Iraq Dinars, bills - Third part of Trilogy on Pro-bono

Time to take a stand! We can’t continue to ignore this situation (I don’t want to call it a problem). I believe as photographers we have to have an opinion about pro-bono work, and reasons to either do it or not. If you don’t understand what I’m saying, then you should go (back ) to the last two posts of this issue. Read them and then come back here…

Why we should not do pro-bono work
Advantages of working pro-bono

Today’s post is a mix of resolutions, advice, and links to keep you reading and considering this topic.

I have to say, though, that my opinion about pro-bono is a not a black & white situation, where you pick one side and the other is totally excluded. I’ve learned that in several situations in life, the answers are found in some middle ground or better said, “In the balance.”

Here are the two statements (the most important ones for me) that led me to my decision on how to address pro-bono work in my life.

1. I believe that working pro-bono can bring down the value of the industry… IF… it is done with NO purpose.

Why do you want to do pro-bono work? Is there a concrete reason? Is it part of your vision? If your answer is ambiguous, meaning that you do pro-bono work because you don’t know better, or because you think it is always “good” to do, then I have a problem with that type of approach to working pro-bono. I’m not going to re-write all the reasons why, read my first post. But, I can say that if you don’t pay attention to the reasons for doing pro-bono work, then the market goes down, the NGOs sticks to getting everything for FREE, they don’t look for a photographer that knows how to tell their stories, they’re missing opportunities for fundraising, and probably bringing down the quality of their imagery as well. Again, this will keep happening if we do pro-bono work for no apparently reason, with no purpose.

2. I believe that photographers should help and do pro-bono work… IF… there’s no other choice for the non-profit organization.

There are tons of causes out there with no money at all, and with a handful of volunteers trying to “save the world”. Well, they deserve the work of humanitarian photographers. They deserve good photography to tell their stories for FREE! Again, free from their end, but at a cost to the photographer involved.

It’s because of these two statements that I believe we should “balance” pro-bono work on our lives. We can’t simply reject it or totally embrace it without making distinctions about these two statements.

Tips

A Situation: As I said in the second part of this trilogy, most of the non – profit organizations in this world have a budget that covered their expenses and salaries. Not all the money that you may donate for a cause goes to the people in need. Sometimes, depending on the organization, a percentage goes to cover all their expenses. If you see that the non-profit is able to rent nice houses, have cars, cover airfare to their workers, receive good salaries, etc. I don’t see the reason why I should do my work for free! There’s no point in doing that, and the non-profit only keeps growing, not putting value on the work that we do and/or on the photographs that we shoot.

There’s even another class of non-profit outfits that work based on getting grants or projects, where donations or donors are not the main income. In these organizations, the value of a photograph is only for reporting back to the grant/project giver, and, of course, for propaganda. Sure, these organizations do a great favor to the world, no doubt about that, but they have better resources to pay for your work, and as they hire consulting firms for their projects, they should invest money in their imagery!

Tip: Next time when you approach a non-profit, make time to understand the ways they are supported, see if it is based on donors, grants, projects, depends on the local government, is part of an oil company that wants to do good, etc.

Tip II: Next time when one of their reps approaches you asking for pro-bono work, ask why, and then nicely ask if that person is being paid for doing their job. If the person volunteers for their cause, then it earned your respect right there, but if not, then they will understand why they need to pay for it. Most of the time they only need to be educated and see the advantages of photography for their cause.

B Situation: I hope that you have been working with signed contracts until this point.  If not, this is a great time to start. Not because you have decided to work pro-bono, but because without one,  you and the NGO have no responsibilities. You should talk about expectation from both sides, and what the outcomes of this work will be for both sides. Also, you have to understand what will happen to the rights of your photographs.

Are they going to be used only once by the NGO? For a lifetime? Can you post them in your blog? Can you sell them as stock? And so on.

Tip: Read this article written by Matt Brandon “Don’t be an Ass, get a contract.” You will find why is so necessary.

Tip II: Retain the copyright of your images and the right to market those images to other clients. That’s a good way to stay in business.

C Situation: Every time that you think about pro-bono, even if you are starting out and desperately need a portfolio, think of ways where both of you can get something back, a win-win situation. You have to be creative and remember that to help them out not necessary means to work for free. Remember, you are still giving your skills for this cause. I’m going to give you some examples where you and the NGO can both have revenue:

TIP: Offer an exhibit, where people can donate to the NGO, who gets to tell their story while you sell the prints.
TIP II: Make a book where the profits can be split both ways; you and the cause.
TIP III: Make calendars, post-cards and all sorts of stuff where you and they can show your photos and their cause all together.
TIP IV: Make a workshop among their workers to teach them how to take better photos.
TIP V: If they can pay Airfare, or bring you to the field, ask for an extra day or two, all covered, and use that time to build your portfolio stock.

Resolutions

1. I won’t work pro-bono, with the exception of working for the organizations that cannot afford my services (Situation A) and that I also believe in their cause.

2. I will try to find/pick one of these humble organizations every year, so that I can help them with my photography and consulting.

3. If I accept a pro-bono work, I will try to find ways for the organization to somehow pay for my services (Situation C), because I believe that creates intrinsic value.

Links

http://blog.photoshelter.com/2010/05/photography-business-working-with-ngos.html
http://blog.joshmcculloch.com/2007/11/non-profits-pro-bono-work.html
http://www.thedigitaltrekker.com/2009/05/dont-be-an-ass-get-a-contract/
http://adamwestbrook.wordpress.com/2010/05/10/do-multimedia-journalism-and-get-paid/

I hope this Trilogy has helped you to better understand the world of non-profit organizations, the pros and cons of working pro-bono, and that finally you can adopt a resolution for yourself for future offers of pro-bono work. The most important thing is to study yourself, your passion, your vision, and go for it!