Forget your boyfriend, wife or best mate. Your most fulfilling, mutually rewarding and satisfying relationship (when it comes to work at least) is likely to be with your favourite freelancer.
Quality freelance writers are worth their weight in gold. When you’re up against it, they can lighten the load by filing copy that’s on-deadline, on-budget and on-message. Because they work outside of your charity they provide a fresh pair of eyes, which can save your communications falling into a rut.
Unfortunately the recession means that many journalists, copywriters and proofreaders have become freelance out of necessity rather than choice. But, with so many charity freelancers to choose from, how can you select the best? Consider these five tips next time you’re looking through the pile of CVs on your desk:
1. Good listening skills
Great freelancers work as well with the phone as their lap tops word processors. Taking the time to listen, and ask intelligent questions about the brief, shows they want to fully understand the project in hand. And if writers ‘get’ what you’re trying to do before they start work you’re less likely to waste time on endless redrafts.
2. Third sector experience
Beware the ‘jack of all trades’. A freelance writer may have a wealth of experience working for national newspapers and magazines, but they’ll be no good to you if they don’t understand what a ‘funder’ does. Search CVs for evidence of in-depth third sector experience with the kind of organisations whose work you respect.
3. Credible qualifications
Each day people give up perfectly good careers to indulge their passion for writing. Some become experienced professionals, others remain rank amateurs. The difference between the two is often credible qualifications. Journalists, editors and writers worth their salt should have a qualification from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) to complement their on-the-job experience.
4. Transparent pricing
Good freelancers should never be nervous to talk about money. Look for people who can provide an estimate for your project based on how long they expect it to take. Watch out for quotes that seem too good to be true – you’ll spend far more if your team, or a freelancer, has to rewrite poor quality copy.
5. Commitment to your project
If you’ve ever fired up your laptop after 6.30pm or at the weekends, you’ll know that the quality of your work can suffer. So, make sure your preferred freelance doesn’t fit their writing around a full-time job. If you’re paying for their time, their focus should be 100% on your work.
