causes financially—just not in any way that is connected to our Partner Programs or the communities where we work. Our CCS Alumni Action Network is a comprehensive guide to making a difference when you return home and we encourage all volunteers to stay involved.
Conclusion
When encountering a financial need, it is essential that volunteers examine the alternative ways in which they can make a long-lasting, sustainable contribution to effectively support the partner organization without making any donations. A volunteer's thoughts and suggestions regarding Partner Program needs should be communicated to the Country/Program Director, who is from the community and in-tune with its customs, culture, and people.
With the experience of having had tens of thousands of volunteers participate in our community-based programs, we understand the complexity and challenges or international volunteering and the long-term impacts of giving gifts and donations. This policy was collectively authored by CCS local experts and Partner Programs in their respective communities. We strictly honor this policy.
