Law and the Volunteer: The Uncertain Employment and Tort Law Implications of the Altruistic Worker

An individual who donates service to a nonprofit organization raises unsettled questions of that volunteer’s status under tort and labor law. Cryptic legislative language and inconsistent judicial precedent undermine predictability for volunteers and nonprofit managers alike, and the standards fail to reflect a coherent balance between the legitimate expectations of altruistic workers and the realities of the nonprofit-volunteer relationship.