Question on Pro bono work, when starting new business.

If you have the extra time, then why not? As long as all you are investing is a little time. To gain experience and a little exposure it might be a good idea.

You also maybe able to negotiate a reduced rate instead of free. This can be an opportunity to work on your negotiating skills. While they are looking for something for nothing, they wouldn't ask if they didn't need it.

Again I would only do this if you have the extra time and it won't cut into your own cash flow positive work, unless you feel passionate about the non-profit.

Pro-bono work is a great way to do amazing design work that you might otherwise not get to do. As a designer myself, I'd say that it can be a great way to beef up you portfolio and gain recognition for your work, as well as a cause you believe in.

My only caveat: don't take on so much pro-bono work that it leaves little room for paying clients. Ideally, I would recommend that you meet your financial needs first, and then fit in pro-bono where possible.

I agree with Jonathan, being cash-flow positive is your number one goal. Then, when possible, use that cash flow positivity to make a change in the world.

We do a great deal of pro-bono work. One, it's a good way to give back and sometimes the pro-bono is far more interesting and compelling. Two, we have also found that these clients make for great case studies. Three, usually the people involved with the org. you are doing the work for may also work in the for profit sector and can end up being paying clients.

All the best, Steve

Tough to get your business started with free work. You should try to get some form of compensation. I do like giving non profits a discount though. That can lead to other more profitable jobs. Art T.

I've done pro bono work for organizations for years - and it was a valuable tool when getting my business started nearly 30 years ago. You do need to make sure to put limitations on yourself and the client in regards to what you will and won't do. You'll find an article I wrote about doing work pro bono work at:

http://tinyurl.com/ywkval

I would also recommend contacting a local newspaper and ask if there do an article on your work once it is complete. It's a great way to show the community the work you've done and how you helped a non-profit organization out. Then the cash jobs will flow in!

Good luck!

Oh. Wish I had found this thread sooner. If anyone is listening, with our first (and still existing) business, Cat's Eye Group, we found pro bono work to be a great way to initiate a cause-related marketing strategy (finding a nonprofit or two whose missions fits with your business and focusing your pro bono work on that).

Although we do not give expecting to get a lot of exposure out of it, sometimes nonprofits will recognize us publicly (most recently at a dinner where we received an award and got a photo and story in the local newspaper). We don't give with that goal in mind, but it doesn't hurt when we get publicity.

As Giannina said, I would also limit my contributions (there are so many excellent nonprofits out there and they all need help!), so you have time to build your business, too.

When I first started my business I offered to design probono in exchange for referrals who actually signed contracts with me. So it had a value attached.

If you decide to do probono work, I would suggest breaking it down into what the value is in dollars (as if it was a paying client) and write up a quick agreement for you two to sign. It can be very easy for one side to lack while the other is doing the work as agreed (you.) So if you have something that states the agreement in specific terms "I will do this for you which holds a dollar value of _ and in return you will do this for me which holds a value of ___"

I like probono work but it has to serve a good purpose for my business, or be a challenge I haven't had yet. Does this all make sense? I sometimes suck at explaining myself haha

Pro bono projects should always be conducted as if they are a paid project. Project agreement in place, work process conducted in the same manner, etc. The project agreement defines how I will be credited for the work; if I am to receive membership, event tickets, or anything else as compensation; and all rights issues for usage of the image/materials designed. I always provide the "client" with a "Project Value" form upon completion. It's basically my invoice reformatted with "no balance due" at the end. It really helps for the nonprofit organization to understand the actual value of the work completed.

I never do "free" work for for-profit ventures.

I agree with Jeff as far as treating a pro bono project with the same respect as a paid project. We also provide an invoice with "Balance Due: $0," because they often don't know the value of the contribution. And we always have our company name printed on the piece ("design and copywriting by...").

The one exception is that we do not ask for something in return, nor do we draw a contract up. I think it's because we know these people so well and we are all members of such a tight-knit community. They are all really our friends, too. And we find that the word-of-mouth marketing we get from it is worth it in and of itself.

I would recommend doing some "free" or 1/2-price work to get started but only for the 'right' clients. When I started Lone Eagle, I gave a 50% discount to a few select clients: my son's school, the shelter for low-income Latino women, the local community theatre, the local Rotary. In other words, for those folks who were doing good in the community. I didn't (& still don't) offer that same discount to those big organizations with lots of cash that can afford it (Rotary does lots of good although they could also afford to pay). In return, my logo would be displayed on the banner, backlit display, poster, etc. that I produced for them. I didn't see much additional work come in as a result of that, but the little voice in my head told me it was still the right thing to do. Good luck.
Rick
www.LoneEagleDigital.com

I find myself agreeing with every comment above. We started with a lot of pro bono work: I initially did it with the intention of wanting to feel what it was like to have a really full and busy business.

None of the pro bono work turned into paying clients, and very few of them turned into referrals for paid clients. But it got the energy moving.

At the same time, make sure you are studying/learning/applying good sound marketing, so that you are starting to bring in paying clients, too, and figuring that out as soon as possible.

We do a lot less pro bono work now, and I'm a lot pickier about for whom I do it. But, we express our generosity by giving a lot of information away, now that we have it. And I find that giving information away leads to paying clients, in a way that pro bono work never did.

Interesting - over the past 30 years almost all my pro bono design efforts have resulted in paying work coming my way in some manner.

1. Several nonprofits have gotten grants to pay for future design services after initial pro bono efforts. One eventually put me on an annual retainer to do all their design work.

2. Numerous clients have come my way after doing pro bono work for organizations where they are a member of the Board of Directors or a member of various organization committees.

3. Many individuals - not directly associated with the nonprofits - have hired me to design work for them after seeing my efforts for a nonprofit in their local area. They've gotten my name from printed credits on programs, ads, posters, etc.; lists of sponsors featured at fund raising events, or by calling nonprofits directly and asking for info on who has done the design of materials.

I'm also VERY picky about who I do work for. I get multiple requests each month and always limit my acceptances to small, grass roots nonprofits focusing on causes in which I have strong personal interests or beliefs.

That's great, Jeff. I think part of what might have been going on for me is that I was brand-new in what I was doing, and my confidence wasn't there yet.

I was recently reading an article on how to write your vision and and mission statements when starting your business. The author emphasized that when you are passionate about your mission, it flows into other aspects of your life. So I try to do some volunteer and pro bono work, like speaking to church groups and charities in the community and volunteering at my local food bank about once a month. If, as previous posters have mentioned, you have some free time it's a great way to keep the energy going, try out some new ideas (no pressure when you're not getting paid!).

And, I was even told (check with your own accountant) that it can be a tax deduction for the valued amount of the service.

I think besides feeling great about contributing to an organization you believe in, it also gets your name and your work out there and you never know who will see what you have to offer!

Instead... refer them to Ocean Grand and let them set them up for $285. You can't beat that. (or if your feeling generous pay the $285 and send them to Ocean Grand.)

We found NonProfit set up very easy, inexpensive and as quick as 2 weeks through Ocean Grand http://www.OceanGrand.org.

The Ocean Grand staff is very knowledgeable in all things nonprofit and will even help an organization to learn to fundraise and grant write! They include Online giving.

Their nonprofit set up fee is pennies compared to other services and they also take care of all your accounting, bookkeeping, tax filings, independent audits, and even banking. It is like having your own administration staff leaving you free to do the nonprofit work and none of the paperwork.

They can also handle more complicated tasks like running payroll for your staff, image branding, print media creation, web sites, etc.

They are a breeze to work with and make nonprofit work even more enjoyable than it already is.

You owe it to yourself to check them out http://www.OceanGrand.org

They will even set up a nonprofit outside the US.

Providing "free" sessions as an Energy Therapist/Life Coach has come with lots of learning opportunities for me. I agree with much of what's been said and offer the following:

I found that when my confidence faltered (because I was just starting out and had very few clients) the pro bono work allowed me to remember that I'm really pretty good at this stuff . That in itself kept me motivated.

I also found that it was helpful to think of the experience as one in which there was an exchange of energy. I had to be "getting something out of it" - money, a testimonial, a referral, a chance to hone my skills, or the fabulous glow that just comes from authentic generosity. What I had to learn to be careful about was giving something away if I didn't really want to - a surefire road to resentment and absolutely unfair to the "client".

Sue www.gentlewindslifecoaching.com

Pro bono is a big word. I have found that studying the intentions of the groups has been important in selecting who we align ourselves with. We establish very clear and limited mandates and prefer reduced rate (even symbolic rates) to free as we have found that often there is no respect and no end to the work when it has no monetary value.

What has also helped is when the organizations had members leading or within corporations that we wished to get involved with. It has actually proven to be some of the best networking opportunities for our company and some of the most creative and value filled services for the organizations.

Emmanuel www.idxdesign.com

Finding the right fit in aligning your self with a non profit is first and foremost. Educating those involved with your pro bono work on the process and the value makes you and your experience more valuable. I highly reccommend pro bono work. Just be careful to not over commit. Also, set an annual limit that you are comfortable with and firmly stick to it. I know of one business that gets over 150 organizations requesting from them on a yearly basis. They have a policy that they select only 4 of those with a specific criteria.