VOLUNTEERING with FEA

• Overview

We are always welcoming volunteers and in reality FEA would never exist without. FEA was in fact created by volunteers and it has allowed the Foundation to achieve tremendous results to date, without any fundraising campaigns. We need more volunteers now as we have been launching several programs and we really need a hand.
FEA believes in Equal Opportunity so we ensure that all volunteering canditates are considered without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, gender, handicap, genetic information, social or veteran status.

• Culture

FEA has an ongoing commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity – both internally through our work environment and externally through our programming and our beneficiaries. We value differences among individuals across multiple dimensions including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, age, gender, gender identity and expression, physical ability, religion and socioeconomic status. We believe that bringing together volunteers, staff and other partners with differing backgrounds and life experiences will enhance our ability to increase opportunities for all the people we aim at supporting. Building an organization with such culture means that not only do we count on people, but that people count, and people feel like they belong. This is the aspiration of the FEA Foundation.

• Understanding volunteering

We found the following website to be a great resource to better understand the world of volunteering in general: https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/tools-resources/volunteers

• Benefits

Although volunteers may not be paid for their time with FEA, there are a lot of advantages, especially (but not necessarely) if horses is your thing. You can be involved in all kinds of activities, local and worldwide locations, working with fantastic people, and more importantly having the feeling of making a change. There may also be certain tax benefits (see resource above).

• Current Volunteering Opportunities

You can volunteer for pretty much anything, including filling some of our Employment Opportunities on a part time basis. Terms and conditions are of course to be discussed. Contact us to talk about it!

• Expenses Volunteers May Deduct

Here is a summary of what the IRS may allow volunteers at FEA to deduct from their taxable income (for information only - FEA does not provide any tax advice):

Car and transportation expenses. Volunteers can deduct car and transportation expenses incurred to get back and forth from home to FEA, or to meetings or other sites.
Volunteers who drive can choose between deducting actual expenses, or take a mileage deduction at the rate allowed by the IRS. Volunteers can also add in parking fees and tolls., but they cannot claim general car repair and maintenance expenses, depreciation, registration fees, or the costs of tires or insurance.
Those volunteers taking public transportation can deduct subway, bus, or taxi fare.
Travel expenses. Volunteers can deduct travel expenses, such as airfare and other transport, accommodations, and meals, when performing services away from home. This might include trips to attend a convention or board meeting, taking underprivileged riders to a horseshowp, or monitoring one of our programs. Any and all personal & pleasure related expenses are excluded.
Other out-of-pocket expenses. Volunteers may deduct other expenses they incur during the course of their volunteer work. For example, board members might deduct unreimbursed phone, postage, and copying charges associated with preparing for meetings. Volunteers monitoring an FEA program can deduct the direct costs incured in the preformance of their work. Training/educting volunteers can deduct supplies they bring in.
Uniforms. If volunteers are asked to purchase a uniform -- for example, a specific golf shirt or a hat identifying them as a FEA team member, they can deduct both the purchase price and any upkeep costs as long as those items a solely worn for FEA-related activities.
Limits on Deductions: the IRS imposes certain limits and restrictions. Please refer to IRS publication (link for latest edition: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4012.pdf)
Here are some examples:
Volunteers cannot double-dip by claiming expenses for which the nonprofit already reimbursed them.
The expenses must be directly related to the volunteers' work, and incurred only because of that work.
The expenses cannot be personal, for family, or for living items or activities (such as meals for children while they accompany the volunteer to a convention).
Volunteers must keep reliable written records of the expenses.

• Volunteer today!