runDisney Announces Policy Change: No complimentary park tickets for 2023 Wine and Dine volunteers

[Demarke]

This is outside my area of expertise, but there’s a general explanation of the standards here:

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There seems to be several possible reasons why they could have made the change.

Perhaps they had an arrangement where the volunteers were classified as volunteering for the partner charity and not runDisney, thus allowing Disney to offer ticket incentives as an indirect benefit? Perhaps they had an accounting method to minimize the ticket value sufficiently below minimum wage (eg. instead of $115 value for a single day ticket, they took the value off the max one could earn volunteering for the year like a day portion of a 10-day pass)? Perhaps something changed with the change from RCID that made it harder to provide a benefit? Perhaps they had just been offering free tickets (like many golf courses offer free rounds to starters and such) in lieu of wages and ultimately got called out on it by a few folks and discreetly paid a settlement and changed the policy to try to avoid a class action? Perhaps it is just “a billion dollar company being greedy” like most of Twitter seems to think? Who knows!

 

[LAKid53]

Wouldn’t the race be the event for which they volunteered?

Which is organized and held on the property of the organization they are volunteering for. Many of these volunteers are with the various charities that the races benefit.

The only "gift" in this case that would violate the de minimis rule would be a gift card. Of any value.

Many volunteers work the entire race weekend staffing transportation buses to/from the race expo (4 days), buses to and from the races (usually the same person), expo itself, race mornings, etc. That's comparable to a 40 hour work week. Florida minimum wage is currently $11/hour. Disney's minimum wage is $15/hour.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Perhaps they had an arrangement where the volunteers were classified as volunteering for the partner charity and not runDisney, thus allowing Disney to offer ticket incentives as an indirect benefit?

Which is organized and held on the property of the organization they are volunteering for. Many of these volunteers are with the various charities that the races benefit.

Unless things have changed in the last year, they’re volunteering for the Track Shack Foundation.

Perhaps something changed with the change from RCID that made it harder to provide a benefit?

Just no. They weren’t part of the transaction. They have no authority over such transactions.

 

[tissandtully]

I truly don't understand volunteering for a multi-billion dollar company to run their for-profit operation. Can someone explain?

 

[lazyboy97o]

I truly don't understand volunteering for a multi-billion dollar company to run their for-profit operation. Can someone explain?

You’re technically not. The events are largely outsourced to the Track Shack Foundation which is a local group (associated with the store of the same name) that puts on running events at Disney and elsewhere. It’s actually not an uncommon arrangement with public sport activities held at private venues.

 

[LAKid53]

Unless things have changed in the last year, they’re volunteering for the Track Shack Foundation.

It depends on what they are volunteering for during race weekend. The Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is the designated charity for W&D. Some volunteer through that organization. There are thousands of volunteers.

 

[tissandtully]

You’re technically not. The events are largely outsourced to the Track Shack Foundation which is a local group (associated with the store of the same name) that puts on running events at Disney and elsewhere. It’s actually not an uncommon arrangement with public sport activities held at private venues.

But Disney still makes money from these events right?

 

[lazyboy97o]

It depends on what they are volunteering for during race weekend. The Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is the designated charity for W&D. Some volunteer through that organization. There are thousands 9f volunteers.

Even then, that doesn’t meet the criteria you outlined.

 

[DopeyRunner]

As someone who has run in more than a dozen runDisney events (I’ve honestly lost count now), anything that might impact volunteer #’s is disappointing. One of the things that used to make the Disney races great was the whole experience (which includes volunteers).


They give away a couple of thousand tickets, but it guarantees people are in the parks, and that revenue loss is likely negligible when it’s all accounted for.

I bet this has to do with lower than usual attendance. My wife and I just booked our dinner reservations for wine and dine race weekend and haven’t seen so many options open since dopey 2018.

 

[JohnD]

This isn’t the first time the benefit has been reduced.

runDisney pares back complimentary full-day ticket to half-day for volunteers

Article from the Orlando Sentinel - "After helping runners at Disney World’s runDisney marathons in shifts that can run eight hours or more, volunteers looked forward to receiving a complimentary full-day ticket to Disney’s theme parks in return. But that changed last month, after volunteers...

forums.wdwmagic.com

The tickets given to Track Shack were not part of the operating participants employee benefits program. That program is not going away. There are no actual issues with the program.

Okay, just an honest thought. I'm not pursuing this line of argument further.

 

[LAKid53]

But Disney still makes money from these events right?

Yes. Millions of dollars from registration fees, race merchandise, resort hotel rooms, park merchandise, park tickets, food, beverages. Depending on the race weekend, there can be an extra 30,000, 40,000 guests. Many runners bring their families and/or friends with them.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Yes. Millions of dollars from registration fees, race merchandise, resort hotel rooms, park merchandise, park tickets, food, beverages. Depending on the race weekend, there can be an extra 30,000, 40,000 guests. Many runners bring their families and/or friends with them.

Sounds like they can afford to compensate their labor force with actual wages, then.

 

[Disstevefan1]

runDisney Announces Policy Change: No complimentary park tickets for 2023 Wine and Dine volunteers

runDisney Announces Policy Change: No complimentary park tickets for 2023 Wine and Dine volunteers

www.wdwmagic.com

This is perfectly fine by the volunteers and runners apparently.

Disney previously cut the tickets to half day tickets and when I voiced my opinion that I thought this was very bad thing to do to their volunteers, I got flamed.

Therefore, this time, I have no opinion.

 

[LAKid53]

As someone who has run in more than a dozen runDisney events (I’ve honestly lost count now), anything that might impact volunteer #’s is disappointing. One of the things that used to make the Disney races great was the whole experience (which includes volunteers).


They give away a couple of thousand tickets, but it guarantees people are in the parks, and that revenue loss is likely negligible when it’s all accounted for.

I bet this has to do with lower than usual attendance. My wife and I just booked our dinner reservations for wine and dine race weekend and haven’t seen so many options open since dopey 2018.

Which was the 25th anniversary of the Marathon

Doesn't make sense. Giving a volunteer a one day ticket to any park could potentially generate more in food, beverage and merchandise purchases than the value of a ticket.

All 3 races are sold out. So the availability of ADRs may not be due to runners, but people who don't want to pay Disney prices. Or who don't want to visit the parks during race weekend. How many complaints have we seen on this forum from guests regarding road closures, crowds, etc. Even though Disney now provides notification on their website and in your resort room if staying on property.

 

[LAKid53]

Sounds like they can afford to compensate their labor force with actual wages, then.

They do for the Anaheim races because CA law changed.

People volunteer because they enjoy doing so. The ticket was a nice treat. Many are runners not participating in that particular race weekend or maybe only running one race. Many have been volunteering for years. Like the lady who staffed the transportation buses at WL.

When I decide to partially retire from race weekends, i.e., not run every race for 3 of the 4 weekends, I will probably volunteer for the race mornings I don't run.

rD also has to pay for FHP for traffic control, for the charter buses & drivers that ferry runners to/from WWoS for both the Expo and to/from resorts to the staging areas and finish lines race mornings. Along with rD staff.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I truly don't understand volunteering for a multi-billion dollar company to run their for-profit operation. Can someone explain?

The running community is a tight knit community, most races across the country depend on volunteers, and many (if not most) of the volunteers are members of that community or friends and family of the runners.

 

[jaklgreen]

Interesting, are you a CPA? Because I am, and the IRS says that this type of compensation is a taxable fringe benefit.

Just value the tickets at $100 and it won't be taxable. Call them "special race tickets" or something like that. Lots of ways to get around this stuff.

 

[surfsupdon]

I find all this fascinating.

Am I wrong to see the loss of the ticket as just another cut? The company has been cut happy as of late, especially when you compare early runDisney to current runDisney.

 

[Minthorne]

I find all this fascinating.

Am I wrong to see the loss of the ticket as just another cut? The company has been cut happy as of late, especially when you compare early runDisney to current runDisney.

A cut - and probably a hope that the volunteers end up paying for tickets instead.

New Disney World tag line:

 

[GimpYancIent]

This just makes DISNEY look cheap. Not an issue that will cause Disney financial stress by giving out some park passes. Not a good look.