Volunteers cleaning up a beach
Civic Participation Fund

One day of service should not cost a day of pay.

We are developing a pilot to test a simple idea in Flagler County, Florida: paying low-income workers $100 for a verified day of community service, to find out whether it changes who can afford to show up. The pilot is still in development and has not begun.

Illustrative photo: beach cleanup volunteers, by Ocean Blue Project, Inc. (CC BY-SA 4.0). Not a project event.
In development: not launched, not accepting donations, no fiscal sponsor yet, participant payments not approved. This page describes a proposal being tested in the open.

The idea, in 20 seconds

Volunteering is free, but it is not costless. For an hourly worker, a day of service can mean giving up a shift. We are investigating whether lost wages keep people from serving. That is a hypothesis, not a proven fact, and the pilot we are developing would test it.

Volunteers cleaning up a park

Time has a price

At Florida's $15.00 minimum wage, six hours of work is $90 in gross pay. Service competes with shifts, not free time.

Illustrative photo: U.S. Army, public domain.

Volunteers working at a food bank

Measured, not assumed

Hosts verify the work. We document each participant's actual lost wages separately, and publish both numbers.

Illustrative photo: USDA, public domain.

Volunteers at a beach cleanup

Honest by design

Nonpartisan, community service only, no lobbying. If the evidence says the idea does not work, we will say so.

Illustrative photo: Ocean Blue Project, Inc., CC BY-SA 4.0.

$100

Predetermined payment for one completed service day

6 hrs

One host-supervised day of community service

6 days

Maximum per person, per year, with need-based eligibility

One small pilot in Flagler County: cleanup, restoration, and food-bank service days run by a local government agency or nonprofit host. If it works, the next step is growing across Florida, one community at a time. How someone is lawfully classified and paid is still being resolved with prospective fiscal sponsors and legal advisers. Any payment would be made only under a legally compliant arrangement approved before the pilot begins. This page is not an offer of payment or employment.

Where the project stands

We would rather show our work than overstate it.

  • Done
    Research and pilot design. The model, its costs, and its legal questions are researched and written down.
  • Underway
    Community feedback. Independent reviewers have commented on the project, and conversations with local organizations are underway. Community surveys are prepared but have not been distributed, and no survey results have been collected.
  • Underway
    Fiscal sponsorship. In discussion with sponsorship organizations. No agreement signed; we are not sponsored yet.
  • Not yet
    Host partner. No organization has agreed to host. Organizations we have contacted are not partners.
  • Not yet
    Funding. No donations accepted, no grants awarded. The pilot launches only if fully funded from outside sources.
  • Not yet
    Pilot service days. None have taken place.

Questions donors ask us

Who else supports this project?

No one yet. We have no committed donors, funders, or sponsors to list. We are in early conversations, and we will name supporters only when support is real and agreed.

Which organizations have you consulted?

We have asked a small number of Flagler County organizations, including the city, the community foundation, and local nonprofits, whether this idea fits local needs. Being consulted does not make an organization a partner or supporter, and we will never list one as either without its agreement.

How will you measure and report impact?

Two measurements, published side by side: verified service (the host confirms attendance, hours, and finished work) and verified wage loss (from each participant's own work records). We will also publish cost per verified service hour, even when the results are unflattering.

Do you have a proposal for organizations that would host service days?

A short written host proposal is in preparation. It will cover scheduling, supervision, insurance, and exactly what a host would and would not be responsible for. No organization has agreed to host yet.

Will my donation be tax deductible?

Not at this time. The project is not a 501(c)(3), and we are not accepting donations. If a fiscal sponsorship agreement is signed, donations made through the sponsor would generally be tax deductible, and we will say so clearly here when, and only when, that is actually in place.

About the founder

Isaiah Jodha, a Palm Coast resident and hourly worker, started this project to test a question he knows firsthand: what does a day of unpaid service really cost the people who can least afford it? Contact: civicparticipationfund@gmail.com

Please do not send donations. The project cannot accept funds at this stage.