It is sensible to plan well in advance, when deciding to volunteer as a group. In our experience, at least 4-6 months is needed: this gives the group organisers enough time to find members, create fundraising opportunities, disseminate the project aims to friends and potential donors, and adjust if some members drop out or fundraising is behind schedule.

Once a group confirms its intent to book the programme and we have the basic details, we can deliver a draft itinerary, together with a budget breakdown.

All project costs are based on the job being completed. We try to match projects to appropriate sized teams, with enough time to complete the job. But, groups do not always have the time to do this - it could be time constraints, or the work rate is slower than expected, or a smaller than anticipated group arrives. In these circumstances, there are a variety of options.

• our team can either begin the work so that the team can finish it during their stay; or
• the group begins the project, and our team can ensure the work is completed after the group returns home; or
• our team starts and finishes the project, with the group arriving during the process.

These arrangements may be agreed prior to arrival, but often it is circumstances occurring during the project which cause these issues. Please note that there are no refunds for project costs, as the project will be completed whether the funding group is still onsite or has already left.