www.inkthinkerblog.com — This week, an organization that I absolutely love and have spoken for many times invited me to put on a workshop for them. Flattering, of course, but also frustrating. It’s a great group and I get a lot out of presenting and attending their presentations, but I frankly cannot afford to give my time away the way I have been the last couple of years. So what do to?
I took a couple of deep breaths, turned to three trusted tact gurus for some input, and told the group that I would be delighted to help them and since I am out of volunteer time, I would be happy to give them a major discount on my regular speaking fee in light of our long-term relationship. Sounds good, right? Well, I thought so, but I guess when you’re used to having all of your speakers come in for free and don’t really have a budget, any amount of money is too much. Which is a shame, really, especially when you’re a member organization.
The end result, as of now, anyway, is that I had to decline. I’m hopeful that something will change for them, but I just can’t do it for nothing. And yes, I’m the first person to say that the exposure and the authority are very valuable, but unfortunately exposure and authority aren’t paying my bills right now.
This may be selfish, but I think a big part of volunteering your time is having more respect for yourself afterward. When you get to a position where you have less respect for yourself as a result of your time contribution, that’s when you need to draw the line. And that’s where I am right now. I’m going to limit myself to one freebie per organization I belong to and everything else paid.
It’s hard to say no, especially when I would really like to do it, but if I don’t set the boundaries now, I’m going to be miserable later. Besides, I’m totally worth paying for.
So who wants to hire me as a speaker? ;]
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