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.

The post 4 Catholic Ways to Thank a Freelancer (and 1 You Haven’t Considered) appeared first on Catholic Professionals.

How to Hire A Qualified Parish Employee

It goes without saying that if you’re trying to live the Gospel well, prayer is of the essence! Consider praying for the right candidate as a parish or even during your staff meetings. Relying on the Holy Spirit is an excellent way to begin your search for a qualitied parish employee.

Tips For Hiring a Qualified Parish Employee:

• Use Job Boards. Avoid relying solely on personal connections to fill an open job at the parish. Casting a wider net could expose you to highly qualified candidates that you might not encounter otherwise. It also allows you to bring some objectivity into the hiring process. Using a Catholic Job Board can help broaden your search.
• Identify Your Goals. I once interviewed for a job, and the interviewer could not explain the job description! Unfortunately, they were merely looking for a “warm body” to serve as a catch-all. There was no vision for the job that took my human potential into account. In short, creating a vision with stated goals will empower your new hire.
• Offer a Fair Compensation. Parishes may be operating on a thin budget with many obligations. However, that doesn’t mean that you cannot find creative ways to offer a competitive salary. Research the position you are hiring for and find out what the average salary range is for similar jobs in your region. Take a closer look at areas where you might be able to re-allocate resources. If you sincerely cannot afford to pay an average salary, maybe consider other benefits. These perks could include vacation time, paid maternity leave, a complimentary pre-school slot, or even a paid retreat.
• Be Prepared to Train. Have a training plan in place before you make your hire. Write it down and do a thorough review of the plan with the person who will be training your new-hire. If training will take three months, plan ahead for re-assigning tasks as needed.

And why it matters: Qualified Employees Pay Big Dividends

Hiring the right person for the job means you have prayerfully and diligently selected the most qualified candidate. Job experience may require a higher salary, however, you could save time and money in the long run. Qualified candidates will usually require less training and finding the right person will often allow you to consolidate tasks typically spread between employees.

How to Keep A Qualified Parish Employee

Take Care of Your Employees

• Focus on keeping an employee’s work balanced: I recently spoke with two full-time parish youth ministers with similar-sized parishes and salaries. One was expected to work forty hours in the office and additionally to put on a host of other nightly and weekend events with no additional compensation. It was not uncommon for her to work 60-70 hours a week! The other youth minister had similar expectations, however, the parish offered “comp-time” for those moments when the regular forty-hour schedule went out the window. The latter youth minister had a much better experience and was more satisfied with her position. All it took was some creative planning on behalf of the parish administration.
• Give them the training they need: Ideally, you will hire the right person for the job, train them well, and then see them flourish for years to come. Be prepared to invest in your people with time and resources. If you think about it, Jesus spent years training his disciples by spending quality time with them, before giving them the responsibility of taking care of his Church!

And why it matters: Turnover is Costly!

High turnover is costly, and keeping it as low as possible is one way to be a faithful steward of parish resources. This is because overall productivity may decrease for a time when training a new-hand and the effects can usually be felt across the board. Perhaps that employee must work over-time to complete essential tasks, or another employee must temporarily abandon standing projects to assist with other important work left undone.

The time and resources spent training a new employee are financial considerations beyond salary and benefits that must be considered. If you are in the cycle of constantly training a new employee for the same job every year or two, this is a financial toll on parish resources.

Let Prayer, Planning and a Person-Centered Approach Be Your Guide

Hiring and keeping a qualified parish staff comes down to three essential elements: Praying for the right candidate, planning for success from start to finish and making sure your employees are treated with the care they need to flourish. At the end of the day, people matter most.

About the Author

Charlie Johnson is a freelance Catholic writer. Charlie lives in sunny Florida with his wife of five years and their three children. He holds a B.A. in Religion and Apologetics and also serves as the Managing Editor for the Catholic Lifestyle and Spirituality site, Taming the Wilds. His writing has been featured in places like the Catholic Stand, SpiritualDirection.com, Catholic Exchange, Catholic in Recovery and in print at Shalom Tidings. You can reach Charlie by email at: dcj.bhm@gmail.com

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

The post How to Hire and Keep A Qualified Parish Employee (And Why It Matters!) appeared first on Catholic Professionals.