In my last post I talked about the challenges of working in a not-for-profit organisation in terms of the implications of low budgets on staffing.
However, something I forgot to mention was the the issues that arise when outsourcing work.
I experienced the frustration of having project development delayed significantly due to the reliance on pro bono work, that is professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service.
The events and programs that Cancer Support WA run are not done so with the ultimate goal of generating large profits. The aim is basically to provide support services to those in need at a price they can afford while bringing in enough funds to keep it running.
Due to this when CSWA needs to outsource a consultant or specialist for tasks their own staff can not effectively handle themselves they do not have the funds available to be highly selective, they have to take the best option they are provided with which tends to be companies offering services for free.
An example of where this affected me was when we wanted to improve our website and raise awareness of our project in the community. We needed a website redesigned to make it look more appealing to participants and other promotional materials produced to spread around the local area. No one in the office was able to do this to a high standard without compromising their normal workload so we required a graphic designer.
There was one lined up but it fell through and left us searching for an alternative which took weeks to find and held up the progress of a number of other areas of the campaign.
The project I'm working on is running until the end of next year so realistically it's not that big of an issue that we've lost a few weeks here, I just wanted to help as much as I could in my short time at CSWA but now it looks like I'm not going to be able to go ahead with everything I had planned which is disappointing.
Not long to go now so I'd better just make the most of these last few days and do all that I can in the time I have left.
Thanks for reading,
Kelsey
3 comments:
Social Work is something I have always been interested in, especially working with children. Helping people overcome obstacles and difficulties and making the most of themselves by using your knowledge is a very rewarding yet challenging career.
I believe the experiences you have gained and sharing it with us are extremely transferable in terms of working with the general public.
Hi Kelsey
I too interned in a not-for-profit environment and can definitely relate to your challenges that you faced. It is a very hard industry to be successful in when budgeting is such a major limitation to what we can do.
I had to create a communications plan for WAFarmers to help promote and organise their event and i too s had to find ways that costs to a minimum. It can almost seem impossible to create a sufficient amount of awareness when you can't spend the dollars. Even finding an interesting and entertaining guest speaker for our event was expensive!
I needed to find ways to promote a event to young adults, and my cost effective tactics included:
- social media platforms
- email existing members
- contacting universities and asking them to pass on information about the event to students
While it would of been really fun to have been able to go over-board with helping to promote the event, i still believe working in this environment will be useful for the future. Future organisations i wish to work in may find it very useful that i have learnt to create a PR plan around an event on a strict budget.
Thanks for sharing!
Kind Regards
Ellen Kelman 16144509
Hi Kelsey,
I completely understand your frustration when it comes to pro bono work falling through! I unfortunately faced the same issue a number of times during my placement. I did my placement at a local music station in Fremantle and due to their very limited budget they tend to heavily rely on pro bono work and contra deals. One situation comes to mind where I was helping organise a fundraising quiz night and we were trying to arrange the tables and chairs, prizes, and food and beverages through contra deals. It was a messy situation – long story short the event was originally to be organised by a few events interns who pulled out half way through organising the event. I was asked to step in and make new arrangements (a lot of the businesses who had made arrangements with us pulled out due to a lack of communication). This was a difficult task as the organisation already looked bad! Essentially, I completely understand how frustrating it can be when arrangements fall through.
One thing I have learnt though is how approachable a lot of local businesses are and how nice they can be when you are essentially asking them to do something for you for free! Friendly and honest communication definitely goes a long way in the world of PR and business.
I also appreciate how frustrating it can be when projects you’ve been working on cannot be realistically finished before the end of your placement – I was also helping with the redevelopment of my organisation’s website (except I was redesigning this myself) and due to time restraints this unfortunately couldn’t be implemented. Disappointing to say the least!
Hope you enjoyed the last few days of your placement!
All the best,
Emma
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