Many volunteers are financially able to give both time and money to the organization of their choice. Many are not. Whoever is in charge of budgeting an event or campaign should be careful to spell out the ground rules in advance. Those volunteers who aren't in a position to cover their own expenses should not be made to feel inadequate or compared in anyone's mind to those who don't need to have their expenses covered. Time is worth money and the hours donated by a volunteer are just as important as a cheque - sometimes even more so.
Parking lots eat up a fair bit of change, especially for downtown meetings.
Entertaining prospective donors or volunteers is another common expense. And so on. Make private arrangements in each case When volunteers are engaged to take part in a project, they should be told clearly whether they are free to hand in expense accounts. And no one should be made to feel that they are doing anything improper or ungenerous in not covering expenses which their personal budgets can't accommodate. Payment of fees for professional services, such as accounting or legal services, is another one of those problems which can cause bitterness among a group of volunteers.