How expensive is that pro bono service?
July 15, 2019
It sounds like a dream to find someone to do something your organization needs but that you don’t want to pay for. I’m sure there are plenty of success stories.
But here’s the flip side—and the scenario I hear more frequently. The pro bono service that was inferior. That took forever. That was all about the person/company offering the service (e.g. so they could win an award). That was reduced to a slice of what is really necessary to make change. That was less than competent.
Think twice before you seek and accept pro bono work.
Just because someone works in a big law firm does not mean that he or she has a clue about nonprofit law. Just because someone works at a Fortune 300 company does not qualify him or her to develop a marketing strategy for a nonprofit organization. Just because someone is in between jobs does not mean they have the expertise, the processes, the field experience, and the capability to help you find the best and fastest path to getting results.
There is a reason why the best organizations are happy to invest in the expertise they need, even if it means rearranging priorities to make the investment.
