Getting to Know Freelance Austin

Written by Shelley Kilpatrick. 

Did you know that as member of Women Communicators of Austin (WCA) your fee also entitles you to membership in Freelance Austin? Well it does! What’s that you say? You don’t know anything about Freelance Austin? That’s okay because we are here to help.

This blog post is all about getting to know this amazing organization and what it can do for you. And a special thanks goes out to LuAnn Glowacz and Ginny Murphy for answering all our questions!

What is Freelance Austin?

Freelance Austin is special interest group of WCA and is the longest-running nonprofit network of independent communications professionals in Austin. We hold monthly meetings, networking opportunities and are known for our strong referrals and comradery.

Who can join Freelance Austin; (Is it for everyone or just freelancers)?

Since Freelance Austin participation is free for all WCA members, we’ve had many non-freelance members attend our meetings and happy hours. We LOVE having non-freelancers around…especially those who hire freelancers and those who are considering freelancing at some point in their career.

What are the benefits of Freelance Austin?

A big part of being a freelancer is networking and getting to know your peers. We have a fantastic community that works together to increase our knowledge base and provide support.

Programs feature diverse topics relevant to the business of being a freelancer: getting and retaining clients, managing a small business, marketing, legal issues, tax tips, motivation, creativity and many more.

Besides that, some of the other advantages of your membership include:

• Free registration to Freelance Austin monthly meetings
• Access to other Freelance Austin social and networking events
• Access to Freelance Austin post a project contract opportunity listings from potential new clients and employers
• Opportunity to be included in the exclusive Freelance Austin talent directory

Can you tell me more about the monthly events?

We’ve moved our monthly events to Tech Ranch to accommodate more folks. We’ve been told the meetings are the best part of Freelance Austin. The speakers are always amazingly helpful – from tax professionals, fellow freelancers and everyone in between.

How did Freelance Austin become part of Women Communicators of Austin?

Freelance Austin was founded in 1992 by Patti DeNucci, the brains and beauty behind The Intentional Networker. Then called the First Tuesday Freelancers, the group was primarily a support group for freelance writers and communicators.

In 1995, the organization became affiliated with the Association for Women in Communications, Austin Professional Chapter (now WCA) and membership expanded to include a wide variety of over 100 independent professionals. In March 2013, The Austin chapter of AWC voted to launch out on its own as Women Communicators of Austin. Freelance Austin remains a committee of WCA.

To find out more about Freelance Austin, visit http://freelance-austin.org/