How Cosmic Volunteers uses your program fee
- Over 70% of volunteers’ programs fees are sent to the host countries.
- The other 30% of the fees remain in the US to pay for our operations.
Cosmic Volunteers is a tax-exempt charity, and as such we do not run these programs for profit. By law and our mission, any profits earned are spent directly on humanitarian projects in our host countries in the form of donations of money and materials to orphanages, school, and hospitals.
We provide our volunteers with an individualized, supported insider’s view of the cultures of our host countries, with the opportunity to contribute directly to these communities in meaningful ways.
Unlike “donor” organizations which simply collect money/items then donate them, Cosmic Volunteers is involved 24 hours year-round with recruiting, preparing, and supporting volunteers, with our expert knowledge gained from a decade of living and working in developing countries. In order to accomplish all of this, we ask our volunteers to pay us a program fee; fees which are our sole source of funding.
Our annual tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service contain all of the income and expenses of Cosmic Volunteers. As we are a public charity, our tax filings are public knowledge and copies are available to anyone who requests them.
The following items are just some of Cosmic Volunteers’ costs that your program fee pays fo, but hopefully it gives you a better idea of how your program fee is spent.
- Recruiting volunteers (school fairs, advertising online, trade shows, media, brochures).
- Keeping daily contact with coordinators in 15 countries.
- Preparing volunteers on items like culture, visas, vaccinations, flights, insurance etc.
- Writing/updating thorough, detailed handbooks for each country.
- Providing airport pickup and drop-offs.
- Housing and feeding volunteers 7 days a week.
- Arranging and managing quality volunteer placements.
- Providing in-country orientation to all newly arrived volunteers.
- Providing 24 hour support both in-country and in the US.
- Hiring and managing reliable, trustworthy and expert in-country coordinators.
- Arranging homestays with supportive and friendly host families.
- Obtaining higher listings on search engines (Google, Yahoo etc).
- Preparing tax returns and other government filings.
- Following-up when volunteers return home.
- Providing letters of reference and/or certificates of completion.
- Advising and often donating funds to returned volunteers’ own start-up development projects.
- Legal/accounting fees.
- Wages for Cosmic staff in the US.
- Developing our website.
- Wire transfer fees ($5,000+ USD annually).
- Fielding calls and emails from potential partners / coordinators / host families.
- Occasional staff travel to our destinations to make sure things are running smoothly.
- Buying equipment/shirts for sports leagues, etc.
