I believe there are 5 basic groups in regards to people who are looking for free work.

Friends and acquaintances who have a limited budget. Scumbags on craigslist. Ignorant people who think a competition is a good idea. Non profit organizations that don’t have any money Professionals who want to collaborate.

Let’s break these down one-by-one and explore whether or not you should take the non-paying gig.

1. Friends and acquaintances who have a limited budget.

If you’re new to your industry, this can be a fair reason for offering your services for free. You’re building your portfolio (which can bring paying gigs), you’re helping your friend get his company off the ground, and your friend can give you referrals (which is the best way to gain new clients).

I suggest you create a contract or a project agreement. Here’s a great template to get started. Just because you’re doing it for free doesn’t mean you can’t woo them with your professionalism!

Let them know how much value they are getting for free. (Shameless plug, here’s a wonderful article on how to price yourself.)

Here’s a cool idea: tell them that you want a recommendation on LinkedIn in return. People can be skeptical when it comes to testimonials. LinkedIn, on the other hand, carries a lot more clout because it removes the anonymity.

2. Scumbags on Craigslist

They aren’t worth your time. Even if they promise to bring paid work down the road, even if they promise to bring other clients…let me tell you what’s really going to happen. This cheap client is going to want more cheap work and he’s going to tell his cheap friends about you.

Oh joy…Don’t waste your time.

3. Ignorant people who think a competition is a good idea.

In case you don’t know what I mean by contest, allow me to elaborate:

Let’s say some guy named Bob starts his own small business. Bob needs a logo. He has this “brilliant” idea. He’s going to host a competition. The designer with the best logo will get paid. All of the others are out of luck.

Worst. Idea. Ever.

Some people feel the need to change the minds of the misinformed about their industry—they’re called missionaries. But at the end of the day, winning an argument isn’t going to pay the bills.

I’d rather invest my time and energy in something more productive…like honing my craft or building multiple streams of income.

I don’t enter competitions. I don’t explain to the host of competitions that competitions are bad. I just avoid them altogether.

4. Non profit organizations that don’t have any money

Here’s a little trick I’ve heard about, though I’ve never done it. If you need to build your portfolio and you’ve found a cool project through a non profit organization (make sure you agree with their cause) you can write off your time spent on your taxes.

Again, this isn’t something I’ve personally tried. Nor am I a tax adviser.

Let’s say you’re a sole proprietor and you charge $30 an hour. If you spend 15 hours on a non-pay project for a non profit organization you can deduct $450 from your annual income.

Again, I’ve never done this and I’m not a tax adviser. But this is something to look into. Perhaps this will be a blog post down the road—note to self…

5. Professionals who want to collaborate.

This is the perfect way to work for free. We’ve said this about a bazillion times now but every business is a people business. This is a terrific way to build relationships.

If you’re a makeup artist, collaborate with photographers. If you’re a designer, team up with a developer. The possibilities are literally endless.

What do you guys think? Do you think it’s acceptable for creative professionals to work for free? Or do you subscribe to the “when I see lawyers and CPA’s work for free, then I’ll start doing it too” philosophy.

If you like what you read, be sure to get our FREE eBook: How to Price Yourself as a Creative Professional.

—Nik Parks, Co-Founder of Launching Creative