One of the pains of being a freelancer is clamoring about to get clients to pay their invoices. Don’t get me wrong — most clients are great. They answer invoices promptly and pay in full. But every now and then, a freelancer will get the rotten egg of the bunch, and it’s a painful experience — emailing back and forth, calling to no avail, issuing late notices.
The Freelancers Union estimates that 77% of freelancers will be stiffed by deadbeat clients at some point in their careers.
In an effort to educate freelancers on how to avoid the situation, the Freelancers Union — a support system for independent workers — is launching The World’s Longest Invoice, where it is tallying up the losses that freelancers have incurred due to having non-paying clients.
The project isn’t just about education, though — it’s also about action and change. The site explains:
On May 22, we’ll deliver the World’s Longest Invoice to lawmakers to urge them to pass the Freelancer Payment Protection, a model bill in New York that gives freelancers the same protection as “traditional” employees. This bill will create a historic precedent to be replicated throughout the country.
The organizers encourage freelancers to join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #GetPaidNotPlayed and share the news on Facebook after submitting their lost wages on the website. Freelancers Union founder and executive director Sara Horowitz will be rallying much of the conversation on Twitter, so freelancers interested in the campaign can find her tweeting at @Sara_Horowitz.
Have you lost wages to deadbeat clients? If so, will you be adding them to the World’s Longest Invoice? Let us know in the comments below.