Pro Bono – Several Guidelines for Web Designers
In the midst of Covid-19 (Corona Virus), we at JDS WebDesign hope everyone is safe, washing their hands frequently, sneezing and coughing on their elbow, and practicing social distancing. Over the next several weeks, we plan on blogging about making your website more business-friendly. We will have some tutorials on our favorite plugins and features, which will make your site more efficient.
Most web designers have created free websites or offer pro bono services. At our favorite watering hole (coffee shop), we meet a fellow web designer agency owner. She was huffing and puffing about a pro bono site, which she created. We discussed the site. It was a site for one of her neighbors, who had been out of work for several years. The site was a food blogging site, with ads and a donation page.
Upon reviewing the site, we began to look at the type of site and look at the time and place of creating the site. It was a well-thought-out site. Asking what the issues about the site or site owner, were a concern to our fellow agency owner. She advised the site owner that, was sending her blog posting daily (sometimes 2 – 3) and emailing or calling her if they were not posted. Finding a simple solution, we inquired if she had given the site owner user controls (administration, subscriber, author, and/or editor). The site owner had been provided with subscriber control, however, the site owner felt intimidated by WordPress. Laughing out loud, the site owner did not feel intimated…it was just easier to email or call.
The first sign of trouble!!!
When asked if she had received any payment from the site owner. She advised it was a pro bono site. The second moment of laughter. The site has domain registration (between $15 – $20/annually), web hosting ( between $40 – $500/annually), and miscellaneous (premium theme, premium plugins, security, backups, secured socket layer (SSL) for the donation page [ scrambles credit card information ], etc.) We discuss all the costs of the site. We began to write down all the expenses that were coming out of her pocket or her agency bank account.
The second sign of trouble!!!
She was on the hook for over $300 annually. That cost did not include the time which she was spending on the site (and the potential loss associated with working for a paying client). Our recommendation was to forward a letter to her client. It would outline the cost associated with the project and action plan. She would offer a 1-hour training session on how to update/create a blog post. She would monitor the site for the next 30 days, and give an hour a week for support. After 30 days, she would provide an itemized cost for her services. She would forward a monthly invoice for a domain, web hosting, security, SSL, backup, and maintenance cost to the client.
Problem solved or so I thought
Helping to craft the email and advised her to follow up with a phone call to the site owner. A few weeks later, she called me. Her neighbor (client) felt the cost was too high. She decided to move her site to a shared hosting account. The email and conversation had strained the relationship. Informing her to send something nice to her neighbor (cookies or dessert) and chalk this up to a learning experience. If you going to provide all your services for free, then you have to set boundaries.
She was very distressed at how a friendly gesture at took such a bad turn. We took out four quarters. Explaining the quarters represented paying clients. Telling her, to imagine if two quarters could pay all her living expenses. The third quarter would pay all business expenses. The fourth quarter was for any emergencies, vacations, and/or bad business months. Taking one quarter for pro bono clients, like her neighbor. She can pay her bills. She can pay her business expenses. However, no money for emergencies, vacations, and/or bad months. Then explaining now imagine if you have pro bono clients which take two of your quarters. Your business will be closing soon.
Pro bono does not mean everything is free!!! We are sure if her client understands all the costs associated with the site, then they would want to assist with some of the costs. If not, then there is always the solution of creating the site themselves…
Image Courtesy of Nick Saxby
JDS WebDesign is a Web Design and Brand Marketing Agency located in Marietta, Georgia. We create AWESOME on line presence for Start-ups and Influential People/Organizations. To learn more about us or how we can help you and your organization, you can contact us or schedule a meeting.
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