Understanding the management of a nonprofit's funds is essential to trust it, which is why Freepackers transparently explains how cost management is organized.
The budget is determined by:
It is difficult to include indirect costs for each project individually. To optimize project management, these costs are averaged over the year and then distributed across all projects. Here are some examples of hidden costs in all projects:
• Bank fees: managing bank accounts and international transactions.
• Project audit fees: on-site audits carried out by our team to validate partner organizations and ensure project transparency and efficiency
• Project management fees: our team is actively involved in all projects, providing continuous support and oversight.
• Flexibility guarantees: Freepackers provides guarantees to adapt to changes in dates or programs, offering assistance in case of unforeseen events, allowing for program adjustments rather than cancellations.
• Exchange rate guarantees: currency fluctuations can significantly impact project budgets, and we take measures to ensure cost stability despite fluctuations in certain countries (Argentina, South Africa).
• Local authority compliance: we ensure compliance with all local regulations, which adds costs and administrative procedures
• Liability insurance: to protect our organization and members, we maintain liability insurance
Let’s take the example of an animal shelter project in Argentina to understand the importance of indirect costs.
Example: fees retained by the receiving banks and exchange rate costs (approximately 13% of the total budget):
• Total budget €2,100
• Donation €500
• Balance to transfer to Argentina €1,600
• Bank fees (receiving) €150
• Remaining balance €1,450
• Project donation approximately €1100
• Volunteer logistics AR$484,000 (approximately €350
Volunteer logistics are organized by a local partner organization and include:
The more specialized the project is, the more resources it requires (vehicles, telemetry, in-vitro analyses, veterinarians, caretakers, etc.). The cost of living on site also determines the logistical expenses. This is why a mission in Australia will be more expensive than a mission in Thailand
These costs are inherent to any international internship or volunteer experience, and they would need to be organized and financed in any case. By including them in a transparent package, we ensure that participants are hosted directly within the NGO, fostering an authentic immersion while providing meaningful financial support to local organizations.
Taking part in a project requires significant resources (logistics, supervision, equipment, a reliable structure). Paying to take part in a humanitarian trip can be seen as an obstacle, which is why Freepackers is committed to supporting you.
We continuously monitor all available funding support options for international mobility. Our goal is to make international experiences accessible to as many people as possible and to provide information on all available resources.
Going through Freepackers also means gaining access to information on grants and mobility funding, all aimed at making humanitarian engagement more widely accessible.
Do you have a funding goal? It’s possible- you just need to:
We send hundreds of students and young people on projects every year. Everyone manages to put the necessary means in place to achieve their dream.
So why not you?
Here is a summary of the Freepackers guarantees:
We are an independent organization we receive no support from the State or from our partner organizations. The sustainability of Freepackers therefore relies solely on participants’ financial contributions.
Sur les dix dernières années, nous avons reversé plus de 1 300 000€ de donations à nos ONG partenaires. Votre contribution ne s’arrête donc pas seulement à financer votre projet, mais à soutenir tous les projets mis en place par Freepackers.
A wonderful way to give even more meaning to your humanitarian trip!
To ensure that financial contributions have a lasting impact, the projects must:
We are a small team of 10 people, and we ensure meaningful, high-quality international mobility.
Freepackers takes care of the complicated tasks for you:
We free you from the stress of logistics so you can focus solely on fully enjoying your trip.
This budget is justified by:
Our long-term partners regularly host international participants.
You will always find a position available for you, depending on your profile and travel dates.
Projects have been visited to ensure missions with real impact and reliable, experienced local teams. We work only with trusted individuals known to the entire Freepackers team, who travel the world to find the best projects.
We focus on learning and exchange projects; this is not humanitarian aid. Rescue, assistance to people in danger, or emergency relief is not part of our scope. We also do not claim to eradicate poverty, injustice, or inequality.
We simply aim to contribute to making the world a better place through targeted and local actions at our level.
