Ethical Volunteering Policy

The vMaD Ethical Volunteering Policy helps ensure that we remain an ethical volunteer placement organization

1. Volunteering with a Purpose

Genuine Need: We NEVER recruit volunteers unless there is a genuine need for them. Where we recruit volunteers for our own projects we always ensure that there is a genuine need for the volunteer. To do otherwise is unproductive, as it only leads to an unhappy volunteer & an underperforming project. When we place volunteers with a partner organization, we hold extensive consultations beforehand to ensure that there is a genuine need for the volunteer.

Skills of Volunteers: Whilst we believe that skilled and professional volunteers are always of special value to a project, experience has shown us that if volunteers are OPEN-MINDED about other ways of doing things, PATIENT when things do not go according to plan, ENTHUSIASTIC about their work and full of INITATIVE so they can make the best out of a bad situation, then regardless of age, ability or level of skills they will make a difference on the project where they work.

For example, most of our partners are orphanages that need native English speakers to work with the children so that they can improve their conversational English. Whilst a teaching qualification is of course advantageous, it is still of great benefit to have a native English speaker with no qualifications at all working with the children (so long as they approach the role with a positive attitude, and that they are suitable for work with children).

Sustainability: All of our projects are participatory, sustainable & practical initiatives, which ensure that they are more likely to effectively achieve their objectives. Similarly, we regularly consult with and review the progress of our partners, to ensure that they are operating with sustainability in mind – and that volunteer placements are having a sustained positive impact on the intended recipients.

2. Where does all the money go

2.1 Volunteer related Expenses

Any effort we make to say up front what percentage of volunteer fees go where is inaccurate and misleading. Transport & accommodation costs vary, as do recruitment, support & administration costs (with 2 volunteers, these costs are higher per head then they are with 20 volunteers).

Accommodation: accommodation, food and drink costs vary depending on the type of room, number of people to a room, the time of year & length of stay.

Project Transport: Volunteer transport costs vary from $15 to $20 per day – depending upon the distance travelled and the number of volunteers sharing a vehicle. Unlike many other volunteer recruitment organizationss, project transport is included in the cost with vMaD. Note: transport is via Cambodian Tuk Tuk

Airport Pick-Up & Drop-Off: It costs approximately $5 to pick up a volunteer from the airport, and $5 to drop them off again.

Marketing, Admin, Office Rent, Staff Salaries, Staff Expenses & Transport: It costs money to recruit volunteers, support them and assist them – someone has to do the job, and that someone needs paying! We also need computers to work on, offices to work in, an internet connection, office stationary, modes of transport etc, the list goes on! Because we are based in Cambodia (where the cost of living is lower) these costs are lower than other organizationss – even UK or US based non-profit recruitment agencies. In addition, the administrative structures that we use to recruit, retain & support volunteers double up as the administrative structures of our humanitarian NGO – meaning that many of these costs directly support our humanitarian work.

2.2 Where does the surplus go?

vMaD is the volunteer recruitment arm of MaD Cambodia – a humanitarian non-profit Cambodian NGO.  100% of profits from our volunteer recruitment activities support our charitable projects.  So included in your volunteer fee is a sizable charitable donation.  We cannot guarantee that all of your volunteer fee will go to the project on which you work as some projects require more assistance than others.  We can however guarantee that 100% of profits from the volunteer program is spent on our projects.  

2.3 Supporting our partners

If and where we provide financial support to partner organizations, we always do so under strict conditions. We maintain tight control over finances to ensure that the money is spent wisely & effectively. Partners must agree with the MaD Cambodia director how any donations are spent, and they will have to provide receipts and/or invoices to prove that donations are spent correctly. Where possible, we try to ensure that donations are used for investment purposes only – to avoid a culture of aid-dependence, through this is subject to the specific circumstances of each individual application of funding.

3. Ethical Marketing

What you see is what you get - With vMaD, what you see is what you get. All of our prices as well as what is and what is not included are stated up front, so there is no room for confusion. For example, we are open about the fact that volunteers will incur a small ‘money transfer fee’ in paying their deposit. All fine details are confirmed in the Volunteer Confirmation Email which volunteers receive upon payment of their deposit, which ensures that any misunderstandings are dealt with before the volunteer arrives in Cambodia.

Appropriate Imagery - In our terms & conditions we confirm up front our right to use imagery secured of the volunteer for marketing purposes. We will in practice remove any imagery a volunteer objects to upon reasonable request. We also object to the use of inappropriate marketing, such as by showing starving or inappropriately dressed children in marketing material. We try to use positive action photos – photos of volunteers, team members and/or community members working.

4. Support & Security for Volunteers

4.1 Pre-Departure

Pre-Departure Briefing Pack: We provide a pre-departure briefing pack to all of our volunteers. It includes lots of helpful information on issues such as visas, passports, insurance, travel, dangers, clothing, what to bring, what not to bring, accommodation arrangements, health issues & security.

Quick Response to Questions: We aim to respond to all enquiries within 24 hours, ensuring that all questions are answered in a timely manner.

4.2 In-Country

Welcome Meeting & Siem Reap Induction: Upon arrival, all volunteers are greeted by a member of our team, and introduced to their accommodation & Siem Reap. Any pressing questions are answered, and the volunteer is shown around town [time permitting] and introduced to other volunteers.

Welcome Pack: Volunteers are provided with a welcome pack which includes local maps, guidebooks & language lessons.

Project Induction: All volunteers are accompanied by a member of staff on the first day of their project (at minimum). They are shown around the project site, and introduced to other volunteers, team members and community members.

Project Support Materials: Where necessary, volunteers are provided with support materials. For example, volunteers on our orphanage & teaching placement have access to a large selection of teaching resources, to help them prepare lesson plans and give the good ideas for games & activities.

Weekly Progress Meetings: We hold progress meetings with volunteers once a week. In practice, the feedback process is ongoing, as we are a relatively small & personal organizations. This ensures that volunteers can feed back useful information about the project and their progress in a formal & constructive manner.

4.3 Post-Volunteering

Exit Interview: All volunteers are interviewed upon completion of their placement, in order to see what they thought of the placement, and how either our performance or the project itself could be improved.

De-briefing Questionnaire: All volunteers are provided with a written de-briefing questionnaire, so that any issues they feel uncomfortable about raising with us in person can be dealt with effectively.

Newsletter Signup: All volunteers are automatically signed up to our newsletter so they can be kept up to date with how the projects are performing. Specific information and media is also provided to ex-volunteers upon request.

5. Recognizing Volunteers

Certificate of Volunteering: We provide all volunteers with a certificate upon successful completion of their placement recognizing their contribution to Cambodia, the community at large & our NGO. This certificate is signed by our Director.

On the Website: We do not name each volunteer individually on our website, as many do not wish to be named. Instead, we put a photo of every volunteer in our photo album (where possible): ‘Volunteers – Past & Present’, unless volunteer specifically request not to do so.

In Reports, Project Plans & Newsletters: the input of volunteers is also recognized in our reports, project plans, newsletters & blog.

6. Ensuring the Suitability of Volunteers

Child Protection Policy: vMaD is a Child-safe and Child-friendly organizations, as sanctioned by Childwise Australia and in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. All volunteers must sign our Child Protection Policy before their application can be reviewed.

Character References: We ensure that we have at least THREE written reference for each volunteer, confirming that they are of suitable character for work with children, and voluntary work in general.

Police Clearance: We require that all volunteers recruited from overseas get a Police Clearance before they come to Cambodia. They must send us a scanned copy in order for their placement to be confirmed, and they must bring the original copy with them to Cambodia.

Terms & Conditions of Volunteering: All volunteers must agree to our Terms & Conditions which amongst other things, requires volunteers to respect the laws & customs of Cambodia. Failure to do so could result in vMaD ceasing their relationship with the volunteer.

‘The Reality of Volunteer Work in Cambodia’ document: All volunteers are required to agree that they have read and understood this document before they can apply to volunteer. This document spells out to volunteers some of the harsher realities of volunteering in Cambodia, and the character traits they have to possess to volunteer with vMaD. This document is designed to deter unsuitable candidates from applying. Indeed it specifically instructs candidates not to apply if they disagree with any part of the document.

No interviews: We do not conduct interviews for volunteers. The vast majority of our placements do not require that individuals have any specific skills or talent; only that they are of a certain character. It is extremely difficult to judge someone accurately on the basis of one interview, and we believe that our existing application procedure more effectively weeds out inappropriate candidates then phone interviews could do.

Responsible Travel: We encourage all of our volunteers to support ethical tourism throughout their stay in Cambodia. We recommend the use of ethical businesses, assist them to learn some of the local language, and make sure they are fully aware of the laws & customs of Cambodia.