So I fully support not doing things for free, especially if you're in a position where you need some type of income to survive.

However I would like to share a personal experience. A legitimate nonprofit organization reached out to me because they needed a creative director to design some of their marketing content. I thought to myself since I like what the organization stands for, and they have a pretty prominent support base, why not? When I finished the task, I received so many connections and commissions from other clients because of the prominence of this nonprofit organization.

I could have said no and told them how much I would charge for the services (around $10,000 , I do not have a low rate). But I looked at the opportunities that could potentially arise if I just volunteered for the short gig; the connections/opportunities paid off (pun intended).