Thanks, Lori. You’re right. We need an army of writers. It would be sooo much easier. : )

We writers need to get backbones and some self-respect and do more than say no. We need to educate our peers, like you say — lead the way out.

I was too shell shocked to be properly bitter. Those jobs I had were mostly administrative – but even now, how do we all process how our whole system has been run more and more the way you describe. Writers, of all people, should lead the way out. You are an example, Lori!

Didn’t they, Sharon? It’s shocking that they’re calling that a volunteer job. With required hours. If it’s volunteer and I show up for just eight hours a week, how are you going to “fire” me? What motivates me to stick around?

They didn’t think this through very well. 😉

All of what you said, Gina. Every bit! Nonprofits being shells — so true. And they do feed on people’s emotions. They give promises, they tell you you’ll be doing good deeds, all of the triggers that make us trust and get on board.

I had that happen once. The guy had quite literally faked a charity and he was good — he managed to get me to volunteer to write a press release for free. That ended when the cops in his area alerted me to who he was. From that point, I decided it’s payment upfront, and I’m checking out everyone before I get on board.

It’s hard not to be bitter, isn’t it?

Thank you, Gabriella! This is a trend I’m not happy about in the least. HuffPo has had me steaming for a decade over their nonpayment policy. Why the hell should I work to make them rich at the cost of my own earnings?

I hear you on the charity work. It has to be something that makes you feel good, not something that makes someone else overwork you for their own financial gain. No. Thanks!

Look, I’m involved in a nonprofit dog rescue. And, yep, I’ve written real articles for which I’ve interviewed people. And I’m the lead on the biannual newsletter, where I write a bunch of stuff.

Yep, all nonpaid. But that’s because it makes my heart sing, helping dogs.

It doesn’t make my heart sing to earn nothing while making others profitable.

I don’t get it.

The worst example? All those fools who wrote for HuffPo for free and then let Arianna sell it for something like $300 million. I STILL won’t read HuffPo for that reason–I won’t give a single click that made its money off of unpaid work that should have been paid.

OK, I’ll stop. But this one is a head scratcher for me. Thanks, Lori, for making this point so well!