Real-Life Communication
When you work as a therapeutic riding instructor, you will have
other responsibilities with the job. Most centers are heavily reliant on volunteers
and fund-raising to keep going.
"Riding skills, compassion, knowledge
of therapy techniques and maturity all play a part in being a good therapeutic
riding instructor. However, therapeutic riding centers are generally not-for-profit
organizations that depend on fund-raisers and generous donors to raise money
to pay the bills," says therapeutic riding instructor Dennis Pierce.
"So,
a riding instructor needs to understand the economics of the program and help
the cause."
Therapeutic riding centers across North America have tried
conventional and unconventional methods of raising money. Some programs do
donation-per-plate lunches or dinners and auctions, while others have adopt-a-horse
plans or barnyard work parties.
You are working for a therapeutic riding
center. One of your main duties is fund-raising. You are paid a salary, but
you also volunteer a lot of extra time. You're bringing in a significant amount
of money, but in fund-raising, there never seems to be enough to suit everyone
you report to.
You have just had your annual salary review. Based on
your overall good performance and the new funds you have attracted to the
program, the board of directors has recommended a bonus of $1,000.
At
that meeting, however, a couple of board members suggest that maybe for the
next year the organization should pay you a bonus based on the amount of money
you bring in per project.
For example, if you win a grant of $10,000,
they'll award you five percent, or $500. If you bring in 10 grants of $10,000,
they'll award you $5,000. They feel this will inspire you to work harder.
Here's
what your ethics code says:
Members shall work for a salary
or fee, not percentage-based compensation or a commission.
Members
may accept performance-based compensation, such as bonuses, provided that
such bonuses are in accordance with prevailing practices within the members'
own organization and are not based on a percentage of funds raised.
Members
shall not pay, seek or accept finders fees, commissions or percentages-based
compensation for obtaining funds and shall to the best of their ability, discourage
their organizations from making such payments.
Can you
accept the bonus without breaking the code? Explain why or why not.