American Express Members Project Pays You for Volunteer Hours

American Express' new Members Project lets volunteers receive payment in rewards points for their time working with non-profits.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on March 09 2010

Image: iStockphoto.com

There are a million different reasons why it’s a great idea to volunteer: to help your community or a cause you care about, to meet new people, to gain work experience… to make money?

Yes, that last one’s a bit of an oxymoron, isn’t it? While no one goes into volunteering with financial compensation in mind, it’s a nice little perk in a new program called The Members Project from American Express and activism-focused site TakePart.com.

In the program, members of the public can vote for their favorite non-profit to receive a $200,000 grant from American Express out of 49 pre-selected charities, along with audience suggestions. You can donate to any of more than 1 million charities through the site, or donate American Express membership Rewards Points.

And, here’s the part you were waiting for: you can receive payment (in the form of Rewards Points) for every hour you spend volunteering, up to a 100-hour cap. Your hourly rate works out to $5 an hour: not quite minimum wage, but not bad for something you’d do for free anyway (plus, it’s tax-free!).

The Rewards Points can be redeemed for shopping, travel, dining, or entertainment-related purchases, or, if you’re willing to sacrifice that dinner out for a good cause, you can donate the points back to the non-profit that you volunteered for. It’s a great way to give back without opening your wallet (take a look at our list for more cool ideas).

Check out the program for yourself at the Members’ Project site.

Filed under: Business, General Interest, Non-Profits,

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