The Co-Op

You helped build this

Make an introduction. Earn 10% of what it becomes.

Every organization PILLAR has worked with came through someone who trusted the work enough to make an introduction. The Co-Op turns that into a system: when you help PILLAR grow, you share in what you helped build. Not as a favor or a side hustle. As a member.

Register a referral →

How it works

  1. You know someone

    An organization that needs creative, communications, or marketing help, and needs it to be good.

  2. You make an introduction

    That is the whole ask. You connect PILLAR with a specific person who has a specific need. You do not pitch, sit in meetings, or write proposals. A one-page reference you can share →

  3. You earn 10%

    If the introduction becomes signed work, you earn 10% of what PILLAR collects on it, paid quarterly. One introduction on a $50,000 project is $5,000.

Three ways in

  1. Outside Referrer

    10% of collected revenue · 12-month window · Quarterly payouts

    Someone outside the organization you are introducing: a friend, a professional contact, someone in an adjacent field. You do not need to know the scope. You need to know a person. One introduction could be worth $1,000 on a small project or $25,000 on a large one. You also get the PILLAR mug, which cannot be purchased, only earned.

  2. PILLAR Family

    10% of collected revenue · 24-month window · Priority staffing · Quarterly payouts

    Contractors accepted into PILLAR's network. You know the work from the inside, and you earn the same 10% on a longer window, 24 months from the agreement date. A $75,000 retainer that renews inside that window is $15,000 total. You are not selling PILLAR; you are connecting people you know with work you have done.

  3. Internal Advocate

    No cash · Career investment

    Someone inside an organization who puts PILLAR's name forward when their organization needs an agency. We do not pay cash for this: paying someone inside an organization to recommend a vendor is a conflict of interest. What we do instead is invest in you: workshops, community access, and priority consideration for contractor roles when they open.

Real numbers

The part most companies would never publish: where every collected dollar goes.

  • 64¢

    Contractor labor. The people doing the work get paid first.

  • 16¢

    Overhead: the tools, insurance, accounting, and legal that keep everything running.

  • 10¢

    Your commission on a referred project.

  • 4¢

    Taxes and reserves.

  • 6¢

    Owner take-home.

On a referred project, you earn a larger share of the profit than the owner keeps after taxes. That is a deliberate choice. The commission comes out of PILLAR's margin, not the organization's budget; they pay the same rate whether a referral was involved or not.

The terms

  1. Commission basis

    10% of the revenue PILLAR collects on the work, as scoped in the signed statement of work. Change orders and additions beyond the original scope are not commissionable.

  2. Quarterly payouts

    Calculated quarterly and paid within 30 days of each quarter's close, after PILLAR has invoiced and been paid. You get paid when we get paid.

  3. Person-to-person referrals

    A referral names a specific contact at a specific organization. It does not create a claim on the organization as a whole.

  4. Five milestones

    Register. Introduce, within 14 days. First conversation, within 60. Active scoping, within 90. Signed work. Each step has a deadline; miss one and the referral expires.

  5. Commission windows

    Outside Referrer: 12 months from the agreement date. PILLAR Family: 24 months. Renewals and extensions of the original scope count inside the window; materially different work needs a new agreement, with PILLAR deciding in good faith.

  6. No exclusivity

    Keep your own relationships and your own professional life.

  7. Mutual non-solicitation

    We protect each other while the work is happening, and release each other when it is done.

  8. No equity

    The Co-Op shares revenue. It is not equity and not a legal stake.

  9. Annual review

    Rates may change for new agreements going forward. Existing agreements keep their original terms. Nothing is retroactive. Either side can exit on 30 days' written notice, and commissions on active work keep paying through the end of the window.

  10. Registration before outreach

    A referral is registered before PILLAR begins any formal outreach to that contact. If PILLAR is already in conversation with that person, the referral does not qualify.

These are the highlights. Download the full terms →

Questions

  • Is this a kickback?

    No. A kickback is hidden pay for steering a decision you have authority over. Here, PILLAR's pricing does not change when a referral is involved, the commission comes out of PILLAR's margin, and nothing is hidden. The cash tiers are for people outside the organization; for people inside one, there is no cash, on purpose.

  • What if I work at the organization I am recommending PILLAR to?

    Then you are an Internal Advocate. Taking money from a vendor you recommend to your employer is a conflict of interest, so we will not put you in that position. We invest in you instead: workshops, community access, and priority consideration for contractor roles.

  • Why is the window 12 months for Outside Referrers?

    Because a large share for a fixed time pays you more than a small share forever. An ongoing commission would have to drop to 2 or 3 percent to work. PILLAR Family gets 24 months because staying in the network helps keep the organization's work with PILLAR.

  • What stops PILLAR from changing the terms?

    Your signed agreement. Its terms apply to every referral you make while it is active; changes apply to new agreements only.

  • How do I know I will get paid?

    Every referral is tracked in a register from introduction to signed contract. Before any introduction you sign a short Co-Op agreement covering commission terms, attribution, payment timing, confidentiality, and termination, and each quarterly payout comes with a statement showing the math.

  • What if the organization does not pay PILLAR?

    You get paid when we get paid. Late payment means a late payout; no payment means no commission on that portion. We cannot pay anyone, including ourselves, on money we have not received.

  • Is there a minimum project size?

    No. A $5,000 project earns $500. A $250,000 project earns $25,000. There is no floor, because nobody should have to wonder whether an introduction is worth it.

  • What if I am not sure PILLAR is the right fit for them?

    Introduce us anyway. You do not need to qualify anything. PILLAR will have the conversation and work out the fit. The worst outcome is a good meeting that does not become a project.

  • What if I disagree with how a referral was attributed?

    Talk to us. The register records who introduced whom and when, and in ambiguous cases PILLAR decides in the member's favor. That bias is written into the terms.

  • What if it does not work out?

    Nothing. No penalty, no awkwardness, and we will appreciate the introduction regardless.

  • Do I need an LLC to take part?

    No. Individuals and businesses both qualify. Receiving the income through an entity may have tax advantages, so ask a tax professional what makes sense for you.

  • Can I be in more than one tier?

    Yes. A contractor in the network who also knows organizations outside their current work earns Outside Referrer commissions on those introductions.

  • What if I referred someone before the Co-Op existed?

    Talk to us. We cannot apply the Co-Op to past introductions as a matter of policy, but this program exists because the people who helped PILLAR grow should share in it. We want to have that conversation.

  • I want to talk about PILLAR to someone but I am not sure how.

    Use the one-page reference sheet, or talk it through with Eddie first. A warm introduction is all it takes; PILLAR handles everything from there.

  • What about the mug?

    The PILLAR mug cannot be purchased. It can only be earned. Every Co-Op member gets one. We will not be taking further questions on this matter.

  • You did not answer my question.

    Sorry about that. Write to hello@pillarcreative.com.

What PILLAR does

Creative, communications, and marketing: branding, messaging, campaigns, PR and earned media, design, web, content, and executive communications coaching. See the work →

You already make these introductions,the Co-Op just means they count

Register a referral →

Questions first? Talk to Eddie → or write to hello@pillarcreative.com