The perks of pro-bono work and donating creative design services to charities and not-for-profit organizations.

Pro-bono work is when you contribute your professional skills in a voluntary role without payment, or perhaps at a discounted rate. It’s a Latin phrase that means “for the public good”.

Opportunities to Give Back to the Community

Sometimes the best way to give back to the community is to offer what you do best and in this case it’d be creative design services. If you’re a veteran or a newbie to the industry, it won’t matter, because the terrific opportunity to give back to your community is obviously the perk.

Pro-bono Work Shows You’ve Got Passion

Doing pro-bono work signals potential clients that your passionate for the industry and your work, because you’re giving your services away for free, to an organization with limited means. It says, you’re not in communication design just to earn a quick buck. The charity will often reciprocate the appreciation by showcasing your contributions on a sponsor page which can do numerous other wonderful things for your marketing.

Meet New People

That’s right! Pro-bono work allows you to meet new people you’d likely never meet, especially since you’re probably donating services to a not-for-profit that’s out of your professional network. And meeting new folks means you’ll be increasing your network and can educate ‘em about all your professional services, accolades and credentials as an expert in the field.

Build Your Portfolio

Pro-bono also offers opportunities to beef up your portfolio. It’s especially great if you’re a start-up or a freelance designer who could use the relationship to build up credentials and experience. The best part is you’ll wander into a fantastic opportunity to negotiate total creative reign or creative freedom in exchange for free or discounted services – it’s a great way to get a your creative ideas reproduced 100 percent truly yours.

Gain New Knowledge & Skills

In addition to building your portfolio you’ll gain awareness and knowledge about the organizations mission and values, while honing your skills. Building your portfolio, gaining new knowledge and skills go hand-in-hand. Refining your skills brings you to a purer state of communication design, allowing you to grow as an expert—what’s a better perk than that?

Tell us about pro-bono work you’ve done. Is there a perk we haven’t considered? Leave your comments below!

The Perks of Pro-Bono Work