Brethren Volunteer Service

New Project Information

Thank you for your interest in becoming a Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) project site.

When you call Brethren Volunteer Service, you will receive a packet of information that includes a general brochure about BVS, and a current project book and covenant, which is the agreement between a project and BVS. This covenant lists the responsibilities of the project to the volunteer, as well as the responsibilities of the volunteer to the project. Volunteers sign a similar covenant with BVS.

The estimated cost of a volunteer for a 12 month period is $10,000 to $12,000. This includes:

• Church of the Brethren related projects:	$3,150/volunteer/year
  Projects with Annual Budgets from
  $0 to 500,000:	$3,400/volunteer/year
  $500,001 to $1,500,000:	$3,900/volunteer/year
  $1,500,001 and higher:	$4,400/volunteer/year

  * Placement fees are assessed on an annual basis when a project receives a volunteer.
  
• $100/125/150 net monthly allowance, for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd year volunteer. (we ask that if taxes are taken out, the stipend should be a net of $100/125/150).
• Room & Board: $25 - $50 a week (net) suggested for food (or equivalent). Housing costs depend on project location
• Transportation to and from work and other miscellaneous needs.
• Transportation to and from the BVS mid-year retreat held in the Chicago area.
• Transportation for the volunteer to their home (or point of departure for non-US volunteers) at the end of their term of service.

Projects cannot be guaranteed a volunteer even after they become a part of the BVS program. It is not unusual for a project to wait one or two years before getting a volunteer, since BVS has more projects than volunteers. Please consider these factors as you consider whether or not you want to apply to become a BVS project.

Placement of volunteers occurs during one of three or four orientations each year. These orientations are three weeks long.

Contact our office if you have interest in becoming a BVS project.