How to work with freelancers effectively

Working with freelancers can be a great way to bring in extra capacity, speed up projects that are lagging behind deadline, or draw on some leading expertise.

 

But working with freelancers isn’t always simple. Bringing in someone from outside your charity’s culture, systems, and processes can bring risks.

 

With some care and attention, you can work effectively, efficiently, and ethically alongside the right freelancers for your charity. Here are our ten practical tips.

 

 

Invest in a good brief

 

A clear brief communicates what you’re looking for, while giving space for a freelancer to flex their knowledge and expertise. 

 

Relevant experience matters, but don’t overdo it. Do you need a freelance fundraiser who has worked with medium-sized animal rights charities in the West of England? Or do you just need a fundraiser with great people skills, project management, and attention to detail? I know who I’d pick. 

 

It’s common to ask for freelancers who have x years of experience in a specific area of work. But years are a poor predictor of skills and performance. Take the time to figure out what they need to be able to do. Name the concrete outcomes they will need to deliver, or the competencies they’ll need to achieve your shared goals.

 

 

Clarify expectations

 

“Things are chaotic. Let’s bring in a freelancer to fix that!” Heard that one before? Bringing in a freelancer won’t fix a lack of strategic clarity, chaotic workflows, or mismatched objectives.

 

You need to define the problem before you can solve it. Make sure everyone is on the same page by defining the challenge, your goals, and how you’ll know what success looks like.

 

 

Contract clearly

 

Make sure your contract covers:

• Scope – what does this project entail? 
• Time frame – how long will this take? What are the milestones? How many edits or feedback rounds are included? Where a deadline is specified, is it a hard stop or a movable milestone? 
• Payment terms – how much will we pay the freelancer? When? How much are they paid upfront and how much after completion?

 

Advertise widely

 

You may not need to go out to tender, but advertising for the role will mean you reach a broad range of potential freelancers.

 

Instead of bringing in the same old people who are already aware of your organisation, you’ll be able to reach diverse talents and perspectives.

 

 

Clarify ways of working

 

Some freelancers are happy to be available Monday to Friday, during standard working hours. But remember that you’re not hiring an employee. You’re bringing in a skilled specialist, and they know how they work best.

 

Perhaps they work non-traditional hours or days. Maybe they’re based in Australia, so your working times rarely overlap. Perhaps they only do emails, no phone calls. Find this out as early as possible and build it into your working agreements.  

 

And get crystal clear on roles and responsibilities. Who creates content, who edits it, who signs off, who actions the edits?

 

 

Communicate effectively

 

Frequent check-ins can nip potential issues in the bud. Find communication patterns that work for you.

 

Depending on your working hours and individual preferences, you may benefit from a mixture of: scheduled recurring meetings, semi-scheduled calls, Slack (or other instant messaging) updates, or updates into a project management tool like Notion, Trello, or Basecamp.

 

 

Create a knowledge hub

 

There are few things more annoying than emailing back and forth late at night, one person asking for the latest versions of a document, another person asking to double check a deadline because they can’t find the email in their exploding inbox.

 

Create one hub for all your project documents, including the strategic objects, agreed deadlines, latest documents and updates. You can use a free tool like Notion. Make sure it’s frequently updated with the latest version of documents, milestones and deadlines – otherwise you’ll keep getting those 11pm emails.

 

 

Pay fairly

 

Charities are often tempted to hire freelancers based in the Global South, because they perceived them as more affordable. They may use sites like Upwork or Fiverr, which normalise paying incredibly low wages (plus a large percentage lost in commission to the website) for skilled work.

 

Of course, freelance websites can be ethical. But they can also promote exploitative hiring practices. Resist the impulse to hire freelancers on impossibly low budgets. Ask yourself: what is the value of this work to our organisation? Pay based on the value of the work and the skills of the consultant, not based on your perception of this person’s living costs. 

 

 

Pay on time

 

Clearly state when the invoice will be paid, then pay it when you said you would.

 

If you need to delay payment for any reason, tell them as soon as possible. And even if you didn’t set a payment date, know that late fees apply automatically on delayed commercial payments. If your payment is late, add on those late fees. Don’t make anybody beg for the prompt payment they’re owed.

 

 

Invest in the relationship

 

Freelancers can give your charity a vital boost. They can bring fresh energy, incredible expertise and dynamic new perspectives, so long as you treat them right.

 

Don’t waste talented freelancers’ time – making them jump through ten-stage application processes for a tiny project, or chasing that unpaid invoice for the fiftieth time.

 

It’s a relationship, like any other. It needs care and respect. Take the time to align expectations, check in often, pay fairly and promptly, and you’ll all reap the rewards.