Freelancers should be better at talking about money

Earlier today, members from the Freelancers Get Sh*t Done (FGSD) community met online for an hour to talk about money. I've been part of the community, which is Slack-based, for the last couple of years.

While there's not much on the public web about it, Iona Lawrence started the network in November 2020, which now has over 3,000 members. Abi Handley led the session, with Elodie Cox helping out a bit.

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Elodie's survey of day rates across the network was the starting point for the conversation, with her report unearthing a range of issues. We then talked about where each of us stands and what to do next.

Some freelancers never get used to it. One person who had freelanced for 13 years noted that they still dislike raising questions around money with clients. Another said they felt confident about it as an employee, but then lost that confidence when they went freelance. I mentioned that I feel "imperious" when things are going well, but doubt myself massively when things aren't. It affects my relationships, too.

Clients hold most of the power, and many roles come with a day rate already set. There are plenty of charity budgets that are fixed before anyone talks to a freelancer. Some people in the session had been told their rate was too low, then found that a higher rate meant the work no longer fitted the budget. In a quiet year, most of us just absorb the difference and say nothing.

Current market conditions are making this worse. People described rates going down and scope going up, with budget cuts on top of that. Many more freelancers now work in the charity and social justice sectors because organisations are shrinking along with their budgets, so there's more competition for less money. Nobody wants to be the person who prices themselves out.

A lot of the work that freelancers do never appears on an invoice. Session attendees talked about writing pitches for free, and about projects that grow in scope even when the budget doesn't. Some had lost days to exhaustion and felt they had no right to raise money at all. And a day rate means little if nobody agrees how long a day is.

Elodie's report made some of this visible. Rates for similar work vary widely; some people were surprised by how low others charge, and others by how high the top end goes. Several were relieved to find they weren't out of line. More than one person said that they had never thought about whether a day is six hours or eight. That shows how rarely we compare notes.

The report's already making a difference, as people have used it to check their own rate and to decide what to quote a new client. One person has booked a conversation about money with a client, and admitted to being nervous about it. Having the numbers made that conversation possible.

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I had an interesting chat in a breakout group about different rates for different sectors. Other groups came up with practical ideas, such as: if the budget is too small, reduce the scope and keep your day rate; tell the client what the work would really cost, then show the discount you're giving, so they can see the subsidy; and if a client treats you badly, charge them more. After all, difficult clients cost you time and energy.

One note on the Miro board we used for the session summed things up: under-charging hurts us all. Every time one of us accepts a rate that's too low, it gets harder for the next person to ask for more. That makes money a shared problem, and we can and should tackle it together. People asked whether FGSD members could agree a minimum rate and refuse to go below it. They asked whether we could push back, as a group, on the amount of free work clients expect before they hire anyone.

The image at the top of this post shows West African fishermen in a boat with a sail stitched together from scraps of fabric. Each piece is small on its own. Sewn together, they catch enough wind to move the boat. That's the kind of solidarity freelancers need. None of this can work if we keep our rates to ourselves. We need to be open with each other before we can be firm with clients.

Elodie is going to run the survey again, and people suggested new questions for it. They suggested:

• Rates broken down by seniority, sector and region
• How often people raise their rates
• How many hours people count as a day
• What day rates add up to over a year
• Real examples of freelancers who have raised their prices

In addition to writing a blog post on how to set a minimum rate, Elodie also offering paid sessions, on a sliding scale, for anyone who wants help with their own pricing. Several people offered to join a follow-up call on rate solidarity, and others suggested a decision tree for weighing up offers. (I love this idea!)

The idea I think has the most potential was a shared manifesto or pricing agreement for members to sign. It would give freelancers something to point to when a client pushes for a lower rate. I'd go further and ask organisations to sign up too. A badge for clients who pay on time and don't expect free pitches would put pressure where the power is. ✊

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There's prior work to build on. UK television has its Freelance Charter, and the Royal Court Theatre has published its own commitments to freelancers. Norwich Theatre is co-designing a charter with its freelancers right now, and a UCL workshop in June proposed one for the creative industries.

The government's Fair Payment Code goes furthest, as organisations have to show evidence of how quickly they pay and reapply every two years. Most of the rest rely on organisations signing up and saying the right things. A badge that freelancers themselves vouch for would be different, I think.

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Image: Photographer unknown, via Are.na