Last night I was on Ryan Hoyme’s Massage Nerd show. (Thank you, Ryan!) It was really fun and there were great questions and we talked about all sorts of stuff. But what’s really sticking with me is the discussion about when, and if, you should donate massage time. And I’ve got this here blog, so I’m going to share with you what I’ve been thinking about today.
I think as massage therapists we struggle in this odd gray area between maintaining the professionalism required as a health care professional and being a warm and personable provider of touch. We struggle with making massage available to and appreciated by as many people as possible and our need to earn a living and pay our bills. Sometimes our instincts to be generous conflict with the need to make smart business and financial decisions.
So when do you give work away for free? At what point does it pass being generous and marketing our businesses and become undervaluing our work and being a sucker?
I do discounted or even free gigs if I feel enough of the following criteria are met:
- I need new clients. That is, if my schedule is not mostly full, most of the time.
- Potential ideal clients will be at the event. If the event will be chock full ‘o the exact type of client I want to come to my office for the exact type of massage I specialize in, then it makes sense to do this gig.
- I am given permission to have an email list sign-up sheet and can offer an incentive to sign up. Raffling off a gift certificate for a 30 minute massage is easy, and will ultimately get a new client into your office.
- The job will strengthen an existing relationship. If the client who’s come in weekly for a 90 minute massage for 3 years running asks me to donate some time to the charity golf tournament he runs, I’m going to do it. He’s given me a great deal of business and clearly values my work. Bonus: in such a circumstance, that event would likely be full of clients just like him. (Ideal clients. See where this is going?) What if he wants to thank the employees who work under him in a corporate setting, but the HR budget is a little smaller than I would like? I would most definitely cut my rates for a one-time event. It’s just smart business sense to be good to the people who are good to you. Also, it makes me feel good. Win-win.
- I am able to send an email to new subscribers within 48 hours of the event. I welcome that person to my business, write a little blurb about how much fun the event was (maybe include a photo from that day?) and give a link to my website.
If I feel cozy with the job after going through this list, I do it.
Most importantly, how do you feel about doing this gig? Does it make you happy and excited? Do you already feel resentful or taken advantage of? Please don’t do a job if you’re grumpy about it. That’ll show through in your demeanor and that’s just bad marketing.
For charity events, sometimes I suggest that we collect a donation, and I make it clear that all donations will go back to the event. This fosters goodwill in your community. People will see that you are generous and concerned about that particular cause. If they’re at that event, they likely feel the same way. Look at that! You made a connection, you have something in common. You just build a relationship. Well done. Should you do this, please remember that if you collect cash then write a check for the donation, you must claim the cash as income. Deposit it into your account like any other income, then claim the charitable deduction accordingly. To do otherwise is uncool (and illegal).
The key here is to be generous, without being a doormat. You can donate time to good causes, whatever you deem to be a good cause, but do so with boundaries. Have a script for when someone requests your time. You can be gracious and still get across the idea that your time and skills are of great value. It’s okay to say, “Well, time away from my office is lost revenue, so let’s work something out that would be good for us both.” If you can make it work, and it’s good for everyone, why not?
How do you decide? Have you struggled with this, too? I would love to hear about it in the comments below.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Great information. I get asked for donations all the time and struggle with saying no. I have limited donations to only 30 minute massages. My schedule is full and time away from my business means I have to turn away clients. I have recently done two chair events that I wondered if I should really be doing at all. Thanks again for helping me figure things out. Couldn’t have come at a better time for me.
Surprise! Rant coming on…. I could not disagree more! Of course, I believe that we should contribute to our community in whatever way makes you feel good-but I say donate your time and money to a cause you believe in. Giving away our professional services for free-simply reduces the value of them. Other healthcare professionals DON’T do this-what is it about our wiring that allows us do it-and think it is good marketing? That is a question that I really am curious about! Giving a taste of massage-a 5 minute chair or tabletop may be a good way to build a champion in certain clinical settings where we are looking to create/develop a program ie, hospital, nursing home or hospice organization. But giving away FREE massage at events-for other people to get the marketing spin? No way! We will never be considered Complimentary Integrative Medical Professionals if we don’t act like them.
I agree with you, Lisa. That’s why I laid out the criteria I use to determine if I should, or WANT, to donate time. More often than not, when I consider the situation from every angle, it leads me to the conclusion that I shouldn’t give massage away. The rare exceptions are exactly what you noted, causes I believe in deeply.
I think you mean “Complementary.” You make good points.
Thank you for the insight in this post. I think this is always something therapists struggle with but especially with newer therapists starting out in the field. I have only been massaging myself for about 3 years now but I have learned to value my time and what all that is worth (both in work and out of). I think a big part of some of how you decide is what kind of setting you are doing your massaging in. Are you in a chiropractic clinic? A spa? Or something else? Are you working under someone or do you manage everything you do yourself? I worked for 2.5 years for Massage Envy. I am grateful that the clinic I worked at was not as bad as some I have heard about and it was a good place for me to get my feet wet for me. But in that kind of setting I wouldn’t/couldn’t have done anything for free as in there was definitely people who were willing to pay, so why should I?
Now is completely different!! I still work for someone else at the present time but hired as an independent contractor, so I have more say about when and what I do. Case in point our town held its 1st! Healthy Living Fair last weekend and myself and 3 other people I work with did free chair massage and some free spa hand treatments (dry of course!). We had people sign a form and let them include their email for more information, and made sure everyone walked away with a business card in hand. It was a great experience and things like this I truly believe are good for us and good for the community we are in. But no its not something I would do every month or even several times of year.
I also think this comes into play very much with your family and friends, who expect you to work on them for free. This I think is much harder saying no to or trying to reason with opposed to other people in your community or even your regular clients, as your family/friends sometimes can feel more entitled to the “freebies” What would you suggest for these kind of situations?
1. I really enjoy those types of health fairs. I think that when there are other wellness professionals promoting their businesses the same way, with free treatments and teasers, it’s a great environment. And I believe the attendees at such an event understand that just because massage is free at the event, doesn’t mean its not a valuable service.
2. Friends & family? That’s a whole other post. And I’ve already got it drafted, so you won’t have to wait too long.
Excellent topic. There are too many organizations that ask for “volunteers” to do massage. In many hospitals, health care centers, senior centers, there are “volunteer” programs where people go in and do massage. Many of these opportunities go on for years. My other criteria for volunteer work is a time table. When does the volunteer opportunity become paid? If the volunteer aspect gets a program going, and with the idea that it is free for now but will be offered either at a graduated discount or specific price in the future then I think that’s a worthwhile endeavor. So are one off’s with Allissa’s expert criteria above. It is my firm belief and goal to make more paid opportunities for massage therapists. Do doctors, nurses, chiropractors, dentists do volunteer work? Maybe they do some but they get paid for the most part. Massage is a PROfession, we spend many many hours and dollars furthering our training, we have a PROfessional organization that we all belong to, we have PROfessional liability insurance. Be a PROfessional, be paid as a PROfessional.
When I rent a booth at a health fair, I usually set up my chair and give the first 5 minutes of chair massage free. It’s my free sample – a way for them to quickly decide if I might have the kind of touch they want. I don’t want to do 15 minute chair massages at these events, because I want to market to as many people as possible. Everyone gets a chat with me, a business card, and they fill in an entry form for a table massage drawing. I get their contact information so I can market to them. Any event that I do, this is my routine. I’ve already spent over $100 on booth rental fees, so I’m trying to maximize my marketing potential, not my revenue potential at these events.
I do free massage at 2 events only. The first is the ‘Massage Awareness Days’ events where the state AMTA chapter brings in volunteers to provide chair massage to the state legislators and their staff. It’s part of our lobbying, it’s one day, and it’s geared towards convincing them that we are a legit business (so please pass the bills we are sponsoring, ok? thanks).
The other is a ‘Mom’s Spa Day’ at a local nonprofit that provides services to parents and caregivers of severely disabled children. Every year, they bring in a few people and give the moms an afternoon of snacks, pedicures, facials, and chair massage. I’m not sure why I have such a soft spot for them, but I see the same moms every year. I massage less than 12 women, eat some snacks, talk to the same volunteers every year and have a wonderful afternoon. I get no follow on business out of it. None of them have the resources, financial or time, to get massage but they all have children from newborns to adults that require round the clock care and they just need a break. I enjoy it and that’s my reason for doing it free.
There are 2 other charities where I would work for free, but that’s because it affects someone I love. Anybody else can pay for my time and travel expenses. I’m not a non-profit and I have bills to pay. I can do x number of hours of massage per week, so those had better be paying hours.
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