Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: Paid staff vs. volunteers

[Rob Sandelin (Exchange) (Robsan]

In my experience there are some tasks that are so crucial you need to pay to 
get them done.  For example, a project manager for the construction project 
is a full-time job and then some and in my opinion should be paid. Having 
part time volunteers to manage a construction project has potential for lots 
of very important things to get screwed up.

At Sharingwood we have no requirements for participation and things still 
get done, albeit very slowly at times.  Some people put in more time than 
others, in a cycle based on their lives and energy.  For example my wife put 
in lots of energy as the general contractor for our commonhouse, and found 
that her home schooling duties required more of her time so that job got 
handed off to someone else who has the time.

We have resisted trying to mandate monthly hourly contributions because the 
system we have used has worked out so far.  If things fall apart from lack 
of energy then we will probably reconsider it. As it is people seem to accep  
t the fact that it takes us a LONG time to get some things done.  This is 
tradeoff people are willing to make rather than have prescribed hours or 
other required participation.

We did require the members of the second phase to contribute a yearly amount 
of hours to maintain their place in the lot selection que because we wanted 
those who put in the work to get lot selection preference over those who did 
not. The requirements are very minimal however and easily met, although 
those folks who live out of state may have trouble meeting the hourly 
requirements.