Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out, there are good reasons to take on free projects if you have the time. while the term Free It frequently refers to free legal services, and also applies to any free commercial services provided for the public good.
While it could easily be construed as work you do because you’re not busy, or because you may have an ulterior motive in believing that paid work will come as a reward, none of that worked for me. I do volunteer work out of a moral responsibility to perform pro bono services for a worthy cause. But I have to be careful that doing so does not offend any of my paying clients in any way, some of whom are not-for-profit organizations. For this reason, this work is always done discreetly without fanfare or public display of prizes.
It’s also easy to feel that such work devalues your services, since you’re giving up the work effort you’d normally pay for. In fact, you may feel taken advantage of by the people you are trying to help. Whether or not this is a justified concern, you will need to put those fears aside in order to fulfill the reason you agreed to donate your skills in the first place, which is to contribute to the well-being of society in your own way. Your motivation to put your best foot forward in this effort should have nothing to do with gaining fame or fortune and everything to do with providing a valuable service that you and your company can feel proud of. If anything else happens as a result, whether public gratitude or paid work in the future, that should be considered a nice reward, but certainly not expected.
In my earlier days my workload was so heavy that the thought of doing free work was completely out of the question. However, there were times when I had no choice and had to fit it in for, shall we say, political reasons. This means that I may have already been working with a VIP client (don’t all clients matter?) at a prominent company in the community and one of their favorite charities who needs marketing work for a good cause. Sometimes clients like this may pay for such services but more often than not, they hoped we would contribute our services for free for the benefit of all. And of course, we will comply, keeping the customer and charities happy.
In the current economic environment with so many highly skilled and educated people out of work, you would think that the need for free services would be dealt with by such a large pool of talent. Ironically, if you are classified as “unemployed,” it stands to reason that you may not be “qualified” or “valuable” enough as a resource available for free work. While this may unfortunately be a common misconception, it has led to constant requests for pro bono work from our company. Since I thrive under pressure and enjoy client services at which I excel, these requests boost my self-esteem even though they usually come at the last minute when I’m already busy with other urgent deadlines. The reason I’m satisfied usually has to do with knowing they tried to do the project themselves at home to avoid asking for my help but I had to admit there was no substitute for the inspiring professionalism we provide; Hence, their call for help was delayed.
However, I must make it clear that these requests come from a non-profit source to whom we have donated our services regularly over the past five years and always agree to continue without reservation. Why? Firstly, they first consulted us on the recommendation of their boss, a prominent realtor, with whom we were dealing at that time, for a comprehensive marketing plan, for which they paid the normal activity rate. They even implemented this plan over the next two years through other consultants in the area who donated their services. When they came back for more work from us, we offered to keep working for free. We clearly recognize that there are a number of good reasons why our pro bono efforts on behalf of this organization are worthwhile:
1. The organization is a large religious group that respects diversity and believes in inclusivity; Values open discourse, and strives for fairness in every way. They are committed to fixing the world, a responsibility that shapes their belief that social justice begins within society. Finally, they stress the importance of nurturing the hearts, souls, and minds of adults and children, through the finest educational opportunities possible. The organization is always seeking new members, and it is one of great personal dedication and affection. For these reasons, we are honored to represent their endeavors but we are not members of this organization, nor do we endorse their religion or any religion.
2. Their projects are large, challenging and interesting which gives our work a broad view in the community. Typical projects included large color advertisements and posters of notable artists; fundraising brochures and stationery; Membership brochures, banners. and a variety of press releases. Although we donate our services, the organization pays any necessary fees for printing, sign making, and media space.
2. We give complete freedom to express our creativity, marketing savvy and design expertise without the constraints or frivolity typical of some “paying” clients who may have a personal agenda or inherent frustrated desire to be an “artist”.
3. Most of the members of this religious non-profit organization are successful business owners or practicing professionals who spend countless hours of their and their family’s free time enjoying the programs and events offered and working towards the long-term success of the organization. This makes us partners working towards a common goal that they genuinely value. As a result, some of these members hire us to perform paid marketing work for their companies on an intermittent basis. However, we never actively seek their business nor expect anything in return for our free services.
4. Although we ask for nothing, we are given free advertising in their event programs which we design and deliver to ensure an accurate message is communicated. Perhaps such an advertisement is mostly an internal reminder to members that we are engaged professionally on a pro bono basis perhaps making it easier for them to refer us, if appropriate.
We have long recognized that a special bond has been formed with many of the members of this congregation as a result of the extensive research we conducted to prepare their initial marketing plan. We learned many touching stories about their love for this organization and its implications for their personal family history, many of which became the basis for initiatives recommended by us.
With around eighty families participating, the goodwill resulting from our unremitting efforts in the public interest has tremendous positive reverberations within the community. This kind of gratitude is something money can’t buy. But beyond this, the satisfaction we get from seeing our good work helping this organization to build a better world is absolutely priceless and far outweighs any remaining work we may get from its members.
So, why would a free service work? Because it is the right thing to do. and it’s enough.