This guide by ARTS THREAD’s career education specialist and digital editor Jacqui Rudd’s will talk you through how to build a freelance career in the charity sector, build a portfolio and find sustainable paid work.

If your values and interests are directing your career towards work within charities, the flexibility of freelancing is still an option available to you. However, finding freelance work within the third sector can be challenging and takes a slightly different approach to seek freelance work within the private sector.

So, how can you establish yourself as a thriving freelancer in the charity world? In this guide, we have highlighted some key tips on how to build a career as a charity freelancer as well as how to build a portfolio and where to start looking for work.

1) Decide What You Want To Offer

Even if you have no experience within freelance or the charity sector you can start to consider what support and services you could offer. Begin by answering these questions:

• What are you passionate about and why?


• Have you engaged in volunteering or charity work and why?


• Which charities would you like to work with?


• What support do they require for short term contracts and projects?


• What skills and interests do you have to offer then?

Consider your current skills, experience and interests and how you could use them to support a charity, and allow yourself to think outside the box. It can be helpful to consider yourself not a member of staff but a collaborator, how could you work towards something with a charity.

2) Build A Portfolio

Without relevant work in your portfolio, charities will be reluctant to hire you and there is a lot of competition out there. So you need to get some work examples to be seen as credible and worth hiring, but how? Here are two great options to consider:

Skills Exchange

Exchanging a service with a fellow freelancer or budding entrepreneur is a brilliant way to build a portfolio of work and receive support to grow your business. Need a photographer? Seek an emerging freelance photographer and offer your services in exchange for theirs. This is a brilliant way to grow your freelance business, network and build a portfolio of work.

Volunteer Services

For examples directly supporting a Charity, unfortunately, sometimes it does start as free work, however, it should be on your terms. I’d suggest going to local charities and offering them small services within your specialism, such as poster design or ghostwriting for their blog.

3) Create a website

To help you look professional, credible and get charities to take you seriously, you need a website. It doesn’t need to be fancy, just create a simple website on Wix or Squarespace so that potential clients and charities can see what you have to offer. What you should include:

• An intro to the work you offer


• A headshot


• Your bio about you and highlighting charity experience


• Information about the skills you have to offer


• Social media links


• Contact details


• Any testimonials you collect


• Selection of your portfolio


• If you are interested in any writing services include a blog!

4) Network

You may be amazing skills and experience to offer as a freelancer, but you still need to network and sell your services so people know they can hire you. The best place to start is by making connections and circulating in the charity sector. Possible methods could be:

• Follow charities on social media and newsletter to engage with their conversations and keep an eye out for any events to attend that would be good for networking. When you attend make sure you have an elevator pitch ready.


• Follow and join creative networking groups of people in your specialism.


• Contact agencies that work with charities, and ask other freelancers what agencies they would recommend for finding charity work.

5) Highlight Your Passion

On your website, or any freelance platforms you use, make sure you demonstrate a connection with your target charities causes. Do this by highlighting how and why they are important to you and why you are interested in supporting those causes specifically. This will help charities hiring teams understand your values and why you would be suited to support their work.

6) Be willing to adapt

One key skill of all freelancers, is the ability to adapt and be flexible to a client's needs. That does not change in the charity sector, in fact, they can expect more flexibility, so be prepared to adapt your project plan, jump into meetings easily, answer urgent emails quickly and potentially do small additional tasks. You’ll be considered an asset and those charities are more likely to hire you again.

7) Where To Start Looking For Freelance Charity Work

• People Per Hour & UpWork - Freelance hiring site are regularly used by charities for their ease of finding skilled staff for short term work. It's a good idea to research at a few options and then choose one that suits you best and stick to using only one site, so you can focus on building client reviews.


• Charity Job - There are a few charity only recruitment sites such as this, but they don't often highlight many freelance contract roles, but it's good to keep an eye out and stay on their radar.


• Creative Recruitment & ArtsJobs - The creative industry is full of charities and you can often find freelance roles on many creative recruitment sites like these two.

For more advice on how to apply for these roles check out our other guide Applying For Creative Roles in Third Sector.