proposaleventsindustryfreelancerscoop

Project Proposal
Events Industry
Freelancers Co-op

ProposalOutline
InShort
Backstory
Purpose
InitialSketches
Foundations
BuildersRequired
ArchitectsRequired
SolutionstoProblems

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proposaleventsindustryfreelancerscoop

In Short

Lifecanbefullofchallengesforfreelancers,especiallyintheeventsindustry.

Thatswhyitsabouttimewelaunchaneventfreelancerscooperativeasteadfast
communityofcollaborationandcooperation,onamissiontoforgeacommunityof
support,stabilityandbountifulopportunityforourmembershipfreelancers.

Acooperativebyandforeventsindustryfreelancers,providingsupportmechanisms
andlifeguardstakenforgrantedbyemployeeswhileensuringtheirflexibilityand
chosenwork/lifebalance.

Builtonfoundationsofnonprofitpoolingofmeans,relevantneedsbasedsolutions
anddemocraticorganisationifthiscoopalreadysoundslikeanorganisationyou
wouldliketojoinonceformed,letusknowbyregisteringyourinterestviaour
mailinglistsignupformthroughthis
link
.

Thoughts,suggestions,feedbackandideasareequallywelcomeviatheonline
feedbackformthroughthis
link
.

Ifyouwouldliketocontributetotheprojectandareabletodedicateabitoftimeand
yourprofessionalskillsasafoundingmember,thenaswellasmakinguseofthe
emailinglistsignupandthefeedbackform,sayhelloviathefollowingaddress:
ns@nickstokesevents.uk
.

Backstory

Therearefreelancerresources:databases,networksandassociations,each
providinganinvaluableserviceforitsusersandmembers,howevernonehave
brokenthemouldandfullytakenadvantageofcollaborationandcooperation.

Freelancercooperativescurrentlyoperatingacrossthechannelaredemonstrating,
whysettlefordiscountedinsurancepoliciesfromprovidersguaranteedtoinclude
profitmargins,whenyoucouldslashthecostofthesamecoverbypoolingmeans
withotherfreelancers.Orthroughthesamemeans,howtoensureyourcashflowis
neverendangeredbylateorfailedclientpayments.

Wewanttogofurtherandusethesamemixofinnovativecollaboration,clever
systemsandacommunityoffreelancecooperatorstocreatesolutionsineveryarea
ofchallenge.

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proposaleventsindustryfreelancerscoop

Liketakingadvantageofthecombinedknowledgeandexperienceofournetworkto
ensureeachandeveryoneofusdeveloptoourfullprofessionalpotential.Or
tappingintotheemergingsharingeconomytoreducetheamountofprofessional
equipmentweneedtoown.

Purpose

Ourpurposeistoputcollaborationandcooperationattheheartoffreelancingand
theheartofeventsOurmissiontoforgeacommunityofsupport,stabilityand
bountifulopportunityforourmembershipoffreelancers.

Initial Sketches

Thecooperativewillbeforandbyeventsindustryfreelancers,providingsupport
mechanismsandlifeguardstakenforgrantedbyemployeeswhileensuringtheir
flexibilityandchosenwork/lifebalance.

Solutionscurrentlyunderconsiderationforthecooptoprovideitsmemberssofar
include

(1)
illness,injuryandbereavementcover
(2)
guaranteedpaymentandclientdebtcollection
(3)

recruitmentrepresentationandanopportunitiesforum
(4)
payscalebenchmarking
(5)
anequipmentshareprogramme
(6)
asupportforumandahelpline
(7)
astructuredpersonaldevelopmentandmentoringprogramme
(8)
anincentivesprogramme
(
9)
discountedandfreetrainingopportunitiesand
(10)
preferentialrateswith3rdpartysuppliersandbusinesses.

EachofwhichisexploredinmoredetailbelowinthefinalSolutionstoProblems
section.

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proposaleventsindustryfreelancerscoop

Foundations

Nonprofit
basedonpoolingofmeansforthemembersmutual
benefit
Needsbased
providingsolutionstoneedsexpressedbyfreelancers
withintheeventsindustry
Democratic
encouragingsolidarity,mobilityandinvolvement,the
memberswillbethestakeholdersandgovernors.

Builders Required

Ifyoureinterestedinhelpingbuildthiscoopintosomethingwecanallbenefitfrom
andrelyonbyjoiningasamemberoncelaunched,letusknowbyregisteringyour
interestviaourmailinglistsignupformthroughthis
link
.

Likewise,ifyouhaveanythoughtsabouttheoverallideaoranyofthesolutionsthat
havebeenmentionedaboveandfurtheroutlinedbelow,pleaseletusknowusingthe
onlinefeedbackformthroughthis
link
.

Allandanyconstructivecomments,feedbackandideaswouldbegreatly
appreciatedandwillfurtherensurethecoopisasrelevantandeffectiveaspossible
inprovidingananswertothechallengesinherenttofreelancinginevents.

Movingforward,wellkeepyoupostedastheblueprintstakeshapeonnomore
thanaquarterlybasisandletknowknowwhenthefoundationsarelaidandset.

Architects Required

Ifyouwouldliketocontributetotheprojectandareabletodedicateabitoftimeand
yourprofessionalskillsasafoundingmember,thenaswellasmakinguseofthe
mailinglistsignupandthefeedbackform,pleasegetintouchviathefollowing
address:
ns@nickstokesevents.uk
.

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proposaleventsindustryfreelancerscoop

Solutions to Problems

Financialcoverduringtimesofillness,injuryandbereavement

Oneofthegreatestsecuritiesenjoyedbyemployeesandlackedbyfreelancersis
theemployer'slegalobligationtocontinuepayingtheemployeeuptoacertain
amountatleastduringtimesofillness,injuryandbereavement.

IntheNetherlandselfemployedworkershavecreatedasystemto
financiallysupporteachotherwhentheyfallill.ItiscalledBroodfunds,
breadfunds,anditworksbycreatingsmallgroupswhoseparticipants
payintoamutualsicknessfund.Theschemenowhas4,200participants
makingup123groups.

Between20to50participantscanjoineachgroup,andbeyondthata
newgroupmustform.Thesmallnumbersensuresthegroupremainsa
closecommunityandreducestheincentiveforanyparticipanttocheat.
Eachparticipantpaysinasetamountbasedonhowmuchtheywould
requireiftheyfellill.Thereareeightpaymentlevelsstartingat26.40a
monthforthosethatrequire541amonthwhenill,rangingto81.25for
thoseneedinga1,800monthlypayment.

Thesystemhasmanycleverfeaturesthatkeepitfairandsustainable.
Amemberpaysamaximumof36contributions,unlesstheirfund
requirestoppingupduetoaclaim.Eachmemberscontributionsare
savedinanindividualaccount,andtransfersaremadetoaneedy
memberifaclaimismade.Payoutsarecalledgifts,whichreinforces
theconceptofmutualsupport,andmembersmeettwiceayearto
establishasenseofcommunity.Amemberwhowishestoleavethe
schemecanwithdrawthebalanceoftheiraccountafterasixmonth
wait.
http://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/jan/14/freelancepaymentsicknessl
eave

Itisproposedthecoopwouldsetupasimilarschemebasedonthesame
successfulandprovensystem,processesandrules.Alsobeingconsideredis
potentiallyextendingthefundtocoverfamilybereavementandchangingthemonthly
paymenttoandfromtheschemetoweeklyifitisagreedasmoresuitabletothe
eventsindustryprofessional.

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proposaleventsindustryfreelancerscoop

Thissolutionwouldpotentiallybeoneofthecoreservicesorganisedandofferedby
thecoopandwouldbeintendedforlaunchassoonaspossibleafterthe
organisationsformation.Aswithalltheproposedservicesdescribedwithinthis
proposal,anyfeedbackandsuggestionsonthisparticularsolutionwouldbegreatly
appreciatedviatheInterest&FeedbackForm.

GuaranteedPayment&ClientDebtCollection

Anotherproblemoftenfacedbyfreelancersintheeventsindustryarepaymentsfrom
clientsforworkundertakenthatareeitherlateorthatnevermaterialise.
Subsequentlycausinglengthyadditionaladministrationtoprocure,seriously
disruptingcashflowandevencausingfinancialinstability.

SMart
,anonprofitpoolingorganisationbasedinBelgiumsimilarindesignand
aimstothisproposedorganisationandindeedpartlyitsinspirationhasdevelopeda
separatefundknownastheMutualGuaranteeFundandadebtcollectionserviceto
alleviatethisproblem.

OurMutualGuaranteeFundwassetuptoensureallouruserswould
bepaidwithinafewdaysoftheirwork.Thisenablesustoguarantee
theircashflow,lessentheburdenofdebtcollection,anddecrease
administrativework.Thefundisbasedononeofourkeyvalues:
poolingofmeans.Allouruserscontributetothisfundinorderto
spreadrisks.Twopercentagepointsofthefeechargedonallamounts
invoicedthroughusarekeptasidetofeedtheMutualGuaranteeFund.
http://smarteu.org/projects/mutualguaranteefund/

Oneoftheknownheadachesofcreativesisgettingpaidontimeand
havingtochasetheirclients.SMarttakesonthisburdenandis
responsibleforcollectingdebtfromitsusersclients.SMartsdebt
collectionissupportedbyemployeeswhohavepersonalcontactwith
theclients.Addtothataninvoicingsoftware,andSMartoffersarecipe
forminimisingobstaclestoclientpayment.
http://smarteu.org/projects/debtcollection/

Itisproposedthecoopwouldsetupasimilarfundandservicebasedonthesame
successfulandprovensystem,processesandrules.Alsobeingconsideredis
mergingthefundwithsomeofthefeaturesinherentintheBroodfundsfinancial
coverfunddescribedabove,inparticularlimitingtheamountoftimesparticipants
needtocontributeandenablingtheparticipantswithdrawaloftheirbalanceshould
theywanttoleavethescheme.

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proposaleventsindustryfreelancerscoop

Thissolutioncouldpotentiallybeanotherofthecoreservicesorganisedandoffered
bythecoop,howeverduetothelevelofcapitalrequiredtoundertake,itwouldlikely
requirealaterlaunch.Anyfeedbackandsuggestionsonthisparticularsolution
wouldbegreatlyappreciatedviatheInterest&FeedbackForm.

OpportunitiesAgent&JobsBoard

Arguably,oneofthegreatestchallengesfacedbyeventfreelancersisprocuringand
confirmingenoughworkthroughouttheyear.Anadditionalserviceandfunctionthe
coopcouldprovideisthatofarecruitmentagencyand/orsimplyaGumtreestyle
platformforitsmemberstopostandfindopportunities.

Thissolutionwouldbeidealforanearlylaunchandanyfeedbackandsuggestions
onthisparticularareawouldbeappreciatedviatheInterest&FeedbackForm.

PayScaleBenchmarking

Oftendiscretelybrushedoverattheworkdinnertable,afreelancersruminationfor
certainjobscanbeadelicatesubjectforreasonsofprofessionaletiquette.However,
moreoftenthannotthistaboocanleadtoalackofclarityastowhethercertain
ruminationlevelsreceivedordayratessetareinfactbeloworabovetheindustryor
sectoraverageforthedifferentrolesandresponsibilitiesundertakenbyfreelancers.

Asolutionproposedforthecooptoofferitsmembersisapayscalebenchmarking
indexwherebyparticipantsareencouragedtoanonymouslysubmittheirvarying
levelsofruminationfordifferentroles,overtimearobustindexofindustry/sector/role
averageswouldbebuiltupformembersreferral.

Thissolutionwouldbeidealforanearlylaunchandanyfeedbackandsuggestions
onthisparticularareawouldbeappreciatedviatheInterest&FeedbackForm.

BorrowBoxCitybasedequipmentsharescheme

Ratherselfexplanatoryfromthetitle,thepotentialBorrowBoxschemecouldprovide
equipmentirregularlyrequiredandusedbyeventorganisingandoperating
freelancerssuchasdecentSLRcameras,A3A0laminators,powerfulprojectors,
etc.

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proposaleventsindustryfreelancerscoop

Thissolutionwouldbeidealforanearlylaunchandanyfeedbackandsuggestions
onthisparticularareawouldbeappreciatedviatheInterest&FeedbackForm.

CollectiveOnlineSupportForumandHelpline

Supportandadvicecanoftenbesoughtonallsortoftopicsandatallsortoftimes.
Whatbetterwaytoassisteachotherthanthroughcrowdsourcingtheknowledge,
advice,answersandideasneeded.

Anothersolutionproposedforthecooptolaunchisasimpleonlineforumfor
memberstodoexactlytheabove,potentiallyutilisingexistingnetworkssuchas
LinkedInasabase.Thissolutionwouldbeidealforanearlylaunch.

Sometimeshowever,adviceisneededstraightaway.Tocaterforthisneed,a
helplinepotentiallyoperatedbyhighlyexperiencedmembersisalsobeing
consideredasasupportservice.Althoughifviable,thisadditionalsupportservice
wouldbeunlikelytolaunchintheorganisation'sfirstcoupleyearsuntilitisableto
paymembersoperatingthehelplinefortheirtime.

Again,anyfeedbackandsuggestionsontheseparticularsolutionswouldbe
appreciatedviatheInterest&FeedbackForm.

StructuredPersonalDevelopmentandMentoring

Anotherstandardaspectofcareerlifefoundwithinmostmediumtolargesize
organisations,isthestructuredpersonaldevelopmentofemployees.Oftenthebest
performingcompaniesdevelopamentoringschemetoensureeachandevery
memberoftheirworkforcehastheoneononesupportrequiredforemployeesto
quicklyreachtheirfullpotential.

Freelancersintheeventindustryrarelyhavethechancetobenefitfromsuchlong
termsupportandcareerdevelopmentfromanexperiencedandinvestedcoworker
orpeer.Asofsuch,oneservicebeingconsideredforlaunchbythecoopisa
structuredmemberdevelopmentandmentoringscheme,wherebyexperienced
membersarematchedwithlessexperiencedmembersinamutuallybeneficial
mentor/menteerelationshipforasetperiodoftime.

Anyfeedbackandsuggestionsonthisparticularareawouldbeappreciatedviathe
Interest&FeedbackForm.

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Incentives[linkedtothePersonalDevelopment]

Anothersolutionunderconsiderationforthecooptoprovideitsmembersisa
Member'sIncentiveProgramme.

Oftenlinkedtosalestargets,employeeincentiveprogrammeshavelongbeenthe
toolofchoicefororganisationstomotivatetheiremployees.

Ifimplementedwithinthecoop,membersengagedinpersonaldevelopmentwitha
mentorcouldbemotivatedtoandrewardedforreaching/surpassingtheirown
personalcareeraimsandobjectives.

Tominimisethecostsoftheincentivesprogramme,thecoopwouldaimtoleverage
itsnumbersandgroupbuyingpower,andcouldalsoseekcorporatesponsorsforthe
programmeforexamplefrompromotersandtouroperators.

Anyfeedbackandsuggestionsonthisparticularareawouldbeappreciatedviathe
Interest&FeedbackForm.

Free&DiscountedTraining

Itisproposedthecoopwouldseektoofferitsmembershighlydiscountedorfree
trainingandprofessionaldevelopmentcourses,againleveraginggroupbuying
powertominimisecosts.

Potentialareasofstudyanddevelopmentinclude:SiteSafetyPassport,Plant
MachineryOperation,IOSH/NEBOSHH&S,FoodHygiene,CrowdSafety,CAD
Software,WorkingatHeights,RopeAccess,ProjectManagementSystems,
PhotoshopSoftware,Photography,Languages,etc.

Anyfeedbackandsuggestionsonthisparticularareawouldbeappreciatedviathe
Interest&FeedbackForm.

PreferentialMemberRateswith3rdPartySuppliers&Businesses

Thecoopwouldaimtoacquirepreferentialratesforitsmemberswithsuppliersand
businessessuchas:vehicleandplanthire,venuehire,accommodation,workspace,
accountingandtaxservices,designservices,photographyandrecordingservices,
etc.

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