If you’ve ever said “I wish someone had told me that sooner,” you’ve already got something valuable to share

The Helia Library Contributor Journey

The Helia Library is full of lived experience, hard-won wisdom, and practical tools. And we’d love to include yours. This page gives you a quick look at what to expect as we co-create your piece, from our first conversation to sharing it with the world (and beyond!).

  • Co-creation options and process

  • Shared amplification

  • Referral Structure

  • FAQs

Questions? Ideas?

Yes please! If anything feels unclear—or you have an idea for a new piece—reach out at jess@theheliacollective.com

Thanks again for being part of this. We’re building something that honors so much of the wisdom we all hold - and wildly excited to do it collectively.

The Process at a Glance

  • We start with a coffee-chat convo → Book an hour with Jess—just a casual, thoughtful chat. We’ll walk through your story and brainstorm what might help someone else who’s where you’ve been. NO PREP needed - interview guides and sample articles below—and we’ll keep it human and flowy. You talk, we listen.

  • We write your article for you → We’ll turn your voice into a clear, structured article. You’ll have full review and approval.

  • We may add voice snippets → Totally optional—but we love adding your voice to the piece. We will schedule a 10-30 minute convo to record reflections that bring your story to life.

  • Publication → We publish it on the Helia Library (launching May 2025!)

  • Shared Amplification → You’ll be published in the Helia Library, featured in our newsletter + LinkedIn, and shared directly with aligned orgs and funders - and we ask you to do the same!

  • You help others connect to support → We’ll include links for both free and paid resources, examples, tools and services in your piece. If a reader hires someone through your piece, Helia asks for a 10% warm referral fee from that provider—keeping the Library free, helpful, and sustainable.

What We're Creating Together

The Library includes three types of contributions:

  • Story Share → Real-life experiences and reflections from mission-driven leaders [Template HERE]

  • Secret Sauce → Practical wisdom and how-to’s on some of the magic that makes you great at what you do [Template HERE]

  • Core Resource → In-depth guides and tools that help others move forward

Each piece includes:

  • Your voice and experience

  • Actionable tools, templates, or tips

  • Connections where folks can turn for more support

Want examples?

Here are a few early pieces:

Sharing the Work

This project is all about reaching the people who need it most. Once your piece is ready, we’ll amplify it together.

Here’s what Helia will do:

  • Publish your article in the Library

  • Share across our LinkedIn, email newsletter, and channels (initially AND ongoing)

  • Directly share your piece (and brilliance! with mission-driven leaders and organizations

And here’s what we ask of you:

  • Share the article on LinkedIn within a week of publishing

  • Include it in your newsletter, on your website, and/or wherever makes sense

  • Always link back to the original Helia Library piece

  • Include our subscribe link so others can find what they need

The Referral Structure

We believe that when your wisdom leads someone to paid work, you should benefit. Our process is simple - just a warm referral fee!

How it works:

  • Your piece will include links to free and paid supports, including your own if you’d like!

  • If someone connects with a paid resource through the Library and ends up hiring them, we ask for a simple 10% referral fee on the first contract

  • Leads are considered active for 12 months

  • For more on how to track and invoice, including a template spreadsheet, please see here.

Tracking

  • You will let us know the mechanism (ex: an email, a submission form, a LinkedIn message) your prospective clients use to inquire about services 

  • Helia will add a note in the Library to “mention Helia” within that mechanism (ex: From Helia” as the subject line of the email/dm, write “Helia” for “how did you hear about us”

  • You will track referred clients’ spending on your services for their first year, starting from the date of purchase of their first service.

Invoicing

  • You will provide a report of clients referred by Helia each quarter, including the total amount each client has spent by the end of that quarter. You’re welcome to use your own spreadsheet format or use our provided template here!

  • Helia will send you an invoice via Bill.com 

  • You will submit payment via that invoice

See here for a copy of the contract

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my piece be behind a paywall?
 No. The Helia Library is free and accessible to all.

Can I make edits?
Absolutely. It’s your voice, your wisdom—you can shape it as much as you'd like (within the overall structure/content/flow we’ve designed).

Can I reuse the article elsewhere?

Of course! We are creating this as a resource and support. Use wherever and however it services - just credit Helia and link back to the original please.

Can I update it later?

Definitely. The Library is built to evolve as you do - reach out any time.

How do we formalize all this?

We’ll send a simple agreement that covers the basics around content sharing and referral fees.

How long does the whole process take?

Typically 2 weeks from our initial conversation to finalizing the piece - and we're flexible/will work with your schedule.