Writers Unbound

The Non-Profit Discussion

After writing my ‘How to Write for Non-Profits’ post on Monday, I came across this post at Freelance Writing Jobs that has been generating a lot of talk.

Laurel Homer, who wrote the article, has had a good experience in non-profit writing. As she says, “I’m happy to report that nonprofits can be viable and profitable leads for freelancers.”

I’ve had the same experience; my non-profit work has been rewarding, both in payment, in learning, and the sense of participating in something bigger. Laurel calls it “a special feeling I get from nonprofit work. There’s a spirit of philanthropy among donors and staff as they strive toward a common goal. It’s pretty unique.”

The Jury Is Still Out…

Several commenters on Laurel’s article, however, have had bad experiences:

• Ann G. has “done non-profit work for years and gotten nothing in return other than a pat on the back.”
• Louise reports that her “attempts at volunteering at small non-profits were frustrating because the people running the place were frequently disorganized and unclear about their goals.”
• Brandi has investigated the non-profit sector and found “few opportunities for paid writing” and lots of stories of “money issues with them [the non-profits].”
• Therese says “there is absolutely no money out there right now for freelance gigs.”

But several others, like Laurel and me, reported good work experiences:

• Mara has “also enjoyed freelance success with non-profits” though she says that “pay is (relatively) less and project turn-around is longer than with my B2B clients.”(Love that name, by the way. My daughter’s name is Mara, too.)
• John Platt says “Good pay for doing good work that does good? Sign me up!”
• Susan found that “working a mid-sized nonprofit as an entry-level person gave me more opportunities to write than I would have had in many other industries at the same level.”

Is Non-Profit the Problem?

We have a fairly even split here. My experience isn’t vast, so I am not an expert at all, but it sounds like the experience depends on the organization. I’ve worked for a couple of non-profits; one was voluntary work, the other paid well. The volunteer work was in a field which interests me greatly; the paid work was interesting but not as much a passion. The people were professional, if a little disorganized and sometimes slow to respond. I take my experience, spin it in my generalizing machine, and spit out the basic message of my Monday post: Working for non-profit organizations is a good opportunity.

Others, who have had opposite experiences, would have written a much different post. Both sides are valid, as both types of experiences are real, and I think the issue is less about non-profit work and more about freelance work.
Some companies, organizations, and individuals view freelance writers as 1) subhuman, 2) happy with subsistence level pay, 3) existing only to complete “my” project, and 4) obligated to take any kind of job offered, on any kind of deadline, for any kind of reference, with only the vaguest of descriptions.

I Just Stabbed Myself in the Foot with My Own Pen

We’ve all encountered some of those people. And, I admit it, sometimes I have strengthened those assumptions by letting myself be treated as subhuman, by accepting an insulting pay rate, by dropping everything to accommodate a new, important, must-have-it-now deadline, and by bidding myself, my soul, my writing on sketchy projects for sketchy companies. The freelance market is huge, but it is saturated by bad jobs and by a lot of people trying to make it. Sometimes we just take what we can get, even though we know it isn’t worth it.

It’s a conflict I don’t know how to resolve. I need money in my bank account yesterday, but I want to build a collection of experiences and published pieces that will put me on a higher level of expertise tomorrow. The trade-off is constant. I try to take jobs that pertain to my areas of specialty, because that helps me long-term by establishing my credibility. Sometimes the available jobs, though, are way off in another field, and the choice is write fluff for a so-so endeavor or make no money for a week.

I’m interested in how other writers make these choices.

What is your standard for accepting work?

For more insight into the non-profit freelance writing world, look here:

• Kivi Leroux Miller runs two helpful sites about non-profit writing: Freelance Writing for Nonprofits and Nonprofit Marketing Guide. Relevant to this discussion: her posts “Working for Small Nonprofits: The Money Dilemma,” and “Freelancing for Nonprofits: Tips for Starting Out.”
• MediaBistro offers an artilce on how to “Turn Nonprofit Work Into Editorial Profit.”
• Chris Marlowe at Find Freelance Work asks “Is the Non-Profit Niche for Copywriting All It’s Cracked Up to Be?“