Should I ever be tempted to volunteer my skills again for free-

16 years ago

Remind me how I always seem to get burned by doing so. I spent a good 30 hours working on a beautiful, full color design for a waterwise landscape for our local Parade of Homes. When you don't fill a lot with grass, it takes a lot of extra design work to fill it with plants that will add color, texture, form, bloom etc. I work for a really great design/build firm with a boss who treats me well and respects me.

The same cannot be said for the builder and landscaper (not us) of the house the design was for. I should have known from the first time I met the builder it would all go south. I did the design for free as part of the volunteer work I do for our local water conservation agency. After being overwhelmed by volunteer work in the past, I limit it to one group now. The purpose of this landscape was to educate parade goers about what waterwise means in our climate (hint- it's not cactus and lava rock). It would have been a nice community education opportunity- and a great way for me to have my design work seen by many potential clients (no- I'm not entirely philanthropic, I can't afford to be).

Anyway, the builder has completely overspent on the house and so, despite the reduced cost and free items we got donated, has decided to dump the waterwise plan and throw in whatever he can cheaply. Million dollar home with complete half- arsed landscaping- typical for the Parade of Homes I guess.

So, I suppose I should be glad that they won't be building my design at all (it was too 'detailed')rather than doing a crappy job of it and then me wondering if I want my name on it at all. The landscaper is one of those that regurgitates the same plan for every house he does- just makes it in different shapes. It's also made me grateful that I don't work for someone like that. There are some 'landscapers' who have integrity and I'm pleased to be working for one. Just because I am female doesn't mean I'm not capable of understanding landscape construction. The one meeting I had with that guy left a bad taste in my mouth- I just knew this would go south but I did it anyway because I wanted to keep my commitment (and I hoped I was wrong)!

I don't even get to write the value of the plan off my taxes even though it was done for a non-profit so I get screwed again. I could certainly have spent that time on paying clients.

So, next time I decide it's a good to give time away, please remind me that it usually doesn't pay off in any way. Seriously. The last volunteer project I worked on turned out wonderful- it was amazing and miraculous ( but I later discovered the financial manager had skimmed money from the non-profit and I've had to 'volunteer' many, many more hours over the last 2 years to put him in jail and recover the funds (it's still going on).

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (15)

cliff_and_joann
16 years ago
I am sorry this happened to you. Can this design be used for a paying customer in the future?
Hope this unscrupulous person doesn't try and steal your ideas and get it done cheaper by someone else. I know this practice goes on all the time.
I am just a little unsure of one thing, this was suppose to be a paying customer, right?

Joann
karinl
16 years ago
After years of volunteer efforts leaving a bad taste in my mouth, I'm majorly done with it. Mind you I volunteer as an individual, not for - as you point out - professional reasons.

I've come to realize that in many cases I'm effectively subsidizing someone else's paid work with my time. Being an active parent in the school system falls into this category, for example. I have sat through hundreds of meetings where everyone else in the room is getting paid to be there while I'm donating my time, and then as a result of my insights and contributions, they can all do their jobs better (if they want, few do) and justify even better salaries.

My other "had enough" is to volunteer for processes that I don't control. People are never motivated to use the time and energy of volunteers efficiently or to good purposes. So you find yourself in the middle of administrative disaster after disaster, which just doesn't deliver the warm fuzzy feeling that volunteering is supposed to.

I hope you got enough out of it by flexing your design muscle which will make you more able to tackle paid projects with efficiency and to good effect.

KarinL
Related Discussions
Are you ever tempted to give up?
Q
Comments (18)
I have so enjoyed reading and absorbing all your input. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. They've had a beneficial impact on my own. In past years working in the garden meant abandoning housework, at least for the most part. When someone mentioned that my front yard looked like a magazine cover, I said, "Thanks, but don't open the magazine." In other words, don't come in the house. This year, I want to maintain a certain level of civility in the house. Actually, it's more like achieve than maintain. My housekeeping, always random at best, took a real dive when I went back to work. So I realize I need to spend time on indoor chores as well as outdoor. Also, an additional stress on me is the fact that my two dogs are quite elderly. They get me up once or twice every night. I spend a lot of time cleaning up after them, taking them out, dispensing meds, etc. They're 14 and 16, and they're doing remarkably well. I'm the one who's suffering. :-) Energy comes from knowing what to do. I read that quote years ago and have proved it over and over many times since. Arming myself with your suggestions restored some of my energy. I attempted to mow the vegetable garden, and at least got a strip done (two passes with the mower). The weeds aren't all hugely tall yet, but the problem is that underneath the soft green weeds are the hard, woody stalks from last year. My mower is fairly tough, but it was not designed to tackle that stuff. Nevertheless, the strip I cut should help, along with the large pieces of cardboard I laid down. I've been browsing the Shrubs section of the online Bluestone catalog. It's an education! Next I should read up on how to plant a shrub. It can't be any harder than planting a rose, can it? Or can it?? And I got a helpful suggestion on freeing my irises from the weeds that are smothering them: Gently take the irises up, then hit the weeds with Roundup. This eliminates the need to dig up the whole area. Once again, having a plan has energized me. Or, at least it energizes me when it's not 11:30 at night. So I think I'll stop now. Thank you again. Susan
...See More
I am sooooo tempted....
Q
Comments (20)
I've actually taken advantage of the no-interest, NO PAYMENT 1 and 2 years free financing offers for three items in the past: W/D 01, new king mattress/box spring long past overdue in 03, DD queen mattress/box spring 07. As long as you pay the total amount due prior to the expiration of the offer, you're good. I've done it now three times and it has worked beautifully. Has not adversely affected the credit, in fact just the opposite. Where people get into trouble, is using the no payments for 12 mos. and don't have the money to make the FULL payment at the end of the offer. That's a must or the interest accrues to the time of purchase . I am sure if you look at the fine print (which BTW is supposed to be not so little as of February, 2010), the interest rate alone may give you pause. It sounds as if it is a mutually joint decision by both you and DH. So long as you are not foregoing food for your children by the purchase and, if you have the money to pay the piece off in a yr., go for it. As for whether the table is a purchase that will turn your decorating in another direction, that is up to you to decide if you can afford to go in that other direction. It will be a slippery slope if you splurge on the table without any outlay of $$. I think human nature would dictate that alot/many people will tend to spend at least that amount of money on supporting decorative items in order to make the table "work". Many people change their decorating style over the years and it sometimes starts with just one inspired purchase. Just my own experience. I've only used the no interest/no payments, never the just "no interest for x number mos. offers". That for me personally is not enough incentive. Also, I am really anal about paying off that type of purchase at the 11 month mark so as to protect myself from any circumstance which would leave me vulnerable to the finance charges accruing, etc. Waiting to see if you buy the table. You've certainly gotten alot of good advice.
...See More
Wouldn't it be tempting?
Q
Comments (56)
The closing is scheduled in January. I do not know whether it will take place as planned because the closing on my Buyer's property is scheduled the day before. So HE has a signed offer, but they are waiting on mortgage commitment because the buyers of THEIR property needs to get a mortgage and that property is a Co-op, and very few companies even do mortgages for Co-ops. So it is all proceeding, but all out of my control. We will also be living virtually downstairs from the new owner for a few months (in a rented unit) so I have to be nice. On the flip side, which is a year and a half ago, the Sellers of the property I bought were apparently problematic, not for ME, but I think they tortured their Realtor. I believe there were internal arguments regarding how the proceeds of the sale were to be dispersed within the family so ALL of the paperwork changed at one point. Then there was the bathroom that was put in between the time I saw the house and the time my offer was accepted on the house. It's appallingly done, and my offer and the competing offer both wanted that bathroom remodeling to STOP, but it would have affected the appraisals at that point. It got to the point that there was no paint left from the original staging and the Realtor told me he was going to try and figure out the color and paint it himself, That is how it ended up between him and the sellers. The seller's Realtor, I get the impression, may have walked away with near zero commission on that sale. I don't know whether the half bath to full bath reno was his idea or what but I have a feeling he ended up paying for it out of his commission. It worked out for me because I was able to rent it as a 2 bath house. But he really had a depressed look on his face when I said that bathroom was hitting the dumpster as soon as a new plan was drawn up. It seems so wasteful but it is Completely unsalvageable.
...See More
struggling with wondering if I just don't have the skills
Q
Comments (32)
Like others have posted here, I think it's not about skills - it's about finding enjoyment in your yard amidst the trials of your circumstances. On another thread, we've all been posting about the hardest thing about growing roses in our regions and everyone has reasons outside of their control about why the roses aren't performing to our expectations. Sometimes the only response is to temper our expectations of the roses and ourselves. You're not in charge of the heat of your climate, so it's not something dependent on your skills. If your roses are taking a break, you can consider this an opportunity for a break for yourself. I sympathize because I log in here to GW roses and look at everyone's gorgeous roses and set my vision of what I want to see from my roses from that. However we all post the photos when our roses are looking their best unless we're trying to resolve a particular problem. Nobody's roses always looks their best - heck, I've logged into threads I started with photos of my own roses and sigh because I wish my roses looked that good. In my best rose flush ever a few years ago, I posted photos a month later of how virtually nothing was blooming anywhere that season, more than usual, because all the roses that bloomed at the same time were also resting at the same time. So I have to temper my expectations - if I want constant bloom distributed among the roses, it won't be profuse simultaneous bloom at any given time. If I get a flush like you had, there'll be a substantial break for a while. That's not my "fault", it's just how roses work for the most part. Hang in there and keep looking for a balance in your garden and perspectives. I plant other perennials and annuals that fill the gaps in roses so I can have color year-round, but even then it's not profusion, just enough to feed the soul in between rose joys. If our roses bloomed fantastically all the time, we'd probably take them for granted (like people in some climates get too used to sunny mild temperatures year round). Part of the fun of rose growing is the potential for being surprised, and in order to be surprised there needs to be a pause of expectation. That's where you are now, so breathe and enjoy the "what if" that's down the road. Cynthia
...See More
mjsee
16 years ago
Well, there's volunteering and then there's volunteering. I've volunteered countless hours for FARA (the Friedereich's Ataxia Research Alliance) and they've helped make some strides in basic research. One just has to pick one's volunteering recipients carefully.

I also spent countless hours in my sons' schools and never regretted it for a moment. Every minute of set-building, painting, costuming...without volunteers there's no way our middle school would be able to put on the drama productions they did. I'm sorry you've had a bad experience...but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

melanie
kailleanm
16 years ago
It's true volunteering can be so discouraging. There are a group of us in our neighbourhood who have been working on restoring native plants to a ravine that runs through our area. It was long neglected and for years was a major dumping zone for people in the area. Every year groups clean up the garbage, hack back the blackberries and generally try to bring something nice to a neighbourhood sadly in need of greenspace.

Every time we restore one area with plants you can bet that about one third of them will be stolen. Just last night, I went to water and found at least three more sword ferns gone and a Douglas spirea shrub. Very sad that people have to be this way!
ally_ld
16 years ago
DON'T LET THIS BUILDER WHO HAS ALREADY CAUSED YOU PAIN STAY IN CONTROL BY YOU STILL KICKING YOURSELF FOR HIS BEHAVIOR. You are a good person and volunteering your time is a wonderful quality that makes you a much better person. Don't let this builder take away your good values that make you who you are today. There are already too many self-serving, it's all about me, people in this world, stay on our side.
This builder, and he is not the only one, have this ability to sell their clients on the "if you add this upgrade/addition, now it will cost so much less then if wait and do it later. They do the "it's only $X dollars per square foot more", dance not mentioning the amount of square foot, the cost of additional labor, etc. I could go on and on but thats for another forum.
We as designers, need to continually educate the public about the value of well-designed landscapes. We have to change the "it's just the gardener" mentality. Landscaping is the only investment a homeowner can make that they will get back more then 100% of their investment.
How about writing an article in the local paper explaining your experience so other consumers have something to think about. Then let it go and move on. Keep volunteering if your situation affords that gift. Remember that you attract what you give and by doing good things, you will be surrounded by good things. That builder will also attract what he gives and oh well, it will eventually be his loss.

ALLY_LD
Brent_In_NoVA
16 years ago
"The purpose of this landscape was to educate parade goers about what waterwise means in our climate"

Maybe you could share your work here and educate thousands of people about waterwise gardening.

- Brent
bindersbee
Original Author
16 years ago
Brent- I would be happy to post the PDF here but I'm not sure how. The district scanned my full-size drawing then e-mailed me a pdf. I can't seem to save the PDF to my computer though. I'll goof around and see if I can figure it out.

The plant list will not be legible because of the scaled down drawing- which is actually a good thing. I don't mind if individuals copy some of my work but I care a lot if others pass it off as their work and get paid for it. I'm happy to e-mail you a copy of the plant list should you want to see it.

For clarity- I volunteered to do the plan for free so I'm not out any money. I'm just out the promotional opportunity and such I would have gotten for it so that part sucks. It was a lot of work to do for free. So, while I wish he wouldn't have wasted my time, at least he didn't take my plan and rip me off or something.
Saypoint zone 6 CT
16 years ago
Since you did the work and gave the results to the organization, I don't see why you can't write it off as a donation. What they do with your donation once they have it is irrelevant, IMO.

I spend a considerable amount of time volunteering for a small-breed dog rescue, including fostering, and the rewards are immediate. The row of happy little faces looking at me from the comfort of the family room sofa is instant feedback on how I'm doing.
mjsee
16 years ago
Jo--in my experience as a jewelry maker/designer...one can only write off the MATERIALS one has used...not one's time.

melanie
mjlb
16 years ago
If you have access to Adobe CreativeSuite (Adobe, Photoshop, etc.), you can save the pdf as a jpg.

If you don't have access to Adobe, please feel free to e-mail me the pdf, and I'll convert it to jpg, and return it to you. If it's a large plan, I'm not sure how legible the jpg will be, but it's worth a shot.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
16 years ago
Mel and Jo, I often donate my services as designer/consultant to various charitable organizations for fundraising events. In my case, it is my time and knowledge that is being provided - there are no materials in involved - and the value of those services on the open market is what I write off on my taxes.

The caveat is these donations are provided for a charitable organization and they in turn provide me with a statement for tax documentation. To my knowledge, tax deductions for donations are only allowed provided they are made to a registered charity. I think you might be hardpressed justifying to the IRS that the contractor is a charitable organization should the question arise :-)

Had the design been implemented, you could make a case that the value of your time and effort in creating the design could be considered marketing or advertising expense (getting your name and talents out before the public) but barring the actual implementation of the design you may be just out of luck and have to chalk it up to an unpleasant, unprofitable and time-consuming experience.
mjlb
16 years ago
Oy, gardengal48... I'm a CPA -- that's a no-no. Check with your tax preparer...
Saypoint zone 6 CT
16 years ago
I stand corrected. I thought the OP was saying that she would have been able to write it off if it had been implemented. Now that I think about it, I write off materials and cash donated, as well as mileage I drive for the organization, but not my time.

So I think the lesson here is not that you shouldn't volunteer your time, but that you should do it when your heart is in the cause, and the only return you're expecting is the good feeling you get when you know you've done a good thing.
mjsee
16 years ago
mjlb--thanks for weighing in. I'm glad to hear I've not been shorting myself all these years!

Jo--that's the only way I CAN volunteer. Honestly--if my heart's not in it...the product suffers.
teresa_b
16 years ago
I also do volunteer work; however, I have learned that I am much better volunteering in an area different than my profession. In my case, it is a national equine welfare group. I find it very rewarding and a breath of fresh air to work with others in different professions instead of my own.

I'm so sorry you had to go through this. It sure is discouraging.

Teresa

Should I ever be tempted to volunteer my skills again for free-

Comments (15)

cliff_and_joann

karinl

Related Discussions

mjsee

kailleanm

ally_ld

Brent_In_NoVA

bindersbee
Original Author

Saypoint zone 6 CT

mjsee

mjlb

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

mjlb

Saypoint zone 6 CT

mjsee

teresa_b

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Should I ever be tempted to volunteer my skills again for free-

Comments (15)

Related Discussions

bindersbeeOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

bindersbee
Original Author