It’s 2 years since I left the role of full time managing a charity, and juggling the part time role of freelancing on the side, to focussing full time on growing my work. I compiled a quick batch of stats, (mainly for my own use, may I add…) and to help me plan and develop the future of what I do.

 

What I’ve learn’t and where next…

In all, it’s been a great experience, and yes, there have been highs and lows. The best part, well, it is the part of really getting to know organisations, and the people, and how they operate. Organisations of all types, sizes and locations.
I enjoy the bigger contracts that I’m now working with and still also enjoy the smaller ones too, some of which need vast amounts of development, not just the building of a site, but in providing the essential hand holding and nurturing needed with them the first steps of being online, open and sharing their cause to a new audience. It’s a good mix.

Many of the projects I do, aren’t just a provide the code and ‘there you are’ job, but instead a long term partnership, enabling the organisation to make a step closer to meeting their mission and reaching out to the people they exist to serve. It’s been a privilege to be working together and working towards a new way of communicating.

The lows, well, the juggling of timing on various projects and managing the peak times where everything comes in at once. I haven’t actually had any ‘downtime’ as yet, and thankfully, so far, am always booked up several months in advance.
But, this does mean that I haven’t attended as many events as I would like, nor blog or share some of the code and solutions that I’ve been developing. I am hopeful, that this part will settle in time.

I’m aware that I need to focus on my own marketing and website design of my own ‘products’ and grow Popokatea (or the other enterprising idea that I plan to develop) in the near future. I need to stop running and producing; and focus on my own organisational development.

I’ve stuck to my guns as it were on my own ethics and who I provide services for. I work on projects that are socially motivated and for people passionate about society; and for most part have worked with the nonprofit sector (charities, third sector, voluntary and community sector; call it what you will), a mix of partnerships, public sector, and a few businesses that have and support ethical aims akin to mine.

Two years isn’t a long time in the grand scheme of things, but this was useful to reflect on what I’d been upto during that time.
July 3rd of 2008, was my first day as a full time freerange developer and consultant, and just as important, someone who aims to help enable others and their organisations to share their voice. I look foward to taking another snapshot in a couple more years.

- Laura Whitehead (Popokatea)
3/7/2010