Although volunteering is generally unpaid, many financial advantages are accessible to volunteers. But most do not take advantage of it, because they don’t know it.
Like 13 million French people, you may be engaged in one of the 1.3 million associations in the country. If volunteering is above all a disinterested act, it is important to know that volunteers benefit from rights and advantages often unknown. Indeed, if volunteer activity does not give, by nature, the right to any remuneration, it must not represent a financial burden for the volunteer.
So your volunteer activity should not cost you money, and you can be reimbursed for the real costs incurred as part of your mission. These costs must correspond to a real activity, in direct connection with the social object of the association. Most of the time, it is transportation (fuel, parking) and training expenses. To obtain reimbursement, it is imperative to present supporting documents, such as invoices.
Some associations also offer meal checks to their volunteers, a way of recognizing their commitment and supporting them financially. These coupons operate similarly to the classic “restaurant tickets” of employees, with a major difference: they cannot be used in supermarkets to buy foodstuffs.
Beyond reimbursements of expenses, volunteering can be an opportunity to acquire new skills and enhance your professional career. Indeed, many associations offer training to their volunteers, particularly in terms of associative management.
These training courses can give rise to the issuance of a skills certificate, an undeniable asset to enhance your professional career. In addition, the system for validating the acquired experience (VAE) makes it possible to recognize the skills acquired during its voluntary experience.
Finally, for almost ten years now and the law of August 8, 2016, volunteers can benefit from a civic engagement account. This system makes it possible to accumulate rights to training on the my training platform, rights which can then be used to finance training related to voluntary activity or to develop new skills.
If volunteering is an enriching experience that allows us to commit to a cause that is important to us, it is important to remember that volunteers still have financial rights and advantages that can facilitate their commitment. By learning about the existing devices and regulations, you can improve the conditions of your volunteer activity while promoting your journey.