Use prepaid value to support volunteer or charity operations
If volunteers need airtime to reach a coordinator, write that purpose into the project plan and agree who qualifies. Check any donor or grant conditions, set a budget and choose someone to approve the list and check what was issued.
Choose direct recharge if you can verify the volunteer's number and the product works for them. If a voucher fits better, make sure the volunteer can get the PIN and use it. Check the supplier's current terms before costing either option, and collect only what you need to deliver it.
Allocation and evidence plan
| Control | Question | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | What activity does the value support? | Approved project plan |
| Eligibility | Who may receive it and why? | Criteria and authorised roster |
| Budget | What is the total and per-person cap? | Approved budget |
| Delivery | Who issues value and by what method? | Handover or order record |
| Exceptions | What happens if delivery is uncertain? | Original reference and owner |
| Closeout | What remained, failed or changed? | Reconciliation and sign-off |
By Freepaid · Published
Confirm the purpose and restrictions
Write the operational purpose in plain language and link each allocation to the activity it supports. If the funding came from a donor or grant, check the relevant terms before using it. Assign an approver who can confirm that the spending fits the approved plan. Make the budget ceiling and per-recipient amount clear to the people issuing value.
Define recipient eligibility without collecting more information than necessary. A coordinator may need an internal volunteer ID and a contact channel for delivery, but broad access to a full roster is rarely needed for every task. Store the roster and issue records according to the organisation's privacy and retention policies.
Worked example: a volunteer project
A charity plans to support 40 volunteers with a hypothetical R50 each. The face-value budget is 40 × R50 = R2,000, excluding any confirmed fees or delivery charges. The project lead records the purpose, eligible roster, approving officer and issue method. A second person reviews the final count and total before purchase.
If 38 volunteers receive value and two cannot be reached, leave those two allocations open. Keep the remaining R100 set aside while the coordinator follows up. If a recharge has no result, check its original reference first. Reallocate the balance only if the project rules allow it.
Choose a delivery method that can be supported
For direct recharge, confirm that the contact number belongs to the intended volunteer and that the chosen product is appropriate. For a voucher, decide how codes will be secured, matched to recipients and accompanied by redemption instructions. The organisation should not promise that a voucher will work on a particular network or under particular conditions unless current terms verify it.
Name the person who will deal with a wrong number, a lost message or a volunteer who says the airtime never arrived. Tell volunteers how to reach that person and what they can check. When the result is unclear, investigate the original reference before releasing more value.
Keep the programme auditable
- Approve the purpose, eligibility, budget and delivery method.
- Verify current products, values, terms and fees with the supplier.
- Assign an issuer, approver, reviewer and support contact.
- Restrict roster and code access to people who need it.
- Match issued value to order evidence and volunteer allocation records.
- Resolve exceptions against original references and document the result.
- Reconcile unused value and report closeout to the authorised committee or funder.
At close, show how much was approved, issued and left unused, and which orders are still open. Record any support adjustment separately from what you bought and what you allocated. If the activity repeats, ask volunteers what they actually used and where delivery was difficult. The airtime rewards planning guide has a budget and reporting checklist.