The Co-Op
You helped build this
Every PILLAR client has come through a relationship. The Co-Op formalizes that: when you help PILLAR grow, you earn a share of the revenue you help create.
Register a referral →The origin
Every client PILLAR has ever had started with someone who trusted the work enough to make an introduction. Not through a sales strategy or a marketing funnel; because people kept opening doors. The Co-Op is that truth turned into a system. If PILLAR grows because people believe in it, those people should share in what they are helping build, not as a favor or a side hustle, but as members of something.
How it works
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You know someone
An organization that needs creative, communications, or marketing help. If the creative needs to be exceptional, PILLAR can build a team around it.
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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, attend meetings, or write proposals. Here is a one-page reference you can use and share →
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You earn 10%
If the introduction leads to a signed engagement, you earn 10% of the revenue PILLAR collects on it, paid quarterly. One introduction on a $50,000 project means $5,000.
Three ways in
Outside Referrer
Someone entirely outside the prospective client's organization: a friend, a professional contact, someone in an adjacent field. You do not need to know the scope. You just need to know someone. One introduction could be worth $1,000 on a small project or $25,000 on a major engagement.
You also get the PILLAR mug. It cannot be purchased. It can only be earned. Make of that what you will.
PILLAR Family
The contractors who have been accepted into PILLAR's network. You know what PILLAR is from the inside, and you earn the same 10% as any outside referrer, on a longer 24-month window 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 experienced firsthand. And yes, you get the mug too.
Internal Advocate
Someone inside an organization who knows PILLAR's work and puts PILLAR's name forward when their organization needs an agency. We will not pay you cash for this, and we will be direct about why: paying someone inside an organization to advocate for a specific vendor is a conflict of interest, and we take that line seriously. What we will do is invest in you professionally: workshops, community access, and priority consideration for contractor roles when they open.
You do still get the mug. That is not a kickback. That is just the right thing to do.
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 client's budget; the client pays the same rate whether a referral was involved or not.
The terms
Commission basis. 10% of the revenue PILLAR collects on the engagement, as scoped in the signed statement of work. Change orders and scope creep beyond the original SOW are not commissionable.
Quarterly payouts. Calculated quarterly and paid within 30 days of each quarter's close, after PILLAR has invoiced and received payment. You get paid when we get paid.
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.
Five-step milestones. Register, Introduce (14 days), First Conversation (60 days), Active Scoping (90 days), Signed Engagement. Each step has a deadline; miss a step and the referral expires.
Commission windows. Outside Referrer: 12 months from the agreement date. PILLAR Family: 24 months. Renewals and extensions of the original scope are commissionable inside the window; materially different scopes require a new agreement, with PILLAR making the determination in good faith.
No exclusivity. Maintain your own client relationships and professional activities.
Mutual non-solicitation. We protect each other while the work is happening, and we release each other when it is done.
No equity. The Co-Op is a revenue-sharing arrangement, not equity and not a legal stake.
Annual review. Rates may be adjusted for new agreements going forward. Existing agreements are honored at their original terms. Changes are never retroactive.
Registration before outreach. A referral must be registered before PILLAR begins any formal outreach to that contact. If PILLAR is already in conversation with that person, the referral does not qualify.
Questions
Is this a kickback?
No, and we think it is important to say that directly. A kickback is hidden compensation for steering a decision you have authority over. The Co-Op is none of those things: PILLAR's pricing does not change based on whether a referral was involved, the commission comes out of PILLAR's margin rather than the client's budget, and nothing is hidden. The cash tiers are designed for people outside the prospective client's organization. For people inside one, we deliberately do not offer cash.
What if I work at the organization I'm recommending PILLAR to?
We do not pay people cash for advocating from inside a potential client organization, regardless of role, because receiving money from a vendor you are recommending to your employer is a conflict of interest. We will not put you in that position. What we will do is invest in you professionally: workshops, community access, and priority consideration for PILLAR contractor roles.
Why is the commission window 12 months for Outside Referrers?
We would rather invest in you substantially up front than string you along with a small percentage forever. If the commission were ongoing, we would have to drop it to 2-3% to make the numbers work. We would rather write you one meaningful check than send you small ones indefinitely. For PILLAR Family the window is 24 months, because your ongoing presence in the network contributes to client retention.
What's stopping PILLAR from changing the terms?
Your signed agreement. The terms you agree to apply to any referral you make while that agreement is active. Changes apply to new agreements going forward, never retroactively. Either party can exit with 30 days written notice, and outstanding commissions on active contracts continue to be paid through the end of the window.
How do I know I'll actually get paid?
Every referral is tracked in a register from introduction to signed contract. You will have a simple agreement documenting the terms before any introduction happens, and commissions are calculated quarterly with a statement showing the math. If you have a question, you talk to a person, not a department.
What if the client doesn't pay PILLAR?
You get paid when we get paid. If a client is late, your payout is late. If a client does not pay, there is no commission on that portion. We cannot pay commissions on revenue we have not received, but we also cannot pay contractors or ourselves on it. Everyone is in the same boat.
What if the engagement value changes after signing?
Your commission follows the engagement your introduction created: the scope in the signed statement of work, as PILLAR collects on it. Scope creep and additions beyond the original SOW are not commissionable.
What happens when the client signs a new, separate engagement?
Renewals and extensions of the original scope are commissionable as long as they fall inside your window. Materially different work requires a new agreement, and PILLAR makes that determination in good faith. A new introduction to a different person at a different organization is a new referral with its own commission.
Is there a minimum project size?
No. A $5,000 project earns a $500 commission. A $250,000 engagement earns $25,000. The math scales the same way, and we intentionally did not set a floor because we do not want anyone second-guessing whether an introduction is worth it.
What if I'm not sure PILLAR is the right fit for someone I know?
Make the introduction anyway. You do not need to qualify the lead, diagnose the need, or figure out the scope. PILLAR will have the conversation and determine fit. The worst that happens is a good meeting that does not turn into a project.
What if I disagree with how a referral was attributed?
Talk to us. The referral register tracks who introduced whom and when, and PILLAR resolves disputes with a bias toward the Co-Op member in ambiguous cases. That bias is written into the terms.
What if I refer someone and it doesn't work out?
Nothing happens. No penalty, no awkwardness. If it is not a fit, that is just how it goes, and we will appreciate the introduction regardless.
Do I need to sign something?
Yes. Before any referral is active, you and PILLAR sign a simple Co-Op agreement covering commission terms, attribution, payment timing, confidentiality, and termination. It is short and readable.
Do I need an LLC or business entity to participate?
No. You can participate as an individual, and a business entity works too. There may be tax advantages to receiving Co-Op income through an entity, so talk to a tax professional about what makes sense for you.
Can I participate in more than one tier?
Yes. Someone in PILLAR's contractor network who also knows organizations outside their current work can earn Outside Referrer commissions on those introductions. Different tiers, same person.
What if I referred someone before the Co-Op existed?
Talk to us. We cannot retroactively apply the Co-Op to past introductions as a matter of policy, but we built this program because we believe the people who helped PILLAR grow should share in what they helped build. We want to have that conversation.
I want to talk about PILLAR to someone but I'm not sure how.
We've got you. Download the one-page PILLAR reference sheet, or set up a time with Eddie and talk it through 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 didn't answer my question.
Sorry about that. Reach out directly: eddie@pillargroup.co.
What PILLAR does
Creative, communications, and marketing: branding, messaging strategy, 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 →