Express your Appreciation

This is the easiest way to thank a freelance, and is unfortunately the one most companies limit themselves to.

Let’s be real. Most Catholic freelancers are never going to afford mega-mansions because of their freelancing fees. We don’t do it for the money; we do it because we love what we do and the flexibility that freelancing affords us.

So throwing in some gratitude for a job well done every once in a while is very appreciated!

I can’t tell you how lovely it is to receive affirmation from a client in this way. It seems to always come when I’m having a bad day, and it reminds me that the work I’m doing is valuable.

Physical cards or small gifts are certainly nice of course. But even a quick email expressing your satisfaction or an online review singing his or her praises will go a long way. Sometimes, these gestures are the best way to thank a freelancer. They are nice sentiments and can help them grow their business!

Value their Opinion and Expertise

My co-workers and I always have a good laugh when we send a design project for approval and the receiver responds, “I’m not sure about x, y, and z…what do you think?”

Um…what I think is what I sent you originally. I wouldn’t send you something I didn’t think was good!

In all seriousness, I would wager that one of the biggest pet peeves of Catholic freelancers is when our experience or opinion is undermined. We completely recognize that you are the client, and at the end of the day, we’ll do whatever you’d like.

But the best way to show your Catholic freelancer that you value him or her is by simply listening to and respecting his or her expertise. In fact, 70% of full-time freelancers have participated in training for their field within the last six months, whereas only 49% of the regular workforce has. Your freelancer has likely had extensive training in this topic, and while your input is needed and valued, don’t be afraid to trust their judgment as well. You hired them to help you, so let them do their work.

Respond to Emails Promptly

I get it. We’re all busy. Our inboxes are never ending. And when it comes to someone who is paying you versus someone you’re paying … I understand why the freelancer is often the last person to be responded to.

However, freelancers can’t do the work you hired them to do without your input!

Of course, responding to emails in a timely manner is just basic business etiquette. But even more so, taking a long time before responding to email is disrespectful of the freelancer’s time, and your own.

By not responding to your freelancer promptly, you’re actually wasting time and money. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been on the clock rehashing what I need from a client in order to proceed with a project. A month or two later, we go over the parameters again. The project never gets done, and the client keeps paying me to simply go over what I need again.

Additionally, the longer you wait to respond, often the longer it takes for the freelancer to get paid. He or she may decide to look elsewhere for clients who will respond and pay more rapidly. They may give up hope that you will ever respond, leading you to lose out on Catholic talent!

Show your Catholic freelancer you respect him or her by responding within a day or two, and you’ll have one very happy (and efficient!) person working for you.

Pray for Them!

Here’s an easy one that often gets overlooked.

I do my best to remember to pray for my clients and their missions. Praying for your Catholic freelancers, and letting them know that you do, helps them to feel like they are part of the team. And prayers certainly express appreciation as well!

Thank a Freelancer by Asking for Advice

Have you ever asked the guy you were hiring for advice? Maybe this is one way to thank a freelancer you haven’t considered.

Honestly, in my experience, it’s the rare client who comes to me, presents me with a problem, and asks for my advice on how I would fix it. As a Catholic marketer, however, this is where I can really shine and provide the best service.

What normally happens, however, is that I have prospective clients approach me saying they need help with social media or SEO. However, when looking over their offerings, I realize they actually need something quite different than what they’ve requested. They actually need a website upgrade, content development, or something else before social media or SEO will ever be effective.

The next time you hire a Catholic freelancer, go general rather than specific. Hiring someone to design a poster for you when you don’t have a branding guide isn’t going to go well. Starting with social media when you aren’t producing any regular content won’t produce the results you’re hoping for. By letting your freelancer look over some of your assets, you may find a need you didn’t even know existed.

In Summary:

As Catholics, we value people and the work that they do. Appreciation is a huge part of showing each other respect in the workplace. The more we promote truly caring about each other in the workplace, the easier it will be to make the world a better place – one project at at a time.

About the Author:

Emily Ricci is the president of Gloriam Marketing, and works as a marketing content and social media specialist at a Catholic college and previously worked at a church for over 7 years. Her past church titles and responsibilities have included working as a Parish Office secretary, sacristan, Weekend Coordinator (ministry supervisor and event coordinator), youth minister, bulletin writer, coordinator of the baptism program, and Faith Formation teacher and assistant. After years in church work, Emily recognized the need for solid Catholic marketing and promotion, but realized that there were no marketing firms in the area that specialized in faith-based marketing.

Search here for Catholic job postings, or Catholic Professionals you can hire.

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