E. STRUCTURE AND LEADERSHIP OF THE RE-EVALUATION COUNSELING COMMUNITY
E.12. Unpaid Work in Service of the Community
It is our policy that Reference Persons and other Co-Counselors are not paid for the basic function of thinking about, planning for, and working for the Community.
Most RC Community work is unpaid. None of the following roles are paid: Reference Persons (ARP, RRP, ICRP, ILRP, IRP and alternates), editors, translators, interpreters, coordinators, organizers, and technology hosts (except for workshop organizers and technology leaders who are paid from the income of the workshop), treasurers, librarians, website administrators, and others performing ongoing roles.[79] All of these activities build one’s ability to lead.[80]
Reference Persons may be reimbursed for some expenses, such as for travel and childcare needed while performing their duties. The funds can come from (1) their local Area Maintenance Fund where one has been established, or (2) the Community Service Fund[81] of Re-evaluation Counseling Community Resources, Inc. (RCCR). Reference Persons may also, where appropriate, apply for a grant from the Re-evaluation Foundation for expenses incurred in furthering the educational purposes of the Re-evaluation Foundation.
REASON
We all benefit from contributing to the growth and development of the RC Community. Financial conditions in our Community make it unrealistic for the Community to pay for the work done by Reference Persons and others performing ongoing roles.
Also, it is important that Co-Counselors and leaders be able to consider the needs of the Community without confusing them with their personal financial needs.
Reference Persons and others doing the work of Community building should resist any urge to undertake too much work. Instead, they should delegate as much of the work as reasonable to Co-Counselors who are ready to do it. Because the Reference Persons are unpaid, they are in a good position to expect and encourage a rational sharing of responsibilities.
We wish to provide opportunities to build leadership capabilities to everyone, not simply those with the least hardships in their lives. Expenses incurred in carrying out Reference Person’s responsibilities and other services for the Community may be paid for by the Community when possible and reasonable.
[79] Only RC teachers and RC workshop leaders and organizers are paid. They are paid from funds generated by the classes they teach or workshops they lead or organize, not by the RC Community. (See Guideline H.3. Regional and Area Classes, Support Groups, and Playdays, and Area Gather-ins.) Some RCCR staff are partially supported by Community Service Funds.
[80] As society continues to collapse, it is increasingly challenging and vitally important to find ways for members of all groups (and especially Native and Indigenous people, Global Majority people, working-class people, and younger people) to play these key roles in the RC Community, for both the Community’s benefit and for the opportunities for growth they provide.
[81] Community Service Funds are funds that support the ongoing work of the RC Community by helping to pay for workshop fees, travel to workshops, and RC literature. They also support the administrative work of the RC Community done at RCCR. They come from fees paid for workshops, classes, and other events as well as from donations (not tax-deductible). Community Service Funds are held by RCCR, and their use is authorized by the International Reference Person (IRP). (See Guideline H.1. Outreach Funds of the RC Community.)