So, there are clients and then there are clients. I braced myself for a range of clients when I started out – the brilliant ones and the hair-pulling ones, because that’s life, right? Some people are clear, logical, structured and great communicators, and some people….less so. I’ve been looking back over the last 18 months and realising how lucky I’ve been to work with the clients I have. Here’s some of the things that have stuck out recently?

Thanks

I recently got a leaving card and voucher from a charity I’d worked with – and it bowled me over. Now yes, I had been working with them for just over a year, and it was an interim role so I was more of an embedded part of the team, but, I was still freelance and it was still a business arrangement. To go to the effort of getting everyone to sign the card (and even a leaving gift) really struck me. It was such a lovely gesture and one that spoke to what an incredible group of people they are.

Feedback

Another corker is feedback. While doing a project for another charity, I was struck by how clear and direct they are with feedback – so you know exactly what’s working and what needs extra work. Without this, it can feel hard to be confident you’re delivering what the client wants. I loved knowing exactly where I and the project stood.

Admin Support

I recently had a project overrun, through no fault of anyone’s. But the impact was a significant delay to my payment – something I expected to receive in Sept/Oct suddenly was now moving to Dec/Jan and for a freelancer’s cashflow, that can be hard to manage. Having a client who is able to recognise this challenge and work to unblock any admin hurdles is worth their weight in gold.

Response Times

I’ve been working with another charity to put together a proposal where they would be the beneficiary of some development work – it was a short bid document but a tight turnaround. They made diary time, co-editing the document and were quick to approve submission. It set the tone for what will hopefully be a great working relationship.

Charity

I think the non-profit sector does tend to be full of good people, but it doesn’t always mean organisations are great clients. Engaging freelancers needs clarity of brief, organisational availability, speedy payments and support when needed. Whether it’s good luck, the non-profit sector, or something about how I find clients, I’m really appreciated the great clients.

Photo by KOBU Agency on Unsplash