Over the subsequent weeks or months the organisation will work with you to find a suit-
able placement. As this is dependent on local demand, it is good to remain flexible about
where you go (there may not be a demand for your skills in your country of first choice).
Programme fees, or ‘fundraising targets’ as they’re also called (see the next section for
more), must usually be paid in instalments, with the final payment made three to six weeks
before departure.
Of course, every organisation has a slightly different process. Conservation and wildlife
programmes often have less stringent selection processes, because working with animals
or the environment is quite different to working closely with local people in a development
capacity. And if you arrange your own placement directly, some, none or all of this process
may occur.
Raising the Money
Whether you volunteer through a sending agency in your own country or fix up a place-
ment directly, costs will be involved. Even if you go with one of the organisations that cov-
ers your costs and pays you a small stipend (eg VSO, Médecins Sans Frontières, SkillShare
International, Australian Volunteers International), you will still want extra money for
weekends away, holidays and possibly independent travel after your placement has ended.
However much your volunteer placement costs, it is a good idea to start saving (or fund-
raising) as soon as you can. It can take volunteers up to a year to get the money together.
Paying vs Fundraising
If you volunteer with a charity, the money you pay for your placement is always referred to
as the money you need to ‘fundraise’. Effectively it is payment (you won’t be able to go if
you don’t meet your fundraising target). However, charities don’t like to call it that because
the nature of how you saved the money is supposed to be different. One motivation for
approaching the money issue in this way is that self-promotion is important to charities.
It makes sense for them to encourage you to use their name to run special events to raise
funds and to collect donations from friends, family and members of the public. In addition,
for younger volunteers, in particular, fundraising is supposed to be part of your overall
experience and integral to the self-development aspect of your volunteering experience.
Of course, if you’re an older volunteer, or don’t have time to fundraise and just want to
pay out of your own pocket, this is allowed, though slightly frowned upon.
Your Budget
Regardless of what is (and is not) included
in the overall fee or donation you pay your
sending agency, it is a useful exercise to
work out a detailed budget of all likely
costs. Bear in mind while you’re doing this
that fluctuating exchange rates can affect
that all-important account balance. It also
pays to do some investigation into the
cost of living at your destination. You may
be surprised to learn, for instance, that
Lagos and Hanoi were found to be more
expensive than San Francisco in a 2006
worldwide cost-of-living survey.
You can break your budget into three main
cost areas: pre-departure; in-country; and
coming home.
Pre-departure Costs
Costs that apply here may include:
~ Placement fee/donation If you have arranged your placement directly with a
grass-roots NGO there may not be a fee (although you may be asked for a donation
towards the project). Otherwise you may pay anything from £850 to £4000 (US$500 to
US$5000), depending on how long you’re going for, where you’re going, what you’re
doing and what is included in this cost. In Australia or New Zealand fees might range
from A$650 to A$5000 (NZ$750 to $5700). For more detailed information on the cost
of specific volunteer programmes, see Chapters 5 to 8.
~ Interviews and briefing events Remember to budget for expenses (eg travel, accom-
modation) related to face-to-face interviews with your sending agency and also any
follow-up briefing or training events.
~ Research material You may want to buy a couple of maps, guidebooks or language-
learning CDs.
~ Putting your life on hold This is a big one, with potentially significant costs. So big, in
fact, that the whole of Chapter 4 is devoted to everything you need to think about and
organise at home before you leave. For instance, will you need to put your personal
belongings into storage? Will you continue to pay rent? And what about the cost of
redirecting your mail?
~ International flights Regardless of where you’re going, flights will be a big part of your
pre-departure budget. For more information on airline tickets and travel, see p54.
~ Visas For a discussion about whether you should obtain a tourist visa or a volunteering
visa, see p57. Most tourist visas range in price between £11 (US$17) and £53 (US$150).
Tourist visas for Asia are often quoted in US dollars and start from around US$30.
~ Travel insurance This could cost anything from around £400 (US$600) upwards for
12-month worldwide cover. You could certainly obtain travel insurance for less but you
don’t want to skimp when you’re an international volunteer. Read the section on travel
insurance on pp58–60.
~ Immunisations and medication In the UK and US, most vaccinations cost between
£20 to £64 (US$30 to US$100). Depending on your plans, a trip to the travel clinic could
easily set you back £200 (US$350), including antimalarial medicines. In Australia, a
standard consultation at a travel clinic will cost around A$60 plus any required vac-
cines, which range from A$5.50 to around A$130 for a rabies or typhoid vaccination.
See pp64–69 for more information on health-related matters.
~ Medical kit A decent medical kit in the US or UK will cost between £30 to £50 (US$50
to US$100). In Australia it’s a similar investment – between A$105 to A$200 (excluding
antimalarials). See p66 for suggestions on what your medical kit might contain.
~ Equipment The majority of volunteer organisations send you a kit list prior to depar-
ture (see pp60–64 for our suggestions and ideas from returned volunteers on what to
pack). What you spend on equipment depends on where you are going and what you
are doing. The kit you need for marine conservation, for instance, can sometimes be
more costly than for other projects. On a musical note, if you don’t have one already
you might want to invest in an MP3 player.
~ Travel to airport Something to add into your spreadsheet.In-Country Costs
These costs may be more difficult to judge, as you’re estimating from afar. However, the
organisation you’re volunteering with will be able to give you guidance; you can obtain
an indication of costs from many guidebooks, too. It is also crucial to talk to returned
volunteers.03: The Practicalities:Raising the MoneyPhoto: AzafadyOn top of the world: Azafady volunteers reach the
summit of Pic St Louis, Madagascar