Kerry:

There are one or two interesting museum and arts precedents this side of the
Atlantic for logging volunteer hours (and donations in kind) for grant
appplication and charity fund-raising purposes as the equivlanet of
regular employee or contractor rates.  One well-publicised example was
the under-sea excavation and lifting of Henry VIII's "Mary Rose" warship
off Portsmouth, where all the many thousands of diving hours were accounted
for as donations at average freelance professional divers' hourly rates.
As I recall it even the dives of Prince Charles, Royal Patron of the Mary Rose
Project, were costed on this basis, though whether this extended to his
naval diver bodyguards and safety team I do not know!  This is also
becoming an issue in relation to applications for our runaway National
Lottery - where the promoting body is expected to raise up to a third (or
more) of the cost from local or private sources.  Some at least of the
Lottery distribution bodies are prepared to take the full market value of
both regular staff and volunteer input into the local contribution part
of the equation at rates of pay based on normal salary or fee scales for
equivalent inputs.


Patrick Boylan

===================

On Tue, 23 Jan 1996, kerry wrote:

> We are in process of writing a grant which, if successful, will be based on ou
r
>  total budget.  For thepurposes of this grant, we are asked to place a monetar
y
>  value on the hours which volunteers give to the museum.  Does anyone out ther
e
>  know what the current 'market value' of docent hours is?  This is something I
'
> m not experienced in.  Obviously not minimum wage, but then what?  Does anyone
> pay tour givers (and if so, how much per hour?)  Would welcome any insights or
> experience.  Thanks in advance.
>