Monthly Archives: May 2025

Volunteering: not a black & white subject

In the same day, I’ve been accused by a person of being unfairly opposed to all forms of voluntourism (paying to volunteer abroad) and accused by another of promoting voluntourism.

In the same week, I’ve been accused of pushing an agenda that makes volunteering too difficult for most people to access and also pushing an agenda that makes volunteer involvement too easy and puts clients at risk.

Some people have said I think people paid to do work are better than volunteers, and others have said I want to eliminate paid roles and replace such with unpaid volunteers.

Most people who bother to actually read what I write know exactly where I stand on voluntourism (I do think there is such a thing as ethical voluntourism, but I think such ethical experiences are rare), know exactly where I stand on volunteer engagement (I don’t trust any nonprofit that doesn’t involve volunteers while also believing that organizations have every right NOT to accept every offer to volunteer) and know that I don’t think volunteer engagement should be used as a way for job elimination (but that I DO think some roles are best done by volunteers).

Talks about volunteerism are, and should be, full of nuance. Volunteerism is a complex subject. If you want to see a fight break out, ask a room full of managers of volunteers to define the word volunteer. Which is right? In many ways, they ALL are. There’s nothing simple about this subject – that’s why it’s held my interest for a few decades.

And I do change my mind. Over many years, I went from being okay with voluntourism to being totally opposed to it to being back to being okay with it, with certain qualifications. I change my mind because I’m always reading opinions from other people, testimonials from volunteers and those that involve such, and most importantly, those served by volunteers. I hope you do the same.

But quit trying to put me in a box.

Could your nonprofit be the target of an ICE raid? Are you prepared?

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A cartoonish hand is palm facing the viewer, as if to say stop.

Recently, someone posted to the Reddit community (subreddit) focused on volunteerism to say:

I am a weekly volunteer for a food pantry that serves 800 guests weekly. Many of these guests are immigrants. As a result, the volunters (sic) have had to undergo training in the case that we are raided by ICE and what to do in that scenario. We were told what ICE is allowed to do legally and what we can do legally…

I hadn’t considered that volunteers and staff at so many nonprofits may have to deal with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent raids, including homeless shelters, food pantries, job training sites, Goodwill program and store sites, Habitat for Humanity ReStores, and youth sports games. Nonprofits that serve farm workers will also likely encounter ICE during raids.

It’s another example of how many nonprofits will have to address the challenges brought on by the current presidential administration, and will have to think about how much they are willing to compromise and what the values at the heart of their organization are. And in cooperating with ICE, if it comes to that, nonprofits will also have to address substantial lack-of-trust issues if we ever reach the other side of this political crisis.

I’ll note that, at one nonprofit where I work, we didn’t receive training, but we did receive an email from the executive director telling us that, if ANYONE showed up claiming to be law enforcement – police, sheriff’s deputy, ICE, the FBI, whatever – no matter what they said or showed, the first thing the staff person was to do was to call the executive director, and to say over and over, “I have to call our boss. I can’t help you.”

How many of you out there are volunteering or working somewhere and have been briefed on what to do if ICE shows up? If you feel comfortable, I would love to hear from you: you can comment below, if you feel safe in doing so, or email me directly and ask for your account to be posted anonymously.

Some things are certain and can be communicated to your staff and volunteers: law enforcement, including ICE, can enter areas open to the general public of a business without permission, BUT that does not give ICE the authority to detain, question, or arrest anyone. Ask to see the identification of any officers or agents and write down the name, contact information, and badge number. If the agent refuses to provide documentation, you should note that as well. Ask if they have a warrant and, if they say yes, look at it and see if it is a SEARCH warrant signed by a judge, that it has the correct address for your workplace, and what areas and items ICE is authorized to search (ICE is not authorized to search areas or inspect items that are not described in the warrant). If they say no, document that.

Executive directors: talk to your volunteers and paid staff, tell them exactly what it is you want them to do if police officers, including ICE, enter your facility, and tell your volunteers and staff that, if anyone has a US passport, they should consider carrying a copy of the ID page in their wallets, since there are so many reports of ICE detaining US citizens they think are immigrants in the USA illegally.

And executive directors, listen to your volunteers and paid staff, and your clients, about their fears. Don’t dismiss those fears as unfounded.

Here are some resources you should review:

ICE Raid Guidance for Homeless Service Providers:  What to do Before, During, and After a Raid. From the National Homelessness Law Center. Great advice for all nonprofits.

Know Your Rights: If ICE Confronts You. From the ACLU.