12/18/2022
I'd like to believe that not every board member of the Greater Seminole Area Chamber of Commerce had all of the information when they decided to deny my payment. I'd like to believe that I am not being shunned and ignored by fellow Chamber members and board members because they don't have all of the facts.
Here are some of the details and evidence in my case:
July 2021 -
I provided a freelance estimate for various project types to the executive director of the Chamber. I was hired to design a logo, design and produce a rack card, and refresh and update a newsletter for print.
(photo below)
August 2021 -
I completed three projects and sent an invoice.
(photo below)
The Chamber paid the invoice upon receipt.
The executive director then contracted me via an oral agreement to develop, design, layout and produce a full-color 52-page magazine based on pricing included in the original estimate.
I began working on the freelance magazine project.
In August 2021, The executive director and the Chamber hired me as Member Communications Coordinator, a full-time permanent position.
The executive director and I discussed outstanding work on the magazine project. We confirmed through email that the magazine would continue to be a freelance project, separate from my employment with the Chamber.
(photo below)
For the next several months, I continued to work on the magazine and hold meetings with the executive director to review progress and discuss the project's direction.
August 2022 -
The executive director resigned from the Chamber. I set a meeting with the Chamber Chairwoman to discuss the magazine project moving forward.
September 2022 -
I shared the project vision and status at the meeting with the Chairwoman. I also showed her a 52-page color mockup, pagination plan, reference material, and planning notes.
The Chairwoman canceled the project, asked that I cease all work on it, and asked me to look for outside vendors to start over.
I reached out to Lunar Cow and obtained pricing and samples.
October 2022 -
I gave two weeks' notice and resigned from my position as Member Communications Coordinator.
November 2022 -
I contacted the incoming Chairwoman about the outstanding magazine project and was assured that I would be paid. She instructed me to send an invoice.
Knowing that the Chamber was tight on funds and that the project couldn't be completed, I reduced the $3900 invoice by half in good faith and sent it to the incoming Chairwoman.
She responded with a phone call telling me that the invoice was too high. Again, in good faith, I reduced my price again to $1500.
(photo below)
I reached out to the incoming Chairwoman again after two weeks of not hearing anything to find that the Chamber's executive board didn't believe they needed to pay the invoice. The Chamber board's secretary asserted in an email that I didn't deserve to be paid because I could be lying about doing the work on my own time. As a result, I offered evidence such as my husband's testimony, file dates, and the testimony of the executive director who hired me. I also referred to the September meeting, where I reviewed the entire project with the Chairwoman.
The Chamber's secretary then emailed me to let me know that the board would discuss the matter at their December board meeting and asked me to send a PDF proof of the magazine.
I reached out to the previous executive director who contracted the project, and she promised to send an email to the board of directors on my behalf.
I let the executive board know in my response that I was uncomfortable with the notion that they would judge my work value based on a single PDF file but sent that and another copy of the invoice.
On December 14, 2022, the board met and informed me that they had determined the project to be worth 40 hours at my employee rate of $16.45 per hour for a grand total of $658.
My small claims suit is being filed on Monday.
