Why is it free?

It's a fair question. We're not used to getting something for nothing. There must be a catch, right? Well, no. 

In short, I wanted to do a little something for other people - to 'give back' to the universe, so to speak. I spent a lot of time scanning volunteer opportunities but nothing felt quite right. If I'm going to volunteer my time, in all honesty, it has to align to my schedule, my abilities and my priorities. And nothing did. There's no point in me working for eight hours in a charity shop on a sunny Wednesday in July if I'm going to resent it and never go back. (No offence to those who do such roles, of course - and all power to you!) 

Ultimately, I decided to create my own volunteer role, so I could be sure it was something that I would enjoy, that would spark my interest and integrate with my life. So I settled on the idea of doing what I know best - writing and editing content - for those who need it most. For free. But crucially, doing so when I want and where I want, selecting the projects and jobs that would give me most satisfaction. 

I believe goodness breeds goodness. So if the recipients of my content work are happy, I would love for them to donate to my preferred charity, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). But there is absolutely no obligation to do so. 

I don't know if this is a particularly new approach. I've heard of hairdressers and tattoo artists doing similar things. But I do think it would be great if it became a more common model. Imagine armies of people donating a portion of their time and utilising their greatest skills to help others in society, with an array of charities benefitting in the process. What a wonderful thing that would be. Perhaps one day there might be umpteen free services out there, such as Freedom Designer, Freedom Developer, Freedom IT, or even Freedom Legal. But for now, since this is a very new initiative, I'm firmly focused on nurturing my own miniature pot of goodwill - Freedom Writer. 

Feel free to email me if you have any questions, or submit your project for consideration - FreedomWriterUK@gmail.com.