Charging for Charity website ?

[ppp123]

Hi,

I am a new freelance Web/Graphic Designer/Developer.
My question is what is a normal rate (per hour) for a WordPress website for a charity ? Should one make a website, for free for a charity or charge them money ? Your thoughts will be appreciated.

Do charities usually get paid by the Govt. for website making ?

Thanks for your help and advise.

 

[intheTRADE]

Charities are run as a business so have expenses just like any other business. They just aren't ran to make a profit.

What you charge them is entirely up to you. There is no set price

 

[fisicx]

My question is what is a normal rate (per hour) for a WordPress website for a charity ?

Same as you charge for anyone else.

Should one make a website, for free for a charity or charge them money ?

Charge 'em.

Do charities usually get paid by the Govt. for website making ?

They may get funding. But it's not necessarily for a website.

 

[Mr D]

Hi,

I am a new freelance Web/Graphic Designer/Developer.
My question is what is a normal rate (per hour) for a WordPress website for a charity ? Should one make a website, for free for a charity or charge them money ? Your thoughts will be appreciated.

Do charities usually get paid by the Govt. for website making ?

Thanks for your help and advise.

Managed to get trust funding for a website a few times. Not government funding - tended to be far too small a cost to be cost effective for most government funding.

Charge charities the same you would any other businesses. They want stuff free they can negotiate an exchange of services to the same value. If they cannot offer that then no freebies.
Charities pay for phone, broadband, insurance, wages, utilities and food at usually the same price as anyone else. Do not fall for the poor charity routine.
If they want something they find a way to pay for it or they do without.

Do not cheapen yourself simply to do a site.

 

[ppp123]

Thanks all for your response..it was helpful..
How much is a normal charge/hourly rate of a freelance web developer ?
Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 335660]

Hi,

I am a new freelance Web/Graphic Designer/Developer.
My question is what is a normal rate (per hour) for a WordPress website for a charity ? Should one make a website, for free for a charity or charge them money ? Your thoughts will be appreciated.

Do charities usually get paid by the Govt. for website making ?

Thanks for your help and advise.

Hi,
I have recently built a website for a charity using Wordpress.

Now I did it for free, but I am a member of the charity and this site was for the local branch.

By default I would say no. The CEO of this charity earns £150k a year so if they can pay him, they should pay me. In fact they also paid £100k recently for rebranding.

If it is a small charity and you feel you want to contribute then you could either reduce your normal rate by 10% ( example) or throw in some extras free.

If it’s a larger one that you have no involvement in then treat it like any other business.

 

[fisicx]

How much is a normal charge/hourly rate of a freelance web developer ?

Depends on the skill level. Anything from £50 - £500/hour.

I've seen Drupal developers charging £1000/hour because the good ones are like hen's teeth.

 

[Mark T Jones]

Your business is a business.

Most charities are run as businesses too - they do (can) make profits, they just don't distribute them to shareholders.

If you are particulary passionate about a specific cause then give your personal time & skills for free. Otherwise, deal with it as any other transaction.

 

[Ian J]

By default I would say no. The CEO of this charity earns £150k a year so if they can pay him, they should pay me. In fact they also paid £100k recently for rebranding.

I agree with Trevor's comment but there are other types of charity too. My neighbour is involved with a small charity that raises funds for specific NHS items and all of the charity members work free of charge so that every penny raised goes directly to the charity

 

[Paul Norman]

On two occasions we built websites for charities FOC, thinking how community spirited it all was. We just asked to charge a notional amount for hosting.

In both cases the outcome was fairly acrimonious - the charities concerned were run by groups of friends, there was little or no governance, and we were given short shrift after one year - when they got another gullible firm to build them another free website.

So now, charities get the same as anyone else. A full price quote, a thorough level of service, and, like any organisation whose procurement is by committee, a small surcharge for the extra grief!

 

[UKSBD]

On two occasions we built websites for charities FOC, thinking how community spirited it all was. We just asked to charge a notional amount for hosting.

In both cases the outcome was fairly acrimonious - the charities concerned were run by groups of friends, there was little or no governance, and we were given short shrift after one year - when they got another gullible firm to build them another free website.

So now, charities get the same as anyone else. A full price quote, a thorough level of service, and, like any organisation whose procurement is by committee, a small surcharge for the extra grief!

It's like when you see people described as Charity Workers, you initially (or used to in my case) think Oh, that's good of them, until you realise they are probably earning as much, if not more, than those doing similar jobs not in the non charity sector,

 

[Scalloway]

It's like when you see people described as Charity Workers, you initially (or used to in my case) think Oh, that's good of them, until you realise they are probably earning as much, if not more, than those doing similar jobs not in the non charity sector,

Once a charity gets above a certain size it needs professional input. Having been involved with charities of all sizes over many years I find there can be a limit to what a bunch of OAPs sitting around the kitchen table can achieve.

 

[IanSuth]

Check with an accountant but i think there are different rules re VAT for charities, i know we provided temp staff for a charity once and I had to get our and their accounts departments talking to each other over i think just charging VAT on the margin and not on the hourly rate (but that was a decade ago and i am dredging the depths of my memory)

Just searched and for instance found this on https://www.gov.uk/vat-charities/what-qualifies-for-relief

6.1 VAT reliefs available
6.1.1 Advertising and goods connected with collecting donations
The supply of advertising to a charity is zero-rated. The zero rating covers advertisements on any subject, including staff recruitment. A charity can also buy pre-printed collecting boxes, envelopes and appeal letters at the zero rate. Low cost lapel stickers, emblems and badges that a charity gives in acknowledgement of a donation can also be zero-rated. More information can be found in Goods or services supplied to charities (VAT Notice 701/58).

If a printer produces a package of printed material for a charity, some of which is zero-rated and some of which is standard-rated, the printer may be able to zero rate the entire package. This is known as the package test. More information on the package test can be found in Zero rating books and printed matter (VAT Notice 701/10).

 

[UKSBD]

Once a charity gets above a certain size it needs professional input. Having been involved with charities of all sizes over many years I find there can be a limit to what a bunch of OAPs sitting around the kitchen table can achieve.

I've nothing against charity workers and see the need for them

There was a time though when being seen as a charity worker put you on a pedestal, people admired charity workers, it was seen as very admirable, people did it for a cause, etc.

I dare say those people exist, the ones who are charity workers because they support the charity, but there are also a lot who do it because it's a well paid job.

Like I say, I have nothing against it, but don't just assume when someone is a charity worker they are any better than anyone else.

 

[Scalloway]

Check with an accountant but i think there are different rules re VAT for charities, i know we provided temp staff for a charity once and I had to get our and their accounts departments talking to each other over i think just charging VAT on the margin and not on the hourly rate (but that was a decade ago and i am dredging the depths of my memory)

There is no blanket rule for different VAT rules for a charity, just the one you quote and one or two others. If the OP is VAT registered they will just charge VAT as normal for working on a website.

Charging VAT on the margin for temp fees is no longer allowed for any customer.

 

[IanSuth]

There is no blanket rule for different VAT rules for a charity, just the one you quote and one or two others. If the OP is VAT registered they will just charge VAT as normal for working on a website.

Charging VAT on the margin for temp fees is no longer allowed for any customer.

Thanks, as I said it was over a decade ago and as we did very little temp being mostly perm it only occurred once in my 27 years - it just made me think there might be VAT considerations that needed to be heeded

 

[Deleted member 335660]

I agree with Trevor's comment but there are other types of charity too. My neighbour is involved with a small charity that raises funds for specific NHS items and all of the charity members work free of charge so that every penny raised goes directly to the charity

Yes I agree Ian.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

By default I would say no. The CEO of this charity earns £150k a year so if they can pay him, they should pay me.

I always charge the full rate as most of these charities are a big racket .
If the charity went bust somebody else would step in and help out the intended
benefactors. It would be the CEO that loses the most and that cannot be right.
How the hell can a charity CEO earn more than any MP ,minister or Prime Minister

 

[Ian J]

don't just assume when someone is a charity worker they are any better than anyone else.

I think that the number of recent sexual misconduct cases in the charity sector opened up peoples' eyes to that

 

[Financial-Modeller]

If you charge your normal rate, OP, you can choose to make a donation to that charity (or any other charity(ies) that you choose) at a time, and level that suits you.

If you provide work at a discount, you are effectively making a donation to that specific charity - which you may or may not view as a deserving cause - at a time that may not suit you, and at a level which may be difficult to amend later.

 

[Fagin2021]

Hi,

I am a new freelance Web/Graphic Designer/Developer.
My question is what is a normal rate (per hour) for a WordPress website for a charity ? Should one make a website, for free for a charity or charge them money ? Your thoughts will be appreciated.

If you build it for free will they expect you to maintain it for free? To make changes for free? To add new features for free? To fix it if it breaks for free?

 

[MikeJ]

Also depends on how keen you are to have a reference site you can point to. It may be worth doing this one free so you can show people what you can do.

 

[Deleted member 335660]

I always charge the full rate as most of these charities are a big racket .
If the charity went bust somebody else would step in and help out the intended
benefactors. It would be the CEO that loses the most and that cannot be right.
How the hell can a charity CEO earn more than any MP ,minister or Prime Minister

Same argument that public company directors use. We need to pay this to get the right people.

 

[tan_lan]

Charge more than usual

Many charities are run by people paid more then the PM and have office beyond most people.

 

[cjd]

You're just starting out, you shouldn't be doing anything for free. Once you're established and stable you can think of giving something back.

Of course if it's someone you know or a cause you feel attached too or can give you introductions to more business you can give 'mate's rates' and they'll appreciate the discount. You have to eat; charity begins at home etc.

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

I used to use a poster writer to do hand painted banners. Producing for School Fetes, Charity Runs, fundraising Jumble Sales and the Church, nearly every new customer asked him for discount. Pointing at dozens of samples covering the walls he'd say, if you can find the one which wasn't for a good cause I'll do yours for free. Some folk actually stood their for several minutes, the penny not having dropped.

The only reason to do the website for free is to add to your portfolio which you may need as a new starter?

 

[antropy]

How much is a normal charge/hourly rate of a freelance web developer ?

How much experience do you have?

Paul.

 

[antropy]

You're just starting out, you shouldn't be doing anything for free.

Actually if you're just starting out, building a portfolio and client list can be worth doing for free in some cases.

Paul.

 

[ppp123]

Thanks all for your helpful replies..

My curiosity is now growing.. How do charities claim administrative cost and funding.. what is the procedure need to be followed..what document proof is required ? Any gov link would be helpful..Thanks

 

[ppp123]

How much experience do you have?

Paul.

2 years of experience Paul

 

[Scalloway]

How do charities claim administrative cost and funding

In my years of experience with charities getting core funding for a charity is the hardest part. Funders are happy to see money spent on projects that actually make a difference but there is no glamour attached to admin work.