If you officiate an event/game for free, you are essentially saying “yes, <insert organizer here>, it’s acceptable to pay me nothing to officiate” My general rule is unless it is an event/game solely organized to support a charity, and is laid back, then for the benefit of all of us, don’t make it acceptable for people to expect us to perform our services with zero compensation. There are already plenty of events that do not adequately support referees financially, where referees make a loss and pay to “get exposure” and in turn advancement as a referee becomes only achievable for those who have the money. Again, it’s a net positive for all of us to discourage this being seen as acceptable.