… but then a really really great one comes along.
We do pro bono projects because we belive in them. Plain and Simple. Well, at least it starts that way - a simple, understated design, but a definite step up from our non-profit-of-the-moment's original site. Months later, hours of design and dev time later, paying-clients-schedule-pushed-back-to-accomodate-our-passion later, we come out with a beautiful project and a terrible story. But surely I jest.
Working with any client involves some give and take. At some point you can go back to
the RQD or the budget and say, “wait a second…”. With pro bono projects I’ve always
felt that its more like saying “no” to your favorite child. You hem and haw and justify it
to yourself before finally putting your foot down or caving to another request.
So when you’re in it for the love, not the paycheck -
- Find a way to think of it like any other client – I am admittedly the worst when it comes to this. I will make countless HTML edits, add photos in the CMS, do multiple training sessions with various staff members. Anything I don’t have to ask a designer or a developer to do. And then maybe I’ll ask them too. Most non-profits get that you’re doing the work for free, but they’re also used to working the angles and bargaining. Those puppy dog eyes come out and what are you to do?
- Make an RQD and stick to it – Yup. Just like with anyone else.
- Check the Tech FIRST – In my experience, very few non-profits have someone to advise them on silly little things like hosting environments and upgrading servers. Do your homework, advise them well, they’ll probably trust you, so be right. It will save you time in the end when your CMS starts working sans errors and they can upload their own photos.
The process is exhausting and incredibly rewarding. At the end of the day, after devoting
emotion and valuable resources, the intro notes of the motion graphics piece play and a
solitary tear slides softly down your cheek. You shake hands and leave the client,
thanked profusely (and sometimes not), with work you’re proud of, that the company is
proud of, that the client is proud of. You vow never to put yourself in that situation
again. Then from somewhere behind you comes – “Look at this adorable puppy I
found!”
~ Originally published on the BKWLD blog