If you’re like me, you’re probably a busy person. Between that cup of vaguely foul coffee in the morning to the evening glass of water, wine or fudge ripple ice cream, your day is rife with strife.

Get up, get cleaned, shave whatever your society dictates should be smooth, jump in the car/grab the bus/get on the camel/in the canoe, combat traffic (are there camel-jams? I’m sure there are) struggle through work/school/daytime stress, make that mad fervent dash for lunch, try to schedule some bathroom time, fight the good fight for the cheap buck and do it all in reverse after the noon hour.

So, in honor of those who already work themselves ragged and still say “sure, I’ll do some pro bono…where can I find some?” Here’s your resource list.

Volunteer Organizations

This is a no-brainer. Remember the volunteer vs. pro bono conversation? While they’re not the same thing, they’re good bedfellows. A little advice though: the larger the organization, the more likely they’ve got their own design resources. In other words, don’t call up your local Red Cross and offer to redesign their logo.

You could spend days searching for the right group to work for; fortunately there are plenty of design industry groups on the web that have done a lot of the footwork for you.

Design Industry Specific Volunteer Groups:

• CreateAthon® A 24-hour, work-around the clock creative blitz during which local advertising agencies generate advertising services for local nonprofits that have little or no marketing budget.
• Designers Without Borders Founded in Kampala, Uganda in 2001 in response to the need for assistance at the Margaret Trowell School of Industrial and Fine Arts. DWB continues to deliver technology, instruction, and design consulting to schools and select non-profits in Africa.
• Design for the World An international humanitarian organization whose objective is to match the skills and commitment of volunteer designers with the needs expressed by disadvantaged populations and the organizations that serve them worldwide.
• Grassroots.org Provides nonprofit organizations with free valuable technologies and resources to increase their efficiency and productivity, and spreads important social information via a network of socially-focused websites.
• ICT Hub Suppliers Directory ICT connects voluntary and community sector organizations in England with suppliers of ICT products and services.
• iT4Communities Introduces volunteer IT professionals to charities needing IT help.
• Project M Founded by John Bielenberg, this group works to inspire young graphic designers, writers, photographers and other creative people that their work can have a positive and significant impact on the world. Their projects have taken them across America and the world.
• The Designers Accord A coalition of design and innovation firms focused on working together to create positive environmental and social impact.
• The Taproot Foundation Taproot asks volunteers to donate 3-5 hours per week on a 6-month pro bono project; most work is done virtually, with a weekly conference call with your team and one in-person meeting per month with your nonprofit client.
• WonderRoot An Atlanta-based non-profit organization committed to uniting artists and community to inspire positive social change.
• Worldstudio Foundation Guided by the belief that creativity holds enormous power for social change, Worldstudio Foundation offers both scholarships and mentoring for young creatives.

Volunteer Directories:

• energizeinc.com Websites for Volunteer Opportunities.
• Non-Profit Career Network: directory of Professional Services This directory contains a list of nonprofit organizations and their contact information in an easy access directory.
• The Australian Directory of Not for Profit Organisations Pro Bono Australia’s Directory of Not for Profit Organisations is designed to be used as a national guide to giving. It’s available online and as a booklet.
• The Global Directory Randy Tyler’s Global Directory of web sites that list online volunteer opportunities is organized by country of origin.

Volunteer Organizations:

• CoolPeopleCare A site that lists meaningful events in nearly every American city, including 5k runs, volunteer opportunities, lectures and fund-raising dinners.
• 1-800-Volunteer.org A national (US) database of volunteer opportunities powered by a volunteer management system for non-profits.
• idealist.org Idealist is a project of Action Without Borders, a nonprofit organization founded in 1995 with offices in the United States and Argentina. Idealist is an interactive site for people and organizations to exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives.
• NetAid Educating, inspiring and empowering young people to fight global poverty. NetAid is an initiative of Mercy Corps.
• Online Volunteering Opportunities Provides an opportunity for the general community to participate in meaningful volunteer roles to enhance agency programs and services.
• Pro Bono Australia Volunteer Match is Pro Bono Australia’s specialized service matching skilled professional volunteers and not-for-profit organizations. (Check out their Australian Directory of Not for Profit Organisations).
• Media Trust Media Trust is a dynamic, innovative charity bringing together the media industry and charities.
• UNV Online Volunteering The Online Volunteering service connects development organizations and volunteers over the Internet and supports their effective online collaboration.
• Volunteering England Volunteering England’s mission is to support an increase in the quality, quantity, impact and accessibility of volunteering throughout England.
• VolunteerMatch: Pretty much defined by their name, VolunteerMatch is a U.S. - based site that brings people and volunteer opportunities together.
• Volunteer Match - Pro Bono Australia A specialized service matching Skilled Professional Volunteers and not-for-profit organisations in Australia.
• Volunteer NOW! Volunteering New Zealand.

Tip: Before you agree to donate time to a non-profit organization, make sure to do a little research at Charity Watchdog.

And if the shoe doesn’t fit in any of these categories…

…then head out on your own. No design organization in your area? Why don’t you start one with some classmates or fellow designers? Pool your resources and create a pro bono organization dedicated to serving local nonprofits and volunteer groups. The possibilities are there if you reach for them. It’s a great way to get experience in both networking and leadership skills, both of which look great on your resume.

Tip: If you don’t know where to start, Care2 supports an Action Alerts list.

Designer-Generated Projects:

• Beyond Graphic Are you beyond graphic?
• Blog Action Day One issue. One Day. Thousands of Voices.
• Building Letters Launched in 2003 by Jim Richardson, the group has donated profits from the sales of their 36-page magazine on African design to support two African orphanages for children with AIDS.
• Design Can Change Graphic designers unite to address climate change.
• ROSA LOVES ♥ Designed For Good A group of friends with a vision who want to make a real impact in this world.
• veggiebrands.com The first branding resource dedicated to those who own or work for vegetarian organizations, products, services and causes.

Funding for Designer-Generated Projects:

• Audi Design Foundation Seeks to encourage and empower designers by supporting and promoting designs that create a positive change in people’s lives.
• Sappi Limited - Initiatives | Sappi Ideas that Matter ‘Ideas that Matter’ is a program from the paper product giant that supports design for the public good. Monetary grants are available for designers throughout the world to create and implement projects that serve the causes that are closest to their hearts. In their words: “We want to encourage ideas that have the potential to change our lives, our communities, and our world.”

Design Organisations

Today I got an email from a printer with some color questions about a logo I designed. I asked her how she got the gig; she found it on her local design chapter job forum after a 30-second search! If you have a strong local or national design organisation that’s active in your area, you have access to a wealth of paid and pro bono opportunities.

Now there’s a caveat to this advice: Don’t EVER offer to do a paid job listed on these sites for free. That’s called “taking food out of someone’s mouth,” and if you try to pull that kind of stunt you’ll have to change your name and leave town in the middle of the night.

To find a design organisation in your area: Icograda (International Council of Graphic Design Associations) is a good place to start, as is your local design school. Again, head for google and your local yellow pages.

Art Schools

I’m lucky enough to live in a region that’s chock full of universities, colleges and art schools. And these schools receive hundreds of requests for design or creative help every year. Google your community and find out where these schools are. Go have a look at their community announcement boards. Not everything is on the web, and the things that are posted on the Net receive exponentially more inquiries. Remember; you’re looking to help someone who needs to move beyond the photocopied flyer. An added bonus for those of you still in college: you might be able to take one of these jobs as an independent study for college credit.

Community Groups

I can’t say it enough: your local chamber of commerce is a source of good information for many industries in your area. Get in there (in person), grab a fistful of newsletters(new and old), and read up about your community. You’ll find events to promote, names to know and people to see. Find out when they have their next meeting. Become a member or just be a groupie. Take some business cards with you.

To find your local chamber: Googling’s a good start, but you can also use ChamberFind.com, or look in your local yellow pages.

Business and Social Networking Sites:

Finding a decent pro bono project will take networking to some degree (but you already knew that, right?). Businesses and business owners who frequent networking sites are your business target market, so it makes sense to go where they go, right? Put the word out that you are looking for a pro bono project and be clear exactly what that means. Plenty of networking sites are inundated with “special deals” that turn out to be spoofs or scams; word your intentions clearly so people know you’re one of the good guys.

If you want to increase your opportunities, consider joining one of the networks listed here. Mingle with like-minded professionals and find your perfect pro bono project. Who knows? You might accidentally end up with a paid job instead!

• Biznik Business Networking that Doesn’t Suck.
• Ecademy Free membership and guarantee of privacy makes Ecademy a good networking site
• Facebook I’ve just suggested a ‘Pro bono Designers’ network on FB and I’m waiting to see if they agree …
• Fast Pitch bills itself as “a one-stop shop to network and market your business.”
• Konnects Business Networking, Professional Network, Online communities.
• Linkedin An excellent site that allows you to connect with anyone you know, plus the opportunity to be introduced to those you don’t.
• Ryze business networking Ryze allows for business and social networking on one convenient site.
• Viadeo The business network chosen by Over 2 million professionals online. Available in Dutch, English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portugese
• ZaaBiz One of Australia’s leading networking platforms.
• Wikipedia List of social networking websites.

Finally, and most important to any pro bono enterprise, is to go where your heart takes you. Maybe you’ve got a child with a medical condition, or an illness of your own that needs more public awareness. Perhaps your neighborhood needs less crime and more playgrounds. Charity starts at home, and volunteerism leads to pro bono work. Lead from your heart, with your head in the right place, and you can’t lose.

Next up, Working With a Pro bono Client: Part One.

This series is dedicated to the exploration of pro bono practices: from how to find the non-profit client, understanding the expectations of not-for profit work, setting up contracts to protect both parties and the successful (and not so successful) ways to educate yourself and your client on how creatives can and should work together to the benefit of all involved. Along the way we’ll include international design experts, research and statistics, etiquette and most importantly, how to be part of the solution. Stay tuned and let your voices be heard.

Thomas (Tom) Stephan | Director of Something Clever
BoDo Author | Dyer Straits | Working Pro bono

Normally I write for the creatives, but this one…this one’s for the clients. Print it out and staple it to some foreheads…maybe even your own. Leave it randomly in the foyer of random offices, or tape it to the toilet paper dispenser in the bathroom.

Hello Clients. How are you?

You’re probably standing in the doorway of your in-house designer or at the workplace of a design firm, and you’re holding a post-it note saying something like:

“Need website with shopping cart,” or “Need complete business identity: Be creative!”

Hot tip: With a sadly lacking creative brief, you’re setting yourself up for a bad bad bad bad bad bad bad situation.

Just like asking God for a hairy chest when I was 11 years old.

I prayed to God that I might have chest hair like Tom Selleck. All the ladies loved the chest hair, so I said “God?”

“Yes, Tom?”

“I want body hair; I’ve been a good boy.”

“I know, Tom, and verily I say unto thee, that thou shalt have thy wish in abundance. Let there be a whole forest of hair, sprinting nimbly up and over your shoulders, down your back and deep into the crack of your hiney….”

“Um…wait….God…wait, um…”

“And let this back hair be patchy and weird-looking. And so that you may always enjoy it, I grant you extremely sensitive skin so that any attempt to remove the hair will be met with waves of viciously nasty hair bumps.”

“Whoa…whoa there, God…settle down…”

“And may the hair on the back of your neck connect with your beard, so that you may wear a helmet of unsightly fuzz with two convenient ear-holes.”

“Okay, maybe I should be a little clearer when I…”

“And so that you may hear the sound of your hair growing, I give you tufts of hair in your ears, too. Am I not a giving God?”

“Um…technically, yes…”

“Well good. I have a squash match in ten, so I’ll catch you around. Have a good one and..uh…stay warm!”

*sigh….

The point is, clients…creative briefs are not meant to be THAT brief. So pretty please, start writing more stuff on your post-it note. Use both sides even.

Graduate to a whole sheet of paper. Include things like due dates and ideas of your own, maybe a company overview, a history, a few samples of your existing stuff.

Because if you don’t…well, let’s just say that if you’re not clear enough in saying what you want, your designers will try valiantly to fill in those blanks for you.

Now, it might end up fantastic and wonderful and life-affirming, or … you too could end up waxing hair out of your ears for the next 50 years.

Thomas (Tom) Stephan | Director of Something Clever
BoDo Author | Dyer Straits | Working Pro bono

On any given day there are a ten thousand websites floating the latest, greatest way to identify a new client, market yourself successfully, or get ahead of competitors, regardless of your business of choice. Half those sites are focused on the small business owner. Some articles recommend marketing to a certain age group, or industry, or zodiac sign.

However you choose to conduct your business, one thing remains constant: seek out clients that will pay you for your work. Pro bono situations adhere to this rule as well. Yes, you’re not getting cash, but you are getting something (remember our mantra: always get something back?) in return.

Here’s a quick and dirty list of businesses and organizations that often ask for pro bono work:

• Religious Organizations (Some churches have social service arms that serve thousands or even millions of people)
• Churches (There are many definitions of a church. Some are better picks than others for pro bono work)
• Social Service Agencies (This is an umbrella term; once again, choose wisely)
• Foster Care Agencies (non-state funded)
• Adoption Agencies (that are not state-funded)
• Community Projects (Initiatives to build a neighborhood park or garden area)
• Community Theatres/Playhouses
• Public School Projects (United States educational systems are often woefully underfunded in the promotional areas. I’d love to know how it’s handled in other countries)
• After-School Programs (subsidized or unsubsidized)
• Shelters for Children/Adults/Animals

The list is not endless, but it is varied. I’d love to hear other people’s pro bono lists; I’m sure I left quite a few off. And your initial choice may be wholly dependent on your personal experience. Perhaps you’re a lucky adoptive parent, or someone whose faith and spirituality includes service to your church or community. Maybe your daughter or son is playing third spear-carrier from the left at the little theatre down the road, and they’re in need of a poster or a media release. When in doubt, remember that you’re more likely to do good work when it’s something you’re passionate about.

What Pro bono clients are not.

New Businesses are not pro bono clients: I can’t stress this enough. Looking through the latest information from the Small Business Administration (SBA) you can see that 33 percent of new employer establishments survive less than two years, while 56 percent survive less than four. Contrast these numbers with, say, your local Buddhist temple, part of an organization which managed to survive those first rough years in 500 BC and has since enjoyed 2,500 years of success, with 350 million clients worldwide. Whereas, if a small business owner is actively courting pro bono work, then they’re already operating on a very poor business model.

Similarly, competitions are not pro bono work. Any competition requiring the creation of new work for little or no reward should raise the red flag right away. Reputable design competitions are easy to spot because they focus on the submission of previous work. Examples include: American Inhouse Design Awards, European Design Awards, PRINT’s Regional Design Annual 2008, HOW Competitions and a new one, Logo Design Love Awards by David Airey (thanks Jeff!). Ethical competitions are incredibly fun, but they are not pro bono.

Finally, and most darkly, there is the murky world of speculative design. When we’re in the presence of our mom, we call it ’spec work,’ and when we’re amongst other designers we call it a host of nasty names. In a nutshell, spec work is the anti-pro bono; it’s where somebody decides that they’re going to hold a contest to see who can make the best logo for their business, with the compensation of…nothing, or even worse a free T-shirt with your logo on it. It’s like winning a cake that you baked because it was so darned pretty. If you see a business or non-profit holding a spec contest, here’s a tip: Make a logo, print it out, iron it onto a shirt and wear it around town. That way, you’ve already won.

What makes a good pro bono client?

There are a lot of places that could benefit from pro bono work. One of the easiest ways is to check out their website. An organization with a well-designed website chock full of excellent images, good text and a regularly updated information set is probably not your target, as they’ve got a working system in place. An organization with a hideous, poorly laid out design, misspelled text, stolen graphics and pop up windows might garner sympathy votes, but be wary; the condition of a website might be indicative of the entire organization.*

An organization without a website, or one with a well-intentioned MySpace page or blog is often a good prospect, as it shows desire if not technical proficiency. Visit their offices, request promotional materials, look at their public profile via newspapers or public service announcements. Talk to people about their experiences with various groups. Don’t fall into the trap of the pity-job that comes from groups that operate in the fringe of bankruptcy or have management nightmares. Any organization that can’t afford to make payroll is not a good prospect. A good pro bono prospect has organizational skills, good management and a dedication to good work like any for-profit organization. Charity, like volunteerism, is nice, but it’s not what you’re doing here.

After you’ve checked their web presence and any previous efforts in the creative field, you should determine if your potential pro bono client is receptive to assistance. Some organizations, especially larger ones, have very specific rules and regulations about their promotional efforts, including redesign or rebranding. Others have no pre-set rules and could benefit from them greatly. Your best bet is to start with their public relations person, marketing head or spokesperson. Some groups, especially churches or small non-profits, may not have a dedicated position in regards to marketing. In that case, it’s best to start at the top with the public face of the organization.

Send a letter stating your interest in their organization and a desire to help with pro bono work. Add your background, your resume and experience. Emphasize that you’re looking for experience and public service to your community. Show them samples of your work. Tell them you’ll be calling soon, and then call them up. Set up a meeting with them and bring your portfolio. Interview them just as much as they interview you; remember…you’re investing in this situation. Find out how much money they can put into this project. A website redesign is useless if they can’t afford to maintain it. Writing promotional copy is equally useless if they can’t cover the copy paper. Perhaps they’ll say yes or ask you for more information. Perhaps they’ll say no and take your card for another time. If you don’t land that first gig, then you’ve had a fabulous lesson in how to interview. Smooth out your interview suit and look for another opportunity.

If this sounds like a lot of work, it is! But it’s the same exact kind of trench-digging you’ll do when you’re looking for paid work. If you can aggressively pin down a free client, then a paid one should be no problem at all. Also, trust your own good instincts. A good pro bono client is like a melon. They shouldn’t be too hard-shelled and inflexible, nor should they be so mushy as to agree to everything you say. You should be able to smell the opportunity, and it should be sweet.

As this has been a long post, let’s rehash the important points:

• Seek out: pro bono clients offering a return
• Choose: a pro bono with similar passions as your own
• Pro bono prospects are not: new businesses, spec work or competitions
• Pro bono prospects are: non-profits (Religious Organizations, Churches, Social Service Agencies …)
• A spit polished non-profit: is a sure sign of being under the wing of a dedicated designer
• A poorly run non-profit: might be more than you bargained for, both in time and frustration
• A well run non-profit: has good organizational skills, trained management in place, and a dedication to good work
• Making contact with a non-profit: start with their public relations, marketing head or spokesperson, or the public face of the organization
• And lastly: treat a non-profit just as a for-profit - share your background, your resume and portfolio, set up a meeting to discover if there’s a fit.

Next up is a doozie of a list - Lead From Your Heart: Where to Find Pro-bono Work

This series is dedicated to the exploration of pro bono practices: from how to find the non-profit client, understanding the expectations of not-for profit work, setting up contracts to protect both parties and the successful (and not so successful) ways to educate yourself and your client on how creatives can and should work together to the benefit of all involved. Along the way we’ll include international design experts, research and statistics, etiquette and most importantly, how to be part of the solution. Stay tuned and let your voices be heard.

Thomas (Tom) Stephan | Director of Something Clever
BoDo Author | Dyer Straits | Working Pro-bono

If you’re reading this series, you’ve got the desire to do some pro bono. But it’s not always immediately clear to yourself, friends or potential clients exactly why you’d undertake a professional-level job without a cash return. So, let’s explore a few reasons why you might hoist your pro bono flag high, shall we?

Promotion

“Doing creative work for a local nonprofit organization can be a great way to promote your talents and abilities. I actually look at such projects as part of the marketing plan for my business.” | Jeff Fisher | Profiting from Pro Bono Creative Efforts

Imagine for a moment that you have the chance to run a full page billboard ad in the middle of town trumpeting your fledgling business, or put your work on the front page of a website garnering thousands of hits a day. Guess what: you can!

Your pro bono work, executed wisely and well, will broadcast your talents and skills more efficiently than a two line ad in the back of the phone book. And in truth, may be the cheapest and most effective way to advertise both your creative expertise and your business. It’s like hoisting a page of your portfolio across the sky — what a great opportunity!

And let’s not forget the most-quoted marketing phrase out there: word of mouth sells. Provide your client with quality and professionalism and the reward is a reference that can’t be beat.

Networking

Networking in any business is recommended as one of the best ways to promote yourself. But honestly, have you actually been to one of those ‘mixers?’ It’s HIDEOUS!

There you stand in some beige rented room at the local hotel, desperate to pass out your fistful of sweaty business cards. One by one, random humans stuffed into uncomfortable suits and boring ties in various states of ennui subject you to the same awful question, “What do you do?” followed by “Oh…okay…” In the end you’ve met 100 people just as desperate as you to find valuable connections.

Why not maximize your networking by targeting your pro bono work to an audience that will help you every step of the way. Like Mike Davidson did?

“One of the first pro-bono projects I involved myself in was the Seattle Show — the annual advertising and design awards for the Seattle area…I was able to meet and work with a lot of creative directors, art directors, ad agencies, and design firms around town. It has been a great networking opportunity and it only takes up maybe 40 hours of my time every year.” | Mike Davidson | How to Make Friends and Influence Art Directors

Effective Portfolio Puffing

Everybody pads their portfolio with fake-bakes; I have a few myself, and after a few years I retired them to the back of my filing cabinet. Why? Let me give you a hot tip: an interview for a creative position is, in major part, a determination of how well you work with others. Filling your portfolio with self-generated projects might make you feel accomplished, but to the person across the hiring desk is saying “I wish I could hire them, but I have no idea how they’ll react to criticism or real-life scenarios.

Pro bono work fills your portfolio with real-life problem solving situations and, as a bonus, gives you the upper hand over a waiting room chock full of people wielding finely crafted portfolios full of air.

“You need to demonstrate how you deal with constraint and the best way to get that is to work with clients. Good design, after all, provides a solution that satisfies both the needs of the audience with the requirements of the organization.” | Jeffrey Veen | The Do-It-Yourself Portfolio

Experience Gathering

Pro bono work as a means of gaining practical experience goes without saying, but what ices the cake is the chance to push the envelope. Paying clients will often dictate your creative process; pro bono clients are considerably more flexible.

“The reward for pro-bono work is not always just in heaven. Pro-bono designs do not have to undergo the rigors of marketing and research. And pro-bono jobs are generally more interesting and challenging than run-of-the-mill business assignments which are often driven by time-worn traditions and prejudices.” | Paul Rand | Pro-bono or No-bono

“The donation of my services has also led to greater creative freedom in many cases. The individuals involved in the projects are often very willing to admit the creative aspects of such an effort are not within their area of expertise. They are pleased to give creative individuals free rein to produce the best result - and often the work I consider my personal best.” | Jeff Fisher | Profiting from Pro Bono Creative Efforts

The Warm and Fuzzies

And finally, a well chosen pro bono project will make you feel good. Don’t take a pro bono job for any other reason. Don’t justify working for an organization you don’t agree with. Do bring your heart with you. Because when you sit at a hiring table, you’ll be able to say “I was committed to making a difference and really representing the voice of this project.” That sheer honesty will open more doors than anything else.

“Working pro bono was an excellent way to market my business while giving back at the same time. For instance, I designed around ten posters a year for the Brunei Music Society. Each poster had a credit line promoting my company. With creative freedom, one of the posters won first place in the American Design Awards and ended up in Jeff Fisher’s The Savvy Designer” | Catherine Morley | The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success: Ideas and Tactics for a Killer Career

“It can be a refreshing, fun, enlightening change …” | Jayne Cravens | Pro Bono / In-Kind / Donated Services for Mission-Based Organizations

“Pssst … there’s another reason for producing pro-bono work…especially on campus. It generates a warm pink and fuzzy vibe about your cooperative, caring and giving spirit - a vibe that will pay dividends over the years in the deliberations regarding promotion, tenure and annual pay increases. Uh. On the other hand, never mind. That’s too commercial. I do the pro-bono stuff because I’m… a sweetheart!” | Lanny Sommese | Beyond Commerce on Campus and Beyond

There are so many reasons and so many positive rewards. What will yours be?

Next time: Just Like Melons: Identifying your pro bono client.

This series is dedicated to the exploration of pro bono practices: from how to find the non-profit client, understanding the expectations of not-for profit work, setting up contracts to protect both parties and the successful (and not so successful) ways to educate yourself and your client on how creatives can and should work together to the benefit of all involved. Along the way we’ll include international design experts, research and statistics, etiquette and most importantly, how to be part of the solution. Stay tuned and let your voices be heard.

Thomas (Tom) Stephan | Director of Something Clever
BoDo Author | Dyer Straits | Working Pro bono

A member shall not work for a client or employer without compensation, with the exception of the occasional pro bono work for charitable purposes or for work performed for family members.

Quoted from “A Graphic Designer’s Guide to Pro Bono Work” by The Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario.

A volunteer rebuilds houses after a hurricane; a volunteer brings food to the invalid and housebound; a volunteer shelves books at a public library. All these people are working for free. What are they getting out of these experiences? The answers are as varied as the opportunities. Maybe we step forward to help our community. Maybe we feed the sick because either our family or ourselves were once in the same dire need. For some people it’s about serving a spiritual component of our lives. Whatever the reason, there is something gained on both sides. People have a home, a meal, a chance to learn something new, and we in return gain a free lunch or two, pad our college applications, have a moment of heart-filling ease that we have done something for our fellow man. This is volunteerism, and it’s a great thing.

But it’s not pro bono work.

Let me give you a minute to let that soak in. Ready? Good, let’s go on: pro bono, as defined by a quick trip across the Internet, is short for pro bono publico, a Latin phrase meaning “for the good of the public” or “for the good of the people.” In the United States it’s a favorite phrase of lawyers, who are often encouraged by the legal associations they belong to to perform a minimum of free legal work for those clients who either cannot afford legal services or for non-profit entities.

My first posting was called “The Subtle Art of Working for Free”. While it is tempting to see the title as a pithy catch-all or catchphrase, nothing could be further from the truth. There is, in fact, artistry in working for free. And therein lies in the difference between volunteerism and pro bono work. Confused? You shouldn’t be. Read on!

Here’s an example of classic volunteerism: You’ve got a few years of school under your belt, or maybe you’ve got a few years of working out there as some production-line designer, fixing those hideous Microsoft Word and free clipart T-shirts that somebody visited on you like a biblical plague. You’re at a point where working for yourself seems like a good way to go and somebody says “Our Church Youth Group needs a logo. You know, something catchy, something to impress the kids.”

Your heart leaps at the chance; after all, this is how you get your work out in the public, right? So you design and draw and erase and print and vectorize and show it and get the seven deadly sins of design from the owner: Apathy, Logo Enlargement, Impossible Detail, Poor Feedback, Napkin Sketches, Just-Copy-This-Idea and Death. Maybe not death. Nope. I’ll stay with death. In the end the logo shows up on the church flyers and you get a lot of people saying “Father Bob said you did that for free. Can I get something for free?”

This is volunteerism. The only thing you can really hope to get out of volunteering is a warm fuzzy feeling. And an ulcer.

I can tell you’re depressed. Take a minute, go get a drink of water and look up. Things are about to get better.

If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably saying “If only there were a way that creatives could market themselves, educate themselves and promote themselves in one package plan.” And guess what? There is. And now let me show you the bright shiny idea that is pro bono work.

Here’s an example of the Pro Bono experience: Your local church needs a logo for their youth group. “Something catchy, something to impress the kids,” is your direction. You say “Great!” Only this time, instead of going home and pounding out that logo, you go home and write up a contract for goods and services. This contract outlines exactly what you’re doing, how you’re going to do it, and a rough estimate of how much time and effort it’s going to take. You take that back and say “I am serious about creating an identity for you that will last longer than summer camp. Let me sit down with the teachers, a few of the kids, the church arm and talk about your needs.” After you get that contract signed, you launch into research, outlining the needs of the group and the needs of the community. You interview and process and come up with well-informed designs that will match the budget of this church, whether they’ve got the money for a little color or none at all. On top of that creation, you offer them a detailed bill of services that outlines the amount of money they might have spent on an identity in the creative marketplace. In the end you haven’t just handed them something you like or they like, but something they need. They walk away with a logo they helped to create, and you walk away with a new experience and an intimate understanding of the community you’ve served.

THAT is pro bono. That is “for the good of the public.” And the people who come up to you won’t ask you for something free. They’ll say “I heard you re-branded the church youth group. I’m working on starting a new company. Can we talk?”

Established designers, and for that matter most new designers fall into two separate camps in regards to pro bono work. One camp declares their work for non-profit or public organizations to be completely selfless, i.e., done purely for the social service aspect of the deed, with no desire for any return whatsoever. The other, more common group seeks real-life portfolio additions, tax write-offs, or even the chance to beta-test their own skills. Which category do you fall under? In a few weeks we’ll be posting a survey for designers who currently undertake pro bono clientele, and I’d love to have your input to add to this series.

In the end it doesn’t matter if you’re working for a church group, a non-profit organization or some enterprising startup. If you’re willing to commit to the same set of principles of design, education and excellence that propelled you through school or on-the-job training, then you’re on the path to success. Your pro bono mantra is this: always get something back, or you’re just a volunteer.

Next time, let’s talk about the the whys - the rewards and reasons of working pro bono.

This series is dedicated to the exploration of pro bono practices: from how to find the non-profit client, understanding the expectations of not-for profit work, setting up contracts to protect both parties and the successful (and not so successful) ways to educate yourself and your client on how creatives can and should work together to the benefit of all involved. Along the way we’ll include international design experts, research and statistics, etiquette and most importantly, how to be part of the solution. Stay tuned and let your voices be heard.

Thomas (Tom) Stephan | Director of Something Clever
BoDo Author | Dyer Straits | Working Pro-bono

It’s still winter, isn’t it?

I don’t know about you, but I get into some vicious melancholy around this time of year. The weather promises warmth and pulls it away. The clouds stubbornly refuse to yield ownership of the skies. Even in sunny climes there is a sense of dormancy. We bundle up our bodies and our minds, and occasionally the darkest thoughts whip through cracks in the door of our souls.

Maybe your inner voice is wondering if the client slowdown is all your fault, or the work keeps coming and you haven’t been able to take a break. Your clients are tired of the gray days and take it out on you, or you’re just marking time with the long, holiday-free stretch between Christmas-time and spring. You don’t want to clean the house because it’s just gonna get dirty. In the end you’re shuffling about like Mr. Badger, slippers down at heel, saying “I am exceedingly grumpy!”

Maybe it’s time to spring clean your brain a bit.

Let me help. Start by throwing out the negative and self-critical boxes. Put constructive criticism and to-do notes down on paper, then toss those boxes too; you can come back to them.

Take stock of your winter stores of ideas - those beautiful snippets and glorious failures, and put those right up in the front room of your mind.

Go out there and pull all the weeds in your brain that choke the goldfish pond and make the water of your creativity stagnate. Clean the filters, pour some fresh water in there. Scrub out the accumulated detritus of tired concepts and bad ideas. Compost them. As we all know, crap is useless unless it’s used as fertilizer.

In the end, you can’t do much about the weather. But you can open the drapes and let in the light, do a quick swipe with the dustrag and feel better about you, your work and your path to the future. You don’t want to spend that first glorious day of spring scrubbing the floor, right? Be ready to go out and play on that day.

If you’ve got some housecleaning tips for your business or your brain, share’em!

Ta,

TDS

Thomas (Tom) Stephan | Director of Something Clever
BoDo Author | Dyer Straits | Working Pro-bono

I’m blocked.

No, not that way. Plenty of fiber here. But I sit here, hunched over the keyboard with not a valid thing to say.

And it’s sad, really. I stare at my keyboard that I meticulously cleaned over a period of two days with a can of compressed air, a damp washcloth and a sense of great discomfort every time I dug something new out of the vaguely yellowing keyboard. For those of you who have never actually done this, it’s much like attending your senior prom…all proud, humbling and grotesque in one fell swoop. All I could think most of the time was “I understand the lint…I get the bits of Doritos and dust…but my God…did I really eat chili at this computer? And how often?”

But then suddenly, swirls of neurons sputter and fire, sputter and fire, like bits of paper caught in a blaze, and I realize that inspiration, the act of being inspired, is exactly that…a moment…a thought, a switch…the drawing in of a creative breath.

And now, I’m not so worried about being at a loss for words. Or design ideas, or any number of things. Creativity, like happiness, or diamonds, or a really good BLT, is precious because it’s not constant. Constancy is the death of inspiration.

I have two points here. One is obvious: Clean your keyboard more often than once every five years. The other is more vague, but still excellent advice: When you’re at a loss for that ‘eureka’ moment, wait for the wheel to turn your way. Think of it like chasing a ball, only to kick it away as your reach down, hands grasping. It may feel like you’re making forward progress, but the truth is you’re eventually gonna run smack into a real wall.

So, next time you can’t figure out the next logo, or the next business decision, or whether that’s chili or pad thai sauce…take a moment – grab a can of compressed air, and clear your creative space. Trust me. It’ll come back to you.

How about you? What do you do when the creative balls doesn’t bounce back right away?

Thomas (Tom) Stephan | Director of Something Clever
BoDo Author | Dyer Straits | Working Pro-bono

You have your design skills. You spent your time in the educational trenches having your work dissected, rearranged, put back together in new and inventive ways. Perhaps you’re making your bones as a graphic designer at a firm, or maybe you’ve taken the plunge into self-employment. Either way, you never forget the first lesson that every creative discovers from the moment they meet the first or five hundredth client through the door: almost everybody wants something for free.

We’ve all experienced it. A client arrives, bursting with ideas, dreams, sketches on the back of cocktail napkins, or sometimes only the desire to have ’something’ placed on a billboard, written in an advertisement, engineered into a website. They want a unique logo, a campaign, a catchphrase; and they don’t have a dime in their pocket.

And we’re not talking about the lubricious types of businesses. We’re talking about non-profit organizations who put too little faith (and funding) into the benefits of a well-researched identity. We’re talking about fundraisers that need an identity, or young startups that seek to change the world, but aren’t sure how to make their voices heard above the fray.

When you, the designer, set a price on your time, most of these clients wring their hands in shock. If you’re lucky you end up with responses like “How much, did you say?” or “Well, I can’t cover that.” Other responses are almost to colorful to put on the Web. The problem is, whether they respond with curses or handshakes, they leave your business trying to figure out what to do next.

And then it hits them: Let’s see if we can get something for nothing! Some of the more enterprising will contact a local university of design school and inquire about contracting a student for possible credits. Others hang a shingle on the front door braying “DESIGN OUR LOGO! PAD YOUR PORTFOLIO!” Others will go online and pay between $75-1,000 for a logo that ultimately has nothing to do with their organization. And they will defend their decisions by saying “Creative Firms are overpriced, they’re making a killing on the little guy, and I just need a logo to get started.”

In most industries, the concept of payment for goods and services seems fixed. Doctors do not accept word-of-mouth promotions as remittance. Rarely do you find lawyers drafting up pleas agreements in hopes that clients will choose them. Even children at lemonade stands clearly demand a nickel for that glass of lemonade on a hot summer day.

This isn’t a new series of comparisons, and yet, if you truly look at the state of the creative world, doesn’t it strike you odd to see graphic designers, copywriters, website designers and identity consultants pitching speculative designs over the walls of businesses both new and well-established in some desperate hope of acceptance? Hours of unbilled creative efforts are wasted in vain by designers involved in contests, competitions and various “pad your portfolio” offers.

And yet, if you take a stand and say “no, I will not work without compensation, as I believe it cheapens the industry,” there are a dozen designers standing behind you, willing to pick up the mouse and charge forward in the hope that they’ll be the next new design ‘name.’

On the opposite side of the table we have the clients, who have discovered that speculative work is the corporate version of “American Idol.” Ten thousand applicants, five vaguely talented hopefuls and an endless source of amusement and despair with every design that falls short of expectations. Sure, everybody loves watching American Idol, but it ain’t classy. It’s entertainment, but then again so was bear-baiting.

There has to be a better way, right? There has to be a way to bring talented designers together with desirable clients, to introduce both of them to the business-side of working with each other for the greater good.

Maybe there is. Maybe we’re here now.

And maybe, just maybe, It’s a thing called ‘Working Pro bono’

This series is dedicated to the exploration of pro bono practices: from how to find the non-profit client, understanding the expectations of not-for profit work, setting up contracts to protect both parties and the successful (and not so successful) ways to educate yourself and your client on how creatives can and should work together to the benefit of all involved. Along the way we’ll include international design experts, research and statistics, etiquette and most importantly, how to be part of the solution. Stay tuned and let your voices be heard.

Thomas (Tom) Stephan | Director of Something Clever
BoDo Author | Dyer Straits | Working Pro-bono