Thread by @ashleymwilcox

#Quakers, we're getting close to Yearly Meeting time! It has come to my attention that some YMs do not pay honoraria for speakers.

That's a problem! Here are some things to consider when setting your honoraria for YM speakers:

First, travel, registration, and room and board at the session are a cost for the yearly meeting, but they are not a benefit for the speaker.

If the YM wants someone to come in person for the annual session, this is the minimum the yearly meeting has to pay to make that possible. But going to the YM is not a benefit for the speaker. That is a working trip, and the travel and time there are all part of the work...

The amount of honoraria should not factor in those expenses.

Second, the YM should consider what the value is that the speaker brings. Is it the content of the talks/workshops? Or being there in person? Or both?

Doing remote speaking engagements has really helped clarify this for me. It used to be that, if an organization in another state wanted me to speak, that would take at least two days out of my schedule (travel to and from the event and the event itself).

But with remote talks, I can give the same content without having to leave my office.

If the YM values the content, they can give all of the money related to travel costs directly to the speaker and have them Zoom in to do the talks and workshops.

If the YM values the person being there in person, they need to give an honorarium that honors the amount of time the speaker is taking away from other paid income.

(This is in line with the practice of Friends minding the shop/farm of a traveling minister so that the minister would not lose income by doing the work.)

If the YM values both the content and the person being there in person, the honorarium should reflect the work and time that goes into preparing the talks/workshops and the time spent being there in person.

tl;dr: Pay your speakers, Friends. The speaker's time is valuable and YMs need to take that into account. #Quakers