Volunteer Hours otherwise known as “In-kind Hours” are one kind of support for non-profit organizations or communities.
In-kind hours are given by a member of an organization or a community in lieu of cash. These hours are counted the same as if the member had given cash or goods to the organization/community. The organization or community must beforehand have in its statutes or bylaws how the organization/community will value each hour or portion thereof in monetary terms or as if it were given as cash.
The value of the in-kind hours is established state by state based on: how many hours were donated and by the number of people donating the hours in that year.
In-kind hours can consist of time spent for the organization or community, or it can be the provision of a tangible asset donated to, used by or for the infrastructure. This also includes money expenditures of the members in which the members may spend to assist themselves in the completion of their donated time.
Miles driven by members from home to the event place and back are also counted as an In-Kind asset for the organization/community.
Examples of goods, services and expenditures are: use of services and facilities, professional services rendered or purchased or expertise in the form of staff time, use of or access to members equipment and/or special materials. These examples must be regarded as necessary to carry out the in-kind time tasks in which to achieve the goals commonly agreed on by the organization or community and its members. They must be goods and services donated by member(s) which would have been necessary for the organization or community to purchase or pay for to achieve the same objectives or goals.
The Fruitland Firewise District is a local charter of the National Firewise Agency which is a sister agency of the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA.org) and as such is benefited by “In-kind” hours and donations from all members of the Fruitland, Duchesne County community or anyone from outside of the community working on land in the Fruitland Fire District. Those performing the work have no age limit so all family members and friends count.
The agreement is that the hours value is based on State donation data which has (accounting for inflation) been increasing about 1.5% in value every year.
The State of Utah Forestry and Fire Department is allowed to accept “In-kind” hours from all community members for:
Work that you do or pay someone to do to your property located in Duchesne County like:
- Creating Defensible Space to prevent your cabin and out building from burning should a Wild Fire threaten.
- Pruning and removing brush on your property.
- Raking, hoeing, shoveling, etc. on your property to enhance or create defensible space.
- Paying someone to do any of the above. Note: If you pay them less than the State of Utah’s documented In-kind hours, you should count their hours and not the money you paid them as the In-kind time will be worth more to the state.
How does In-Kind time benefit me?
The federal government and other foundations have grants that are given, up to dollar for dollar matching of In-kind hours value to cash. So if the area donated $100,000 worth of in-kind hours, the grant may be as high as $100,000 cash to the local wild land fire district or area to prevent and/or fight wild land fires.
These grants are used to pay Wild Fire Crews and all of the support services to fight wild land fires in the State where the “In-kind” donations were received and in particular, the fire area/district from which the donations came.
When NOT fighting fires, these crews are also paid by these same grants to help members of the community create and maintain their defensible space around homes and buildings. This defensible space is also a safety enhancing service that helps protect fire fighters in the event of a wild fire.
This is why accounting for the time you and your family and friends spend on your property in the Fruitland Fire District “sprucing it up” to create and maintain defensible fire space is so valuable to our area. It’s How We Pay Our Firefighters.
The value of Volunteer time in Utah
(usually higher than the National Average):
2018 = Expected $24.99 per hour
however data is not available until April of the following year end.
2017 = $24.63 per hour (approx until data is released)
2016 = $24.27 per hour
2015 = 23.92 per hour
2014 = 23.51 per hour
2013 = 22.65 per hour
2012 = 22.07 per hour
2010 = 18.19 per hour
Source: Independent Sector
Also see the chart: State by State Values
Also see: Volunteering in America