This is such an important topic, Dom. Thank you for writing about it. FemCatholic has been spearheading a national campaign to spotlight paid leave and even created a spreadsheet showing which diocese is provide which benefits. https://www.femcatholic.com/paid-leave
When I was starting out as a freelance writer, I went through a period of about two years when I wrote for free for various Catholic blogs (some were small but others were operated by big recognizable names in Catholic media evangelization). Now, both of my remaining regular clients pay for my articles. Notice what I said there: "both of them." That's right, just two clients. I had to stop submitting to blogs that only paid in "exposure." One outlet which shall remain nameless used to pay a decent-ish rate when I inquired about an outstanding payment that I never received I was met with silence. They simply stopped answering my emails. I'd like to land a third paying client soon. It has been simply impossible to earn a sustainable income as a Catholic freelance writer, at least in my personal experience. I was very lucky to land a part time job this year at a local history museum. But even that, plus my freelancing and a few odd jobs amounts to barely enough income to cover my bills. Not enough to build savings. Not enough to afford basics that many others take for granted (like a vehicle or my own apartment). Not enough to make any significant dent in my college debt. Often I feel like I'm running in place. I want to contribute my talents to the Church, but I worry about my long-term financial wellbeing.
This is such an important topic, Dom. Thank you for writing about it. FemCatholic has been spearheading a national campaign to spotlight paid leave and even created a spreadsheet showing which diocese is provide which benefits. https://www.femcatholic.com/paid-leave
When I was starting out as a freelance writer, I went through a period of about two years when I wrote for free for various Catholic blogs (some were small but others were operated by big recognizable names in Catholic media evangelization). Now, both of my remaining regular clients pay for my articles. Notice what I said there: "both of them." That's right, just two clients. I had to stop submitting to blogs that only paid in "exposure." One outlet which shall remain nameless used to pay a decent-ish rate when I inquired about an outstanding payment that I never received I was met with silence. They simply stopped answering my emails. I'd like to land a third paying client soon. It has been simply impossible to earn a sustainable income as a Catholic freelance writer, at least in my personal experience. I was very lucky to land a part time job this year at a local history museum. But even that, plus my freelancing and a few odd jobs amounts to barely enough income to cover my bills. Not enough to build savings. Not enough to afford basics that many others take for granted (like a vehicle or my own apartment). Not enough to make any significant dent in my college debt. Often I feel like I'm running in place. I want to contribute my talents to the Church, but I worry about my long-term financial wellbeing.