An email made its way around my son's school looking for parents to help with a program to teach life skills to adolescent girls through a running training program called "Girls on the Run" (search the term for all you ever cared to know about the program). I contacted the leader to see if they wanted help from a dad, and I got an enthusiastic "yes!", essentially because I am (1) an experienced runner and (2) willing and able to show up 2x/wk at 3 pm for their training sessions. Unlike ST, they don't think a 3:50 marathon is slow. :)
So far, so good.
Here's where things get a little weird, at least to me. First off, they want to charge their students/participants a pretty steep fee of ~$150. Why they need so much money for a ten week program run on volunteer labor and no real fixed costs I cannot figure out. Yes, they offer discounts to needy families, but the full-fare cost seems huge. Also, along with the documents I expected to get (consent to background check, training requirements, etc etc) I get a non-compete agreement (!!) asserting what amounts to a copyright over their materials and curriculum, and a pledge from me not to offer any similar program in our county except through them, or develop a similar program within two years of working with them. I have never, ever heard of a 501(c)3 org seeking a non-compete from a volunteer.
The lawyer in me can chuckle at this as being laughably unenforceable, but the bigger worry is that I may be committing one of the classic blunders here, possibly only behind becoming involved in a land war in Asia, or going in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.
Someone in the ST universe has dealt with these folks, so please put me at ease. Tell me the program is great, the girls have a great time, they all get some fitness, some even learn to like running. Tell me all the cash doesn't go for bloated overhead and fundraising. Quiet the voice in my head telling me to run away from this now.
K? Thanks!
So far, so good.
Here's where things get a little weird, at least to me. First off, they want to charge their students/participants a pretty steep fee of ~$150. Why they need so much money for a ten week program run on volunteer labor and no real fixed costs I cannot figure out. Yes, they offer discounts to needy families, but the full-fare cost seems huge. Also, along with the documents I expected to get (consent to background check, training requirements, etc etc) I get a non-compete agreement (!!) asserting what amounts to a copyright over their materials and curriculum, and a pledge from me not to offer any similar program in our county except through them, or develop a similar program within two years of working with them. I have never, ever heard of a 501(c)3 org seeking a non-compete from a volunteer.
The lawyer in me can chuckle at this as being laughably unenforceable, but the bigger worry is that I may be committing one of the classic blunders here, possibly only behind becoming involved in a land war in Asia, or going in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.
Someone in the ST universe has dealt with these folks, so please put me at ease. Tell me the program is great, the girls have a great time, they all get some fitness, some even learn to like running. Tell me all the cash doesn't go for bloated overhead and fundraising. Quiet the voice in my head telling me to run away from this now.
K? Thanks!