When is it appropriate for a volunteer to ask for compensation?

Q: I have recently begun volunteering at a nonprofit arts group. I feel I have been given projects that are above and beyond what can be reasonably expected of a volunteer – such as putting me entirely in charge of finding funding and corporate sponsorship. I have put in many hours already, and my supervisor, whose job is salaried, has mentioned nothing to me about compensation. I feel that I deserve something for my efforts and would like to propose to her that I take a cut of whatever money I can raise. Is 5 percent fair – and is it appropriate for me to suggest this arrangement?

A: For small charities with limited resources, volunteers are an invaluable asset, says Rebecca Young, president of TACA, a nonprofit organization in Dallas that promotes the performing arts. Her charity has just four full-time employees and more than 75 committed volunteers.

But volunteers, by definition, don’t get paid, no matter how tough their work is, says Ms. Young. “If you signed on as a volunteer,” she says, “I think it’s inappropriate for you to expect to be paid.”

However, she adds, you should be getting some satisfaction from the experience – and if you’re not, you should talk to your supervisor.

“It sounds as if you are a valuable and productive volunteer, but it also sounds like it is too much – and too stressful perhaps – for you to do this much work as a volunteer,” she says. “There is nothing wrong with coming to this conclusion. It is, however, your responsibility to set your volunteer parameters, not your supervisor’s.”

Ask for a written outline of your responsibilities and the time commitment the group expects of you, suggests Jeff Gray, director of business and community affairs for City of Refuge, a charity in Atlanta that provides food, shelter, and job training to the needy. Then decide if you feel comfortable with what is being asked of you. If not, tell your supervisor, in writing, what you are willing to do.

“The result of this process should be a volunteer role that is manageable and fulfilling for you and beneficial to the nonprofit,” he says. “If your supervisor is not ready and willing to work through it with you, consider investing your time and talents with another organization.”

On the other hand, perhaps what you really want is a job.

“If the organization is relying on volunteers so much for fund-raising support, it may well be time for it to consider employing a paid fund raiser,” says Paulette Maehara, president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, in Alexandria, Va. “It is most certainly appropriate for you to bring these issues up, especially because the organization seems to rely on you so much, and it always needs to hear the views and perspectives of its volunteers.”

If the organization does create a full-time position for you, however, be aware that the percentage-based compensation structure you propose is highly unethical, says Ms. Maehara. Her group, which represents more than 27,000 fund raisers, takes the position that a charity’s mission must come before a fund raiser’s financial self-interest. To take a percentage of money raised, she says, means that “charitable mission can become secondary to self-gain, donor trust can be unalterably damaged, and there is incentive for self-dealing to prevail over donors’ best interests.”

Indeed, the Association of Fundraising Professionals prohibits its members from working for percentage-based compensation or accepting finder’s fees. (You can download a copy of the group’s ethics code on its Web site.) “It is critical to the profession and to the sector to follow an enforceable code of ethics,” says Ms. Maehara. “It serves as a guidepost for new fund raisers, such as yourself, to help you determine the most ethical and, in the long term, effective course of action when soliciting donations.”

If you have questions, Ms. Maehara encourages you to call the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Ethics Committee at (800) 666-3863.