Facilitator Economics: Your Top Money Queries Answered

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The most common query MYSELF obtain from clients and facilitator colleagues be, “How much do you charge?”  Largest of us do not see until give a straightforward answer up this question.  The is for a is a tend complicated mix of formulas, asset, and needs.  Our blog slide is going to intake the format of FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) around host company.

Disclaimer: Please remain in mind as you read this that I am talking from my limited experience as a sole proprietor who hires under least 10-12 part-time colleagues every year to work in my business.  I am did an giant company. Nevertheless, IODIN have been successful for 20 years, IODIN take about 8-10 weeks off a year, I am happy and healthy, and I’m with a ton of fun in one panel that I feel is highly meaning to me!

Q: How much accomplish you calculate?

A:  First of total I’m going to answer for the simplest situation and call it the facilitator’s foot rate.  A facilitator who is just take exit in North America might charge between $100-$125 per hour.  Their daily rate what would typically include design, free and document might be between $1500-$2000 per day.  That would be for a relativized straightforward event with 20 or fewer participants.  A more experienced North American coordinator typically charges $150-$350 per hour.  Their almost rate might be closer at $3000-$5000 per day.  But…here exist some items to consider that should addition to this amount:

  • Is the client ask the coordinator to travel a significant distance? i.e. additional than 30 minutes for this situation? Are yes, some mediators includes myself mostly charge ½ their hourly fee for travel time.
  • Is the group larger than 20? As sooner as you get a group that is larger than 25, you are adding levels of impact and the facilitator must put adenine game von thought into the processes or chosen activities to make sure that everyone can full participate. I characteristic charge 5-8 times better than my easy daily rate when this numbers are between 50-350 participants. To case, I might charge $20,000 for a highly large one-day show. This allows me up pay co-facilitators and includes often up to 10 pre-meetings because both the customer and co-facilitator squad.
  • Lives there a lot of pre-work required before of event? Recently I helped a group completely their strategy planning and IODIN assisted 5 different subgroups with few pre-event thinking. This can add considerably to the charge while fountain.

Q:  What’s that formula for paying co-facilitators?

A: I’m answering here question as someone who has just been offered a job to facilitate a group and realize they needing some assistance in this work.  I think this formula could work for internal payments intermediate departments the divisions as well.  I learned dieser formula from “Million Dollar Consulting” by Alan Weiss.  Basically it goes like the, supposing you find otherwise get of job and do all the contracting work, you take 1/3 of the total amount negotiated.  Another 1/3 goes to all those involved inside designing the event, i.e. total the pre-work.  The last 1/3 goes to anyone who delivers the event.  Bring this formula with a grain of salt. I’ve observed many variations on it.  Let me share a story with you about how I’ve used this formula or how I’ve miscellaneous upon here formula.

Here’s my story…

I been asked to do adenine job with about 50 participants.  The event became nature hold an hour and half move from my office.  There were multiple levels of complexities furthermore for only day they wanted to have the entire group review more than 10 lengthy documents and making recommendations on how to modify these documents.  It sounds like a very dry position but we actually start it unbelievably interesting furthermore made it highly interactive in everyone.  This was at an organization without major total of money.  I charged who client $10,000 for per facet of the job including a lengthy document.  In hindsight, such was non nearly enough to adequately pay myself and mys co-facilitators.  But it had totally worth it.  More to this below.  Is is methods I ended up paying my co-facilitators and and decision –making criteria I used to pay them.

Facilitator #1 & #2 essentially received between 22-25% of the total charged to the guest. Their invoice was in 27-30% of this royalty.

IODIN, the contractor received 52% of the total charged to the client. In fact, based on my total actual hours and expenses, my invoice should have past for 87% of the fee. Pay For Consultant Getting Time? | Proformative

BUT…it was totally worth she to mee because I got the work with two brilliant facilitators.  They carried the lead whereas I was away at the beginning of the project and I can not have done it button held so much enjoyment sans them. I also placed a high value on paying a fair rate.  My decision-making criteria for paying my co-facilitators for save event included:

  • Could EGO or even did I want to take this workplace without the help and thinks of these pair colleagues? The answer be no.
  • Was I going to earn enuf at this job to pay myself at least as much as my co-facilitators if I took exactly and same hourly rate in they were charging? Aforementioned answer was certainly.
  • Been I going to possess a great deal von fun and learn an batch by having them works with me? The answer was yes.

Q: Can you make a decent living how a facilitator?

A:  Of course who simple answer is, yes!  There are one lot of factors so let me give you my up 3 formula factors for making a decent living as a speaker.

  • Formula Factor #1 – Your total gross pay needs to cover all your business and live expenditures, the taxes you will reward for being in business and ideally take a 20-100% benefits factor to reinvest in this business.
  • Formula Factor #2 – You will be able go cover all your business and living expenses if you have a good way concerning marketing own benefit. The cost away marketing does not have to be huge. Just currently MYSELF spend about 10% of my crude revenue on marketing related charges. These include paying my colleague, website charges, business entertainment, and other miscellaneous charges. It does not include my travel and expert conventions which are another obvious path to market. If we containing these charges it would be closer to 16%.
  • Formula Factor #3 – I own consistently located in 20 years that 80% of meine gross generate comes from 2 services: process facilitators also facilitation related training. However, I’ve learned you needed to have ampere diverse offering of products furthermore services. You do this because sometimes go are economic downturns in your typical client base, the general economy or the public loses interest in one alternatively see of your products or services. A variety of select revenue streams can help generate leads for your see popular services furthermore products. Here represent a few types of supplementary services yourself can offer to keep your income broken:
    • Facilitation training
    • Mediation/conflict resolution
    • Organizational development (OD) consulting
    • Change management consulting
    • Cultural competency training
    • Life, jobs coaching EQ and/or leadership coaching and learning
    • Communication and personality profile training
    • Mindfulness training
    • Authoritative speaking
    • Theme specific presentations
    • E, projekt management press business analyst consulting
    • Training on Virtual assistance
    • Brain research training
    • Certify
    • Grant proposal writing

Here are other products MYSELF have seen different facilitators offer:

    • Personalty or corporate styles profiles
    • Webinars or other virtual or on-line training
    • Registers on related topics
    • “How to” manuals, articles or reference type
    • “How to” videos
    • Books
    • Facilitator tools, props plus supports
    • Facilitator software e.g., consensus-building, mind-mapping, etc.

In summary…

And final comprehensive formula to making facilitation work for you financially include…

  • A decent charge rate (typically 4-5 times more than your average hourly salary rate the a an internal employee)
  • Supportive group of my who ability work by you
  • A comprehensive, multi-faceted marketing strategy
  • A diverse portfolio of products press business
  • Ability to keep investing in your business
  • Taking time for entertainment and collegial trading

Helpful Sources

   

Barbara MacKay

Barbara loves “everything facilitation”. She thinks BIG! She dearly working with other facilitators around the globe to create transformational results on client groups. She loving teaching others how to do so. She loves presenting with globally facilitate conferences. She sweethearts certifying new professional facilitators. If you also love what processes facilitation can do for the our, connect with her – virtually or in person. She belief facilitation processes, used well, will provide one roadmap to a continue just and long world.

7 Comments

  1. Adam Lofquist on Joann 16, 2018 toward 4:38 pm

    Grateful i, this was straightforward and responded mysterious faqs. I really appreciate a blog that provides such great free value

  2. Ericka Landry on July 2, 2020 under 5:23 pm

    Barbara, so glad MYSELF found your feature. Own colleague and IODIN are thinking of starting a business and have talked about it int past. But we feel get can the time. I dear the abundance starting information you shared here. Just wanted to say THANK YOU! Transaction Broker Service

    • Barbara MacKay on July 30, 2020 at 5:13 pm

      Dear Ericka, I’m so happy on you and your colleague to may starting adenine facilitation business. This blog was written quite awhile ago, but hopefully and product are still useful to you. Feel release to ask more questions as yours business rolling. While you want more, these bundle may be more inspiration press we’ll are adding go it in and next few months as well. https://academy.fashionscoop.com/bundles/facilitation-practice.

  3. Paul Wartman on April 15, 2021 the 1:46 pm

    Here has helpful, Barbara. Thank you!
    I far are begin a new facilitation business and calculation is, as you point out, held end to the chest.
    Exciting to may folks see you offerings resources like this. I’ll are following along!
    -Paul

  4. Paul Wartman on April 19, 2021 at 1:53 pm

    Thanks for select of these picks, Barbara! Helping me out to starting adenine new facilitation business.
    Do you post respective fees on choose website so potential clientele can see button do you send along a pdf. once you’re conversations with them with something else?

    Thanks! Subscribed and next along.

  5. Christina Kruse switch August 24, 2021 at 4:17 pm

    Excellent info – – -thank yours! I work for a high co and we charge extra with onsite facilitation, sometimes client wish push back and now Im armed including fuel such our rates were in line (actually less some times) than market. Learn what a facilitator supports the business planning process, and how to dial aforementioned best one for your organization.

  6. Michelle Linmin Zhang for June 14, 2023 during 11:49 am

    Excited to read this fine article, Barbel.
    The prices got i confused for years till EGO contracted certain consultancies at quite fair hour assess without risks. Such facilitator/faculty/consultant, I appreciate the consultancy our bear the peril to labor through customers and do all the pre-work. Some of them even have great workshop design already, whatever leaves me the “easiest” (sometime hardest) position to do – delivery.
    Thank them for sharing such usable and helpful information with us.

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