My rule is choosing one pro bono project per year. But I
treat them like a "real" client with the same priority as if I was
getting paid. I try and do the best for them I can. I usually include
"teaching and coaching." And yes, a contract or agreement is necessary
to establish good boundaries.
I do not put design credits on my work.
Advertising is not my motive. I simply want to do something good for
someone. Who's the most deserving is a personal choice. If the work is
creative, aesthetic, and succeeds at accomplishing goals, word gets
around.
So far these have been some of the most difficult people
to work with. You really have to spend time educating them about why
design is important and how it can affect people. They frequently expect
rush work as if they were overpaying you (or creative ideas just fall
out of your head on-demand.) So it requires some fortitude. In some
circumstance, I had to quit. They were becoming too parasitic or
demanding. That's why I think one project a year is plenty ulcer for
most designers.
We've been given gifts and need to "payback"
something to the world. Pro bono is always needed. The best, of course,
is when a pro bono client says, "You're the expert. You do it your way."
Nice.
But generally, pro bono work requires some suffering. It's a sacrifice of love for people and for design.
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