The Tangled Web of Making Donations to Complete Court-Ordered Community Service

Volunteers doing court-ordered community service at nonprofits, NGOs and charities was meant to be an alternative to fines and jail time. But there are nonprofits and probation officers offering another alternative: make a donation to a nonprofit and get a letter for the court saying the mandated hours have been completed.

Is this practice ethical? Is it legal? Should Volunteer Managers agree to collaborate on a unified statement about this practice? The answers are more complicated than you may think. This Engage feature by Volunteer Engagement expert Jayne Cravens explores these issues and their consequences on the Volunteer Engagement field.