Pro bono work

Therese Fitzpatrick theresefitz at hotmail.com
Mon Aug 16 11:59:43 PDT 2004


When I have done pro bono work, I have usually sent an itemized bill
indicating all the same things that I would indicate on a bill for a paying
client, sometimes including dollar amounts for the fees.  In pro bono bills,
I create an extra column where I indicate "No Charge" for the services.

Each pro bono client is different, of course.  It can be a little too easy
for someone to undervalue services they get for free.  Sending a bill sends
a message to myself that the work I have done has value.  It also reminds
the pro bono client of the work's value.



>From: toke <toke at interchange.dk>
>Reply-To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
>To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>Subject: Re: Pro bono work
>Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2004 11:48:38 +0200
>
>Thank you for initiating and building this  pro bono thread, friends
>
>much good stuff already - thank you for your story Michael - very
>inspiring.
>
>I have done pro bono work for a long time - here are a few learnings
>that I can offer, many are similar to what others have already
>shared.
>
>- I LISTEN TO THE AUTHENTICITY AND REAL NEED OF THE INVITATION - if
>it
>feels good i go on the exploration with the person who "calls"
me -
>or
>say no up front!
>
>- por bono work deserves to be honored as much as "money paid"
work
>-
>it is a matter of giving, honor and respect
>- If I say yes to it I give it my best - there is no "left
hand" job
>for me...
>
>- it is pro bono or sometime I call it sponsored work
>- and I let the client know how much it would have cost so they know
>and can appreciate what I offer / sponsor
>- it hightens the respect and co creation space that must be
>established
>
>- I do not call it free work any longer because that is not true -
>everything in life has a price - we just pay it differently
>
>- it is the Art of the larger economical equilibrium over time - and
>with a long view for our small company / family
>- a wonderful and challenging dance that keep us on our toes to be
>in
>this work as servants of the common good
>
>- everyone who participates / benefits must contribute something -
>the
>best they can at this moment in time: much money, little money,
>food,
>services, time, materials, etc
>
>- We practise and invite others to practise the principle:
>IF YOU CANNOT PAY THE FULL PRICE - OFFER WHAT YOU CAN AND A LITTLE
>BIT
>MORE - FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR EFFORT!
>
>  - on a deeper level it may be about opening the natural system of
>giving and receiving inate everywhere
>
>- I offer my work consciously and from the heart for purposes that
>has
>meaning for me/ us to further - money or other payment no matter -
>in
>most cases my expences are being paid -  always in Europe and North
>America
>
>
>- Sometimes I speak this to my clients:
>- I do not work for money - but need to be paid somewhere for my
>bread
>and butter - and I am not afraid to be paid well where ever that is
>natural and possible
>- money is energy - a means not a goal for me
>-I say I have "Robin Hood prices" - I can offer to sponsor my
work
>for
>you it is because others pay me well - I sometimes tell them who
>
>- I offer Pro bone / sponsored work in Zimbabwe - eastern europe -
>poor
>new younger networks, friends and family - but only once the same
>solution - next time some more value must flow between us...
>
>
>AND these questions surfaced for me in writing this....
>
>What is the connectedness between pro bone work and servant
>leadership ?
>
>What happens to my perception of money and payment when my work has
>become my life ?
>
>  What will I charge when I have enough for my bread and butter ?
>
>Whom do I serve ?
>
>
>*******    a morning stroke:
>
>
>giving as a flow
>receiving as I go
>trusting - I grow!
>
>- toke
>
>
>Den 11/8-2004, kl. 10.36, skrev Pannwitz, Michael M:
>
>>Dear Phil,
>>thanks for your questions re pro bono and what we charge for
>>facilitation.
>>My own approach is similar to that of Lisa's.
>>There is one pitfall that I think is pretty well addressed using
>>Lisa's approach.
>>When I am really enamoured with a particular issue or organisation
>>I
>>start getting involved along the line of "attached to
content"
>>(which
>>is a little different from "attached to outcome").
>>That kind of "attachment" can and has led to cutting
corners or
>>agreeing quickly to compromises (you dont have markers, dont worry,
>>I
>>have lots of those in my basement supply stash) or "working
harder
>>than I have to", or working harder than the
>>"client/customer/sponsor"
>>or not allowing the "system" to selforganise its
ressources.
>>Being aware of that pitfall has opened amazing ressources in
>>systems
>>to a degree that everyone was perplexed.
>>My most recent experience was the Self-Organized Open Space
>>Training
>>(also been called the SOS-Training).
>>During the first Open Space on Open Space for practitioners living
>>and working in Berlin one issue was Training.
>>As it turned out, about a dozen people were intensely interested
>>getting trained (have a weeklong, regular Open Space Technology
>>Training).
>>As they were calculating the cost and were told by us that the
>>"standard" fee we ask for a weeklong training is 15.000
Euros (2
>>people) they quickly discovered that they could not afford the
>>resulting fee.
>>We then told them if they were to organize the training
>>(invitation,
>>recruiting, space, equippment, material, catering, etc.) we would
>>not
>>charge anything.
>>Well, in about 6 months they had gotten 59 participants, set up a
>>sliding fee structure (this is what we need minimum, 390 Euros,
>>this
>>is what it would really cost, 890 Euros, you pay what you can
>>afford,
>>if you cant afford the 390, talk to us and we will find a
>>way...that
>>eventually evolved into a system of rainchecks on a miriad of
>>interesting service, like a weekend in someones appartment in his
>>hometown in the blackforest, editing of text, being a helper at an
>>event, etc.), found space, arranged the catering, got the
>>equippment
>>and material, etc.
>>They eventually had an average far beyond the 390 per participant
>>and
>>when we turned down their offer, created an Open Space Foundation
>>using their "profit" as a start.
>>Here are the benefits that we did not observe in other trainings we
>>had been associated in:
>>1. The Planning and Organizing Group of about 12 people had an
>>experience of an "InterActive Organization" that created
not only
>>first class results but also community and follow up projects
>>2. The participants selforganized much more quickly (after a while
>>they pretty much ignored the "Trainers") and a number of
subgroups
>>organized themselves during the training for various projects in
>>which they are now collaborating
>>3. Jo and I as trainers had a great time with a group of
>>participants
>>pretty different from those we had experienced in previous events:
>>VERY high Learning, VERY high fun (they installed a group that
>>spend
>>half an hour at a time simply laughing: Hilarious) and we had to
>>work
>>less, far less than in previous trainings
>>4. We learned a lot about how we would approach future trainings (I
>>suggested that a training scheduled for September be cancelled
>>because very little of what is described above was present)
>>5. An unusually large numer of people from backgrounds and into
>>things where money is an endemic problem got trained ... openeing
>>up
>>all kinds of new venues.
>>......
>>This is just one of a number of "pro bono" events I have
been
>>involved in.
>>
>>Re the charge for facilitation...got to run but would like to keep
>>that string to continue.
>>greetings from Berlin
>>mmp
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>Michael M Pannwitz
>>boscop
>>Draisweg 1
>>12209 Berlin, Germany
>>FON +49 - 30-772 8000     FAX +49 - 30-773 92 464
>>www.michaelmpannwitz.de
>>
>>123 Berliner open space-Veranstaltungen von 12 BegleiterInnen in 16
>>verschiedenen Bereichen:
>>www.openspace-landschaft.de
>>
>>An der 153-köpfigen E-Gruppe "openspacedeutsch"
interessiert?
>>Enfach
>>eine mail an mich.
>>
>>*
>>*
>>==========================================================
>>OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>>------------------------------
>>To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
>>view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
>>http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
>>
>>To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
>>http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
>>
>>
>*******
>Toke Paludan Møller, InterChange Aps
>INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING
>THROUGH HOSTING MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS
>Phone +45 702013 35  - Mobile  +45 2616 6919
>http://www.interchange.dk
>Stengaardsvej 5 A,   8600 Silkeborg, Denmark
>
>*
>*
>==========================================================
>OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>------------------------------
>To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
>view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
>http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
>
>To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
>http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist

_________________________________________________________________
Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today - it's FREE!
http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/

*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html

To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist



More information about the OSList mailing list