Principle 6

The Principle 6 Program came out of a realization that many large scale volunteer models have gone through in the past few years: 

 

The move towards increasing participation from diverse volunteers and volunteer leaders is a shift many organizations move towards but often face challenges that create increased stress and anxiety- leading to burnout for diverse voices.

 

The Principle 6 Program aimed to tackle one piece of that: decreasing the financial burden for working class young people, often at the forefront of climate justice, to work towards not only increasing participation but ensuring policy choices and organizational culture is reflective of those with the most at stake. 

 

The Principle 6 Program has supported almost 1,000  working-class volunteers to get involved, take leadership, and contribute to the direction of the organization.

 

Program Design

 

• Legal Considerations

  • One of the first considerations was how to legally design a program that reduced participant burden

    • We knew that this stipend was not for work itself but to support active members of our organization, for whom volunteering was financially obstructive. We decided on a nominal structure to ensure compliance. 

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• Technical Considerations

  • Onboarding and Maintenance 

    • We decided to add in timesheets to the program, because of the political nature of the program.

    • Participants filled out timesheets bi-monthly and were reviewed for compliance purposes. 

    • We added in support mechanisms from staff members to aid in the navigating the  various rules and rhythms.

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• Programmatic Considerations

  • Timeline and Scope of Work

    • We decided on a round system, each for four months,  to ensure members participating in the program stayed active in the organization