Can adland do pro bono work without pain?
In this guest post, Ben Carter takes issue with Mumbrella’s question “How rich does a not-for-profit organisation need to be before they stop asking for pro bono work?’, and suggests a better question is whether Adland and not-for-profit organisations can ever form a partnership which doesn’t end in bitterness.
Despite best intentions, the answer is often a big fat no unless the parties can resolve the fundamental mutual misunderstanding highlighted by the recent article about youth mental health foundation headspace, and the response by many Mumbrella readers.
The following is my take on the steps needed for agencies and NFPs to form a more beautiful friendship:First, get real. All government funding is tied, via super strict contracts, to direct service provision. NFP’s are not ungrateful for ad agency pro bono contributions or unaware of the importance of their brand and reputation – it’s just that they have zero ability to divert government grants to their marketing budgets.
Any attempt to do so would risk future funding and the services vulnerable people in our community need. Any freedom NFPs currently have is about to be further squeezed by yet another layer of red tape in the shape of the Federal Government’s proposed NFP regulator.
Second, don’t fall prey to the bizarre (and disturbingly common) viewpoint that NFP’s can cull a few lavishly well paid managers to pay for agency services. Most have an incredibly lean management structures and remuneration even for the most senior staff is a comparative pittance, which is why community services are outsourced to NFPs in the first place.
Third, don’t let the fog of good will that envelopes agencies and NFPs when they initially form a partnership distract them from being crystal clear about their expectations.
NFPs need to say it how it is – there is no way they will ever have the cash to pay full agency fees. I’m not saying that agencies are asking them to in the first instance if at all, but many in adland think their good turn deserves another and NFPs are reluctant to disagree. The result can be the expectation that, at some point in the future, when the NFP is cashed up they will remember their generous partners at the agency.
Such thinking will poison the relationship from the start. For the reasons stated above, NFPs can’t make this dream come true.
NFPs need to be especially ethical in their conduct toward small and SME agencies with big hearts. The big agencies aren’t heartless but so often it’s the smaller guys who give so much and feel hurt when they imagine the NFP is deliberately not showing their appreciation in more prosperous times.
Discount fee arrangements can also be a trap as NFPs can rarely afford even cut rates on an ongoing basis and unrealistic expectations can easily be created. Some agencies end up factoring in the cash flow and the pro bono spirit is lost. Less senior staff work on the account but NFPs rarely feel able to complain even when the standard of work drops so they lose precious funds for a less than ideal outcome.
Far better to channel passion for a good cause into genuinely pro bono NFP relationships, but NFPs should consider changing their pro bono partnership model to include a panel of agencies. This would result in a better quality and quantity of pro bono work as the hard work would not fall to a single agency every time.
It’s sometimes easy for overstretched NFPs to forget that ad agency staff are also committed to assisting the disadvantaged and that they channel this commitment through their pro bono work. Clear communication and managing expectations is the least they can do to show they value agency support.
An industry body like the Communications Council could and should also get its teeth into this issue. They could develop standard pro bono policies and agreements for agencies. More importantly, they should encourage the NFP sector to include budget for advertising in funding submissions and lobby the government to promote the importance of advertising for successful NFP service delivery.
Ben Carter is a senior public affairs professional. Recently Director Marketing & Membership with ACCI, his experience includes UnitingCare and the Federal Government.
I’ve never done freelance work pro bono before (other than early on, when I needed some clips), and never intend to, unless I’m very good friends with the main liaison of the organisation. Maybe a larger agency might get a bit of free publicity from it, but the reality is simple – everybody needs to make a living, and unpaid work doesn’t put food on the table.
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Excellent outline of the issues involved – and well done to Mumbrella for giving this some air time. We’ve worked closely with a range of charities, and had both extremely positive and negative experiences, as well as seen other agencies struggle with all of this. Nice post
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Lawyers, those much-maligned professionals, manage to do pro bono work without whingeing. Almost all the major law firms and even some sole practitioners engage in work for free for NFPs or individual people. Look into your hearts, ad people!
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So, what would the end benefit be for the agency when deciding to take on pro-bono work for a NFP? Is it merely a chance to do some good? In which case, staff involvement in biggest morning teas and movember could provide the same result. @Bob says that there might be publicity, but I can’t see how that might happen.
I have done much pro-bono work in the past for politcal issues and community groups and in each case felt drained by the end with no apparent benefit, so the article is right to insist on setting clear expectations for both sides.
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Bob you miss the points Ben has made completely. By the simple fact that your reputation can be enhanced by supporting worthy NFP causes can put food on your plate, but this will only happen if you work at that aspect as well. Its the old thing of a corporate sponsoring a NFP event or organisation, they need to budget both for the cash they give the NFP PLUS the money they need to spend themselves to promote their support.
Naturally, all organisations aren’t in a position to this, particularly small businesses, however, this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not a viable option to pursue. Ben’s point about managing expectations is right on the mark.
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There was a great panel on this last year at South by Southwest Interactive, with case studies that highlighted positive outcomes for the agency, the not-for-profit partners and for the world. http://schedule.sxsw.com/2012/.....t_IAP12345
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I have worked both agency side and for NFP and all to often agencies (not just ad) consider NFP pro bono work as an opportunity to create campaigns that win awards, and don’t take the account seriously.
I think that if an agency decides to do pro bono, they should do it properly and not cut corners. That way everyone wins. I’ve worked pro bono for a number of NFPs and have to say the partnerships that work are the ones where you treat them in the same way you’d treat a paying client.
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All too true sadly Littlemissm.
For some reason in the corporate world there is often a misconception that anything NFP is not a “serious” or “real” business. The bottom-line is that the only profit recognised is a material, financial one, rather than recognising that a profit could also be a successful program that benefits society.
Slowly corporates are recognising a broader base of business outcomes which is reflected in the uptake triple bottom-line reporting, however, I suspect it will still be sometime before it is universally embraced and its importance understood.
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@ Littlemissm…. but they aren’t paying clients. And when you worked NFP side, you begrudged the agencies trying to win awards. Which is why I find this thread (and article) confusing… can somebody please tell me what the benefits are for an agency to take on pro-bono work? @ Sue says its the feelgood of it all I guess, but that is driven by personal views/motivations and these people would probably ‘get involved’ regardless of their profession…
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The RSPCA made over $20 MILLION dollars last FY. I would say they no longer qualify as not-for-profit and should pay 🙂
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Heather
They probably do
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