Is Now a Bad Time for Your Agency to Do Pro Bono Work?

Given that pro bono work does not generate any revenue, it is understandable if your agency shies away from it. You may think that accepting pro bono work is a quick way to slow down revenue and eventually kill your agency. However, working for free comes with its benefits and can be profitable in the long run.

While you won’t do free work for all of your clients all of the time (because revenue is essential to keep business going), there are certain moments where pro bono work gives your agency more value.

How does pro bono work benefit your agency? Keep reading to find out.

Benefits of Pro Bono Work for your Agency

A Marketing Opportunity

Every agency is working on pursuing the next big client to put on their client list. However, going pro bono can be just what you need to book that big client. During pro bono activities, you not only provide help to the organizations or local charities you are assisting but also represent your business and put your agency on the map.

Everybody who interacts with the organization you are working with will learn about your agency via promotional materials for the pro bono you are involved in. Also, the organizations you work with pro bono will tell everybody willing to listen about your agency and the great help you provide.

Furthermore, from the perspective of getting clients, pro bono work might be a way of getting your foot in the door, which may open the doors to more opportunities (and more clients) for your agency.

Connecting and Giving Back to the Community

The world survived COVID and still has to live with it. There is rising inflation, an economic downturn, and speculations about a recession. It’s a hard time for many people, and therefore an ideal chance to show your local community that you are not just a business that cares only about money but also about the people in your community.

Doing pro bono work is one of the ways you can connect with people in your community during this trying time. It’s a way to let people know that you care and want to make positive changes in the community.

Morale Boosting

Investing in causes that you are passionate about motivates you to do more and boosts your morale. Whether there are only a few employees in your agency or several departments with many team members, your employees will enjoy supporting and getting involved with charitable activities outside of work.

Naturally, you and your team members will feel good about your efforts. This will translate to improved productivity, better work attitudes, and ultimately a healthier bottom line for your agency.

For best results, allow your staff members to choose causes they are passionate about and want to work with for free. Doing this may well improve their job satisfaction, which will help you with employee retention.

Learning, Creativity, and Innovation

It’s easy to quickly fall into a set routine in business since there is a system for how tasks are completed. Structure can often be helpful, but it can also become monotonous and repetitive. Pro bono work, on the other hand, tasks you to think outside of the box and get your creative juices flowing. This not only improves creativity and innovative thinking, but employees also get to express themselves in an environment that challenges them differently from the workspace.

You can learn and experiment with ideas in response to urgent and current issues. In the long run, you and your team members could apply these learnings to your work processes, improving the quality of work and output.

Bulk-Up Your Portfolio

One of the good things about pro bono work is the experience and the fact that you can add it to your portfolio. Displaying pro bono work in your portfolio shows potential clients that you are true to your brand values and that you care about people and not just business alone. It’s not the only reason to do pro bono work, but it could just give you a competitive edge.

Pro Bono work is fast becoming a norm and not an exception. It offers you the opportunity to engage in meaningful pursuits that make you fulfilled as an individual who cares about others and also benefits your agency long-term. Make sure you consider adding some pro bono work to your 2022 and 2023 portfolio. 

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