Discussion: View Thread

Writing in the spirit of venting frustrations among this supportive community. And in bafflement.

Subject line says it all.

I just received an announcement from an academic organization seeking a "scholarly project mentor" for a 2-year engagement. Upon inquiring, the stipend/salary is zero. 

With suitable redactions, the duties would include:

Guiding XXXXXXX fellows through designing a scholarly project, submitting an IRB, conducting the project, and creating a poster. This is a rewarding role where mentors work closely with the fellows, helping them set a career trajectory that will incorporate scholarship. 

Scholarly Project Mentor Expectations:

    Attend XXXXX Annual Conference in 2026 and 2027
        2026: Attend one morning meeting and meet individually with mentees as schedules allow; attend fellows' poster fair
        2027: Attend fellows' poster fair; attend fellowship evening graduation
    Attend XXXXXX Conference in 2026 (if feasible)
        Meet individually with mentees as schedules allow
    Meet regularly virtually with fellows throughout the year to guide them through their scholarly project and poster
    Communicate regularly with XXXXXX Scholarly Project Director

Qualifications:

    Love of and experience with mentoring and scholarship
    Availability for conference attendance and regular meetings with fellows

That's a ton of work. Why does this organization expect someone to do it (let alone do it well) for free?  And this is not an isolated incident. I've encountered the same phenomenon three times in the past three weeks, from various parties (all academic in nature, loosely speaking.)

Thoughts? Experiences? Perspectives?

Writing in the spirit of venting frustrations among this supportive community. And in bafflement.

Subject line says it all.

I just received an announcement from an academic organization seeking a "scholarly project mentor" for a 2-year engagement. Upon inquiring, the stipend/salary is zero. 

With suitable redactions, the duties would include:

Guiding XXXXXXX fellows through designing a scholarly project, submitting an IRB, conducting the project, and creating a poster. This is a rewarding role where mentors work closely with the fellows, helping them set a career trajectory that will incorporate scholarship. 

Scholarly Project Mentor Expectations:

    Attend XXXXX Annual Conference in 2026 and 2027
        2026: Attend one morning meeting and meet individually with mentees as schedules allow; attend fellows' poster fair
        2027: Attend fellows' poster fair; attend fellowship evening graduation
    Attend XXXXXX Conference in 2026 (if feasible)
        Meet individually with mentees as schedules allow
    Meet regularly virtually with fellows throughout the year to guide them through their scholarly project and poster
    Communicate regularly with XXXXXX Scholarly Project Director

Qualifications:

    Love of and experience with mentoring and scholarship
    Availability for conference attendance and regular meetings with fellows

That's a ton of work. Why does this organization expect someone to do it (let alone do it well) for free?  And this is not an isolated incident. I've encountered the same phenomenon three times in the past three weeks, from various parties (all academic in nature, loosely speaking.)

Thoughts? Experiences? Perspectives?

My 2 cents:  It's a volunteer opportunity.  Not clearly presenting it as such seems ... I understand your frustration.  Lots of non-profits rely heavily on donated labor - they aren't "expecting it", they are hoping someone will volunteer for it.   My old company had various mentoring programs - purely voluntary and uncompensated, but the commitment was less; fully agree that one stands out an anomalously large and extended commitment. 

• Could be a rewarding and interesting gig for a retired person.
• Assuming the organization serves the public it could feed the "service" and/or "community outreach" component of a promotion/tenure package for an academic faculty member.  My old academic department used to work with local secondary school teachers - no direct compensation but as faculty you receive salary for teaching, research and service - that project was recognized in career advancement (to some extent). 

Writing in the spirit of venting frustrations among this supportive community. And in bafflement.

Subject line says it all.

I just received an announcement from an academic organization seeking a "scholarly project mentor" for a 2-year engagement. Upon inquiring, the stipend/salary is zero. 

With suitable redactions, the duties would include:

Guiding XXXXXXX fellows through designing a scholarly project, submitting an IRB, conducting the project, and creating a poster. This is a rewarding role where mentors work closely with the fellows, helping them set a career trajectory that will incorporate scholarship. 

Scholarly Project Mentor Expectations:

    Attend XXXXX Annual Conference in 2026 and 2027
        2026: Attend one morning meeting and meet individually with mentees as schedules allow; attend fellows' poster fair
        2027: Attend fellows' poster fair; attend fellowship evening graduation
    Attend XXXXXX Conference in 2026 (if feasible)
        Meet individually with mentees as schedules allow
    Meet regularly virtually with fellows throughout the year to guide them through their scholarly project and poster
    Communicate regularly with XXXXXX Scholarly Project Director

Qualifications:

    Love of and experience with mentoring and scholarship
    Availability for conference attendance and regular meetings with fellows

That's a ton of work. Why does this organization expect someone to do it (let alone do it well) for free?  And this is not an isolated incident. I've encountered the same phenomenon three times in the past three weeks, from various parties (all academic in nature, loosely speaking.)

Thoughts? Experiences? Perspectives?

My 2 cents:  It's a volunteer opportunity.  Not clearly presenting it as such seems ... I understand your frustration.  Lots of non-profits rely heavily on donated labor - they aren't "expecting it", they are hoping someone will volunteer for it.   My old company had various mentoring programs - purely voluntary and uncompensated, but the commitment was less; fully agree that one stands out an anomalously large and extended commitment. 

• Could be a rewarding and interesting gig for a retired person.
• Assuming the organization serves the public it could feed the "service" and/or "community outreach" component of a promotion/tenure package for an academic faculty member.  My old academic department used to work with local secondary school teachers - no direct compensation but as faculty you receive salary for teaching, research and service - that project was recognized in career advancement (to some extent). 

Writing in the spirit of venting frustrations among this supportive community. And in bafflement.

Subject line says it all.

I just received an announcement from an academic organization seeking a "scholarly project mentor" for a 2-year engagement. Upon inquiring, the stipend/salary is zero. 

With suitable redactions, the duties would include:

Guiding XXXXXXX fellows through designing a scholarly project, submitting an IRB, conducting the project, and creating a poster. This is a rewarding role where mentors work closely with the fellows, helping them set a career trajectory that will incorporate scholarship. 

Scholarly Project Mentor Expectations:

    Attend XXXXX Annual Conference in 2026 and 2027
        2026: Attend one morning meeting and meet individually with mentees as schedules allow; attend fellows' poster fair
        2027: Attend fellows' poster fair; attend fellowship evening graduation
    Attend XXXXXX Conference in 2026 (if feasible)
        Meet individually with mentees as schedules allow
    Meet regularly virtually with fellows throughout the year to guide them through their scholarly project and poster
    Communicate regularly with XXXXXX Scholarly Project Director

Qualifications:

    Love of and experience with mentoring and scholarship
    Availability for conference attendance and regular meetings with fellows

That's a ton of work. Why does this organization expect someone to do it (let alone do it well) for free?  And this is not an isolated incident. I've encountered the same phenomenon three times in the past three weeks, from various parties (all academic in nature, loosely speaking.)

Thoughts? Experiences? Perspectives?

I gave a freebie to a neighbor who occasionally asks me to do more work for free.  He simply doesn't have the money to hire a statistical consultant.  His effort to find a consultant in his lower wage home country appears to have fallen through.

My 2 cents:  It's a volunteer opportunity.  Not clearly presenting it as such seems ... I understand your frustration.  Lots of non-profits rely heavily on donated labor - they aren't "expecting it", they are hoping someone will volunteer for it.   My old company had various mentoring programs - purely voluntary and uncompensated, but the commitment was less; fully agree that one stands out an anomalously large and extended commitment. 

• Could be a rewarding and interesting gig for a retired person.
• Assuming the organization serves the public it could feed the "service" and/or "community outreach" component of a promotion/tenure package for an academic faculty member.  My old academic department used to work with local secondary school teachers - no direct compensation but as faculty you receive salary for teaching, research and service - that project was recognized in career advancement (to some extent). 

Writing in the spirit of venting frustrations among this supportive community. And in bafflement.

Subject line says it all.

I just received an announcement from an academic organization seeking a "scholarly project mentor" for a 2-year engagement. Upon inquiring, the stipend/salary is zero. 

With suitable redactions, the duties would include:

Guiding XXXXXXX fellows through designing a scholarly project, submitting an IRB, conducting the project, and creating a poster. This is a rewarding role where mentors work closely with the fellows, helping them set a career trajectory that will incorporate scholarship. 

Scholarly Project Mentor Expectations:

    Attend XXXXX Annual Conference in 2026 and 2027
        2026: Attend one morning meeting and meet individually with mentees as schedules allow; attend fellows' poster fair
        2027: Attend fellows' poster fair; attend fellowship evening graduation
    Attend XXXXXX Conference in 2026 (if feasible)
        Meet individually with mentees as schedules allow
    Meet regularly virtually with fellows throughout the year to guide them through their scholarly project and poster
    Communicate regularly with XXXXXX Scholarly Project Director

Qualifications:

    Love of and experience with mentoring and scholarship
    Availability for conference attendance and regular meetings with fellows

That's a ton of work. Why does this organization expect someone to do it (let alone do it well) for free?  And this is not an isolated incident. I've encountered the same phenomenon three times in the past three weeks, from various parties (all academic in nature, loosely speaking.)

Thoughts? Experiences? Perspectives?

Putting on my economist hat. There is a  type of opportunity cost and a substitution effect. . First, to their defense,  organizations asking for "nearly" pro bono may not know the "going" or market rate for a statistician. And in some settings (this was a standard issue in pharma where I worked), there is a business or regulatory obligation to determine the standard or market rate. Sometimes, people in HR would do surveys of the going rate. That must be done with great care, as there were occasions where tech firms (I live near Silicon Valley) would collaborate and "set market rates for wages and salary" – when very poorly done, also called collusion or Illegal "no poaching" and settled with DOJ for $325 million https://equitablegrowth.org/aftermath-wage-collusion-silicon-valley/.

 In pharma, a concern was "lavish" consulting/contracting rates. Sending the MDs and spouses for a week on the beach, watching sunsets with rum cocktails in Tahiti, could be viewed as lavish, especially when pictures of the Tahiti event were on the front page of, say, the New York Times. 

For the nearly pro bono, they may eventually   "substitute" and find someone, possibly not a statistician, maybe someone who opened a statistics textbook to page 10 in college. Without naming names,  when or where it occurred, at least twice in my career, I have discovered that <not to be named> had an administrative assistant or secretary who could run, say, SPSS. And in that never-to-be-named galaxy far, far away, setting, I was once directly asked, "Why do we need a statistician when <the never to be named administrative assistant > could run SPSS? Don't you guys just hit a button and get the results?  c'mon How hard is that?"  or my career favorite "how do you guys calculate the mean of a Kaplan Meier?, WE need to do this by <impossible timelines> don't you split the data into alive and dead, take the survival for those that lived and those that died and calculate the average? "

Advice I absolutely don't recommend comes from someone I know who, in response to a pro bono request, advised, "I'm sorry, I don't work for charity."  The opportunity cost can be thought to be "they will find somebody somewhere to do the work at nearly pro bono rates." Professionally, there may be an ethics issue with taking the work. It's not just pro bono; they'll explain precisely how they want the statistical work prepared and the precise way to prepare the data, including the software you need to use.

For that never-to-be-named client, I checked their software manual and discovered that the software used a never-published-anywhere multiple comparisons procedure. I persuaded them I would use SAS or at the time S-PLUS. To their defense, they may have been instructed to "hold the line on the budget," or "you have $xx.x budget and no option for extra budget". And "we don't want people charging pharma industry rates. Our investors will get angry". And for a never-to-be-named project for a never -to-be-named client, there was the "calculation and summary needs to be done exactly the way we say:, and implied but not spoken- "its our way or the highway".  The scope needs to include something like what some musicians have with complete artistic control. 

 Alternatively, there may be an opportunity to explain variations of . "We'll look at your protocol. We suggest that you need a substantially more detailed scope of work. For example, you forgot to include checking and possibly correcting the data, and we may be able help you locate someone based on the accurate scope."...  In one project, I looked over the protocol and, for free ($0.0) provided them with a small number of table shells. And advised in as non-snarky as possible way, "this is what you will need to do. And I'm sorry, I'm too busy to help. If I run into anyone who might be able to help, I'll send them to you".  I will also occasionally check 'retraction watch" to see if I dodged the arrow.

I gave a freebie to a neighbor who occasionally asks me to do more work for free.  He simply doesn't have the money to hire a statistical consultant.  His effort to find a consultant in his lower wage home country appears to have fallen through.

My 2 cents:  It's a volunteer opportunity.  Not clearly presenting it as such seems ... I understand your frustration.  Lots of non-profits rely heavily on donated labor - they aren't "expecting it", they are hoping someone will volunteer for it.   My old company had various mentoring programs - purely voluntary and uncompensated, but the commitment was less; fully agree that one stands out an anomalously large and extended commitment. 

• Could be a rewarding and interesting gig for a retired person.
• Assuming the organization serves the public it could feed the "service" and/or "community outreach" component of a promotion/tenure package for an academic faculty member.  My old academic department used to work with local secondary school teachers - no direct compensation but as faculty you receive salary for teaching, research and service - that project was recognized in career advancement (to some extent). 

Writing in the spirit of venting frustrations among this supportive community. And in bafflement.

Subject line says it all.

I just received an announcement from an academic organization seeking a "scholarly project mentor" for a 2-year engagement. Upon inquiring, the stipend/salary is zero. 

With suitable redactions, the duties would include:

Guiding XXXXXXX fellows through designing a scholarly project, submitting an IRB, conducting the project, and creating a poster. This is a rewarding role where mentors work closely with the fellows, helping them set a career trajectory that will incorporate scholarship. 

Scholarly Project Mentor Expectations:

    Attend XXXXX Annual Conference in 2026 and 2027
        2026: Attend one morning meeting and meet individually with mentees as schedules allow; attend fellows' poster fair
        2027: Attend fellows' poster fair; attend fellowship evening graduation
    Attend XXXXXX Conference in 2026 (if feasible)
        Meet individually with mentees as schedules allow
    Meet regularly virtually with fellows throughout the year to guide them through their scholarly project and poster
    Communicate regularly with XXXXXX Scholarly Project Director

Qualifications:

    Love of and experience with mentoring and scholarship
    Availability for conference attendance and regular meetings with fellows

That's a ton of work. Why does this organization expect someone to do it (let alone do it well) for free?  And this is not an isolated incident. I've encountered the same phenomenon three times in the past three weeks, from various parties (all academic in nature, loosely speaking.)

Thoughts? Experiences? Perspectives?

My 2 cents:  It's a volunteer opportunity.  Not clearly presenting it as such seems ... I understand your frustration.  Lots of non-profits rely heavily on donated labor - they aren't "expecting it", they are hoping someone will volunteer for it.   My old company had various mentoring programs - purely voluntary and uncompensated, but the commitment was less; fully agree that one stands out an anomalously large and extended commitment. 

• Could be a rewarding and interesting gig for a retired person.
• Assuming the organization serves the public it could feed the "service" and/or "community outreach" component of a promotion/tenure package for an academic faculty member.  My old academic department used to work with local secondary school teachers - no direct compensation but as faculty you receive salary for teaching, research and service - that project was recognized in career advancement (to some extent). 

Writing in the spirit of venting frustrations among this supportive community. And in bafflement.

Subject line says it all.

I just received an announcement from an academic organization seeking a "scholarly project mentor" for a 2-year engagement. Upon inquiring, the stipend/salary is zero. 

With suitable redactions, the duties would include:

Guiding XXXXXXX fellows through designing a scholarly project, submitting an IRB, conducting the project, and creating a poster. This is a rewarding role where mentors work closely with the fellows, helping them set a career trajectory that will incorporate scholarship. 

Scholarly Project Mentor Expectations:

    Attend XXXXX Annual Conference in 2026 and 2027
        2026: Attend one morning meeting and meet individually with mentees as schedules allow; attend fellows' poster fair
        2027: Attend fellows' poster fair; attend fellowship evening graduation
    Attend XXXXXX Conference in 2026 (if feasible)
        Meet individually with mentees as schedules allow
    Meet regularly virtually with fellows throughout the year to guide them through their scholarly project and poster
    Communicate regularly with XXXXXX Scholarly Project Director

Qualifications:

    Love of and experience with mentoring and scholarship
    Availability for conference attendance and regular meetings with fellows

That's a ton of work. Why does this organization expect someone to do it (let alone do it well) for free?  And this is not an isolated incident. I've encountered the same phenomenon three times in the past three weeks, from various parties (all academic in nature, loosely speaking.)

Thoughts? Experiences? Perspectives?

Writing in the spirit of venting frustrations among this supportive community. And in bafflement.

Subject line says it all.

I just received an announcement from an academic organization seeking a "scholarly project mentor" for a 2-year engagement. Upon inquiring, the stipend/salary is zero. 

With suitable redactions, the duties would include:

Guiding XXXXXXX fellows through designing a scholarly project, submitting an IRB, conducting the project, and creating a poster. This is a rewarding role where mentors work closely with the fellows, helping them set a career trajectory that will incorporate scholarship. 

Scholarly Project Mentor Expectations:

    Attend XXXXX Annual Conference in 2026 and 2027
        2026: Attend one morning meeting and meet individually with mentees as schedules allow; attend fellows' poster fair
        2027: Attend fellows' poster fair; attend fellowship evening graduation
    Attend XXXXXX Conference in 2026 (if feasible)
        Meet individually with mentees as schedules allow
    Meet regularly virtually with fellows throughout the year to guide them through their scholarly project and poster
    Communicate regularly with XXXXXX Scholarly Project Director

Qualifications:

    Love of and experience with mentoring and scholarship
    Availability for conference attendance and regular meetings with fellows

That's a ton of work. Why does this organization expect someone to do it (let alone do it well) for free?  And this is not an isolated incident. I've encountered the same phenomenon three times in the past three weeks, from various parties (all academic in nature, loosely speaking.)

Thoughts? Experiences? Perspectives?

I do a lot of analytical work for free for a community agency--I sit on their board of directors, and I live here. I'm talking about something a little different---the seemingly widespread assumption that statisticians will work for free. Because it's simple? Effortless? I confess I don't understand.

I'll put my physician hat on for a moment. There are certainly altruistic and community-minded physicians who donate time to free clinics or what have you. We've all done it. But this solicitation was basically, "Take on these 6 (let's say; I really don't know how many fellows) patients. Handle their medical care for two years, including 10-12 annual visits for each of them, and rounding on them during three planned admissions to out-of-state hospitals. And along the way, train them as physician assistants."

I set my fees way below what I believe is customary. Why?  (1) I am retired from a long and rewarding career and have a decent pension. (2) I have a masters degree, not a PhD. (3) I want to stay engaged with the field. (4) my business model is to serve specifically public agencies, educational programs, and medical/social care agencies that otherwise would have no access to any statistical expertise and would basically be "flying blind" or making stuff up. I think it's important. But $0? Really?

Writing in the spirit of venting frustrations among this supportive community. And in bafflement.

Subject line says it all.

I just received an announcement from an academic organization seeking a "scholarly project mentor" for a 2-year engagement. Upon inquiring, the stipend/salary is zero. 

With suitable redactions, the duties would include:

Guiding XXXXXXX fellows through designing a scholarly project, submitting an IRB, conducting the project, and creating a poster. This is a rewarding role where mentors work closely with the fellows, helping them set a career trajectory that will incorporate scholarship. 

Scholarly Project Mentor Expectations:

    Attend XXXXX Annual Conference in 2026 and 2027
        2026: Attend one morning meeting and meet individually with mentees as schedules allow; attend fellows' poster fair
        2027: Attend fellows' poster fair; attend fellowship evening graduation
    Attend XXXXXX Conference in 2026 (if feasible)
        Meet individually with mentees as schedules allow
    Meet regularly virtually with fellows throughout the year to guide them through their scholarly project and poster
    Communicate regularly with XXXXXX Scholarly Project Director

Qualifications:

    Love of and experience with mentoring and scholarship
    Availability for conference attendance and regular meetings with fellows

That's a ton of work. Why does this organization expect someone to do it (let alone do it well) for free?  And this is not an isolated incident. I've encountered the same phenomenon three times in the past three weeks, from various parties (all academic in nature, loosely speaking.)

Thoughts? Experiences? Perspectives?

I agree - this is a common issue.  My Asst Dean didn't understand why I wouldn't work on a grant for free when my other colleagues were getting paid or buyout.  "Isn't that part of your job," he asked naively!

From (mostly academic) consulting that I have done, it's clear to me that people don't understand the time and value of understanding the problem, cleaning the data (often the longest part of the process), checking assumptions, considering alternative approaches, etc.  They really do just think that we need to click a few buttons and give them an answer.  And I can't imagine this will get better as GenAI does continue to take on some of those tasks.

I do a lot of analytical work for free for a community agency--I sit on their board of directors, and I live here. I'm talking about something a little different---the seemingly widespread assumption that statisticians will work for free. Because it's simple? Effortless? I confess I don't understand.

I'll put my physician hat on for a moment. There are certainly altruistic and community-minded physicians who donate time to free clinics or what have you. We've all done it. But this solicitation was basically, "Take on these 6 (let's say; I really don't know how many fellows) patients. Handle their medical care for two years, including 10-12 annual visits for each of them, and rounding on them during three planned admissions to out-of-state hospitals. And along the way, train them as physician assistants."

I set my fees way below what I believe is customary. Why?  (1) I am retired from a long and rewarding career and have a decent pension. (2) I have a masters degree, not a PhD. (3) I want to stay engaged with the field. (4) my business model is to serve specifically public agencies, educational programs, and medical/social care agencies that otherwise would have no access to any statistical expertise and would basically be "flying blind" or making stuff up. I think it's important. But $0? Really?

Writing in the spirit of venting frustrations among this supportive community. And in bafflement.

Subject line says it all.

I just received an announcement from an academic organization seeking a "scholarly project mentor" for a 2-year engagement. Upon inquiring, the stipend/salary is zero. 

With suitable redactions, the duties would include:

Guiding XXXXXXX fellows through designing a scholarly project, submitting an IRB, conducting the project, and creating a poster. This is a rewarding role where mentors work closely with the fellows, helping them set a career trajectory that will incorporate scholarship. 

Scholarly Project Mentor Expectations:

    Attend XXXXX Annual Conference in 2026 and 2027
        2026: Attend one morning meeting and meet individually with mentees as schedules allow; attend fellows' poster fair
        2027: Attend fellows' poster fair; attend fellowship evening graduation
    Attend XXXXXX Conference in 2026 (if feasible)
        Meet individually with mentees as schedules allow
    Meet regularly virtually with fellows throughout the year to guide them through their scholarly project and poster
    Communicate regularly with XXXXXX Scholarly Project Director

Qualifications:

    Love of and experience with mentoring and scholarship
    Availability for conference attendance and regular meetings with fellows

That's a ton of work. Why does this organization expect someone to do it (let alone do it well) for free?  And this is not an isolated incident. I've encountered the same phenomenon three times in the past three weeks, from various parties (all academic in nature, loosely speaking.)

Thoughts? Experiences? Perspectives?