The Tangled Web of Making Donations to Complete Court-Ordered Community Service

GUT REACTIONS

• Selling falsified documents. -- Unethical.
• Donation of cash or anything other than time for an organization to say someone "served" hours. -- Unethical.
• Donation of pro bono services (i.e., they may own the company and donate a total of 100 hours, but multiple people contribute the time) -- Need to review the court order before making a call, but the nonprofit's document would need to accurately and transparently reflect the service hours and how they were provided. -- Could be ethical.
• Hosting a Drive/Event -- I regularly encourage organizations to have drives as a volunteer opportunity, but there isn't a toy/hour ratio. I am also seeing growing success with Friendraising Events, where someone hosts an event on behalf of an organization and has the organization do a quick pitch for volunteering, donating, and/or advocating. Hours are tracked and self reported by the volunteer based on time put into planning, promoting, executing, and closing out the drive/event. -- Just like all virtual volunteering there is some assessment to if the hours seem reasonable so that it is ethical.
• Doing reviews, watching marketing videos, etc. that generate revenue for the organization in a volunteer role. -- Ethical, I have seen many youth sports clubs offer these kinds of fundraisers and players and families do it as a volunteer. I think there is a precedent for this as an ethical virtual fundraising volunteer role.

Jane, I think that this could be a great meeting of the minds and discussion to get a variety of perspectives on items in the gray areas and see if different cultures and/or countries see some of the gray areas differently.