Pricing for a charity flyer

wavyglanbles

wavyglanbles

Member
I'm not sure if I've posted this in the right thread or not but here goes.

I am a novice graphic designer who has done a few logos and flyers via <<removed>> and also a couple of local jobs.

But recently I've become friends with this girl who does journalism and helps out various companies. And she has just led me onto a job from a charity shop she represents.

She has given me a brief where she wants me to design a flyer, and that same flyer in a (possibly A3) poster size for the shop windows; advertising a yoga event in that shop. Now according to the brief, the 'benefits to the partnership' between myself and the girl who's done the brief are
  • my company details to be listed on all marketing materials
  • networking opportunities with the charity, their affiliates, yoga participants, and other companies
  • event coverage on blogs and websites from the girl
  • take part in the evening and have a £3 discount

Now I've only done a couple of big graphic jobs but have had absolutely no idea about pricing. I did go under a £10 per hour rate but really not sure if I'm too cheap or expensive in terms of my ability.

But the question is, should I charge this girl for the job? And she has asked (as an optional) for printing 100 flyers and 4 posters, so will need to charge her for that as well, not sure if that is the right thing. And also may need to use a couple of stock images from 123RF.

Can anyone please give me some assistance in the best way to approach this?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Welcome.

I would say this journalist has smelled fresh meat and is about to milk you for everything she can get!

1st up, putting your name and phone number on design work is quite amateurish and very unlikely to do you any real favors.
2nd, charity shops are run by volunteers. it is VERY unlikely that you'll get to 'network' with anyone other than the front line shop staff, who, by the very nature of their work and position within the business are going to be very little use to you as business contacts.
3rd, What kind of coverage are you getting on blogs? a footnote of "many thanks to Jon for the posters" doesn't quantify a decent return.
4th, is £3 enough of a saving to get you excited about yoga?
 
That's what I thought. I think what I'll need to do is say that due to the time I need to spend on the flyer, I will need to charge. But do you think a rate of £10 an hour is good enough in relation to my work?
 
If you can afford to do the work at a reduced rate/free and actually WANT to then do it. If it feels a bit fishy then refuse, you're not obligated to do anything. And NEVER believe any fluff about "great exposure" or "future work", it's all bollocks, no matter who's telling you. If you want to do this job for nothing, then do it because you want to, not because of vague promises of anything in lue of payment.

bigdave said:
2nd, charity shops are run by volunteers. it is VERY unlikely that you'll get to 'network' with anyone other than the front line shop staff, who, by the very nature of their work and position within the business are going to be very little use to you as business contacts.
Click to expand...

I think a lot of them are actually run like a franchise. The store manager opens a branded store and earns a salary (possibly based on profits/donation) but other staff are giving up their time for nothing (except maybe a reference for a CV or a sense of worth). It all feels a bit fishy to me, but I guess I can't say that because it's a charity :p
 
Paul Murray said:
If you can afford to do the work at a reduced rate/free and actually WANT to then do it. If it feels a bit fishy then refuse, you're not obligated to do anything. And NEVER believe any fluff about "great exposure" or "future work", it's all bollocks, no matter who's telling you. If you want to do this job for nothing, then do it because you want to, not because of vague promises of anything in lue of payment.
Click to expand...

^This ("lieu", by the way). There's nothing wrong with asking a) if the journalist is being paid for her involvement, and b) if there's a budget, and to review your position in response to whatever you find out. I may be wrong but I'd suspect that some kind of payment is involved somewhere in the chain on account of the way in which the invitation has been embellished with 'benefits.'
 
Dave L said:
^This ("lieu", by the way). There's nothing wrong with asking a) if the journalist is being paid for her involvement, and b) if there's a budget, and to review your position in response to whatever you find out. I may be wrong but I'd suspect that some kind of payment is involved somewhere in the chain on account of the way in which the invitation has been embellished with 'benefits.'
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if they have been thinking of payment yet Dave, it hasn't been mentioned. But I am meeting her on Saturday and can speak to her on Facebook, we just became friends for about a month now. Trying to work out the best way of asking whether they have a budget without sounding too pushy if you know what I mean. I will say to her that I will need payment towards printing anyway so she may even mention about the design costs as well, but not sure. :)
 
Don't wait for her to mention money, get in there first and simply ask what the budget for design and print is. It's not rude or presumptuous to ask if a prospective client can afford to pay before starting a project. And the sooner you get the question of funding out of the way the better, as it will become harder and harder to raise the question further down the line.
 
Dave L said:
^This ("lieu", by the way).
Click to expand...

Cheers, I knew it didn't look right ;)

wavyglanbles said:
I will say to her that I will need payment towards printing anyway so she may even mention about the design costs as well, but not sure. :)
Click to expand...

They should pay the full costs of printing, you shouldn't be paying a penny towards it. If they ask you to source a printer, bare in mind that this will take up time, and time = money. Alternatively, just tell them to find their own printer.
 
Most printers will print charity items FOC. As long as they can get their imprint on it. The designer most certainly shouldn't put their info on the flyer at all, it's tacky and screams of desperation.

As for payment, how much do you feel you are worth? I wouldn't bother asking them if there's a budget, or what's your budget? etc. I'd simply state my price for the job, and at £10 an hour you're certainly undercutting your competition.

You need to total up the entire cost of the project and give them an estimate

How many hours @ your rate
Images you've sourced @rate you buy, for example, 4 images @ £25 each [although you can find free stock images on the internet to use]
Printing costs + your time to source a printer, liaise with them and collect/deliver the final product

And add a markup to the total - I always add 150% to the total cost, which covers delays, proofing, unforeseen expenses, etc.


At the end of the day you're in this to make money, some people work pro-bono for charities, but you don't have to. And if you're doing an extraordinary amount of work then you'd charge for your services.


On the other hand, if I had to do the flyer and it took me 1 hour - I'd waive the fee for charity.
 
Thank you for the advice guys. I have just sent an e-mail reply back to my friend and asked for a fee. Just need to wait and see if she's happy with me to do the job or not. I really appreciate the feedback.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top