To Pay or Not to Pay?: Beyond performance and motivation

Scenario

Imagine you conduct a visit to a multi-sector project that uses Care Groups for the health/nutrition component. You find through your community visits that

1. Care Group Volunteers are complaining that they are not paid
2. Literacy Instructors are paid by participant fees
3. Savings groups facilitators are paid by participant fees
4. Agriculture “Lead Farmers” are paid by the project on a results-based scheme (adoption => incentive)

Is this a problem? Are the CGVs justified in complaining?

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Equality (and Equity) within project

Scenario – More Information

Imagine you conduct a visit to a multi-sector project that uses Care Groups for the health/nutrition component. You find through your community visits that

1. Care Group Volunteers (100% women) are complaining that they are not paid
2. Literacy Instructors (92% male) are paid by participant fees
3. Savings groups facilitators (87% male) are paid by participant fees
4. Agriculture “Lead Farmers” (70% male) are paid by the project on a results-based scheme (adoption => incentive)

Now is this a problem?

Gender dynamics

• Value of women’s “work” vs men’s work
• Inadvertently reinforce perception that women’s work is not valuable

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Time Poverty &�Opportunity Cost of women’s time

To pay or not to pay?

Some reasons for

• Offsets opportunity costs among poor / vulnerable
• Recognizes value of service provided
• Recognizes value of “women’s work”
• Recognizes value of health

Some Reasons against

• Cost
• Threatens sustainability
• Lacking evidence of improved performance
• Set a precedent / undermines volunteerism/ community spirit

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

• While its known that payment doesn’t necessarily improve motivation or performance, should Care Group volunteers be paid for reasons of equity, gender dynamics, time poverty, etc? Do these payment “pros” outweigh the “cons” of cost, motivation, sustainability?
• Would communities/ participants be willing to pay for Care Group services as they do for literacy, agriculture services? Why or why not? What could such a model look like?

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

Summary points

• Carefully consider the context and make an informed decision for your project
• Recognize that payment will not automatically lead to better performance and there may be more efficient ways of achieving strong results
• Consider internal project equity/fairness as well as precedents/experiences in that area