A provocative post in the Huffington Post today is worthy reading: Making the case that caving in to those ceaseless entreaties to donate your art for charity does damage to your bottom line and your marketability:
So: Whaddya think?
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While I used to donate finished paintings to charitable organizations I have started using only one portion of my business for these types of request: Pet Portraits. I typically have a finshed painting example ready to go (framed with a table top easle for display) and pet portrait high gloss card stock fliers that provide details around my portraits. I offer one size for the auction/charity event (the fliers provide details on other sizes available).
What I have found is that this item always pulls in higher bids than the base value - so it's good for the charity. I have personal interaction with the winning bidder as we have to make arrangements for the portrait work and I've received follow up commissions - both from attendees at the auction that were not the winning bids as well as from the winning bidder to have additional portraits made.
It has proven to be a successful charitable donation on multiple levels.
-k-
www.artisrelative.com
I published a book many years ago and I tend to give that to the auctions at shows. I am not expecting anything in terms of future sales but it does get the book in front of people who would not otherwise notice it at a bookstore or even in my booth.
If the auction is for a very good cause I will offer a gift certificate towards a photo of their choice. The person has to go online to my website to use the gift certificate. In doing so, I also get their contact information so that I can later market to them. I usually only do this sort of thing once every couple of years and it has resulted in future sales.
When people pop in your booth, barely even look, then ask for a card, I’m guessing many of them are really trolling for people to hit up with requests. I stopped leaving my card out. (I do leave a schedule out, which does not have my address on it, so if they want my work for themselves, they can find me). That has cut down a lot on the solicitations. You can tell if they are not really interested in the work. You are just a source for a freebie for their cause.
If I sense some interest that might be genuine, before they ask for the card, then I offer to make a sketch of the piece they are interested in. That starts a dialog, which quickly moves to “Yes, I like this, but ...” or something. They get a card and a schedule. The ones who are not really there to buy, but want a card for some other reason, hightail it out of the booth when I offer to make a sketch. It seems to flush them out somehow. (maybe they can tell I’m quick on the draw?)
I wonder if art fairs sell our names at times too. I hope not, but I have suspected it when a barrage of requests shows up shortly after a particular show.
I agree 100% with the article, and think it is totally relevant to this forum. I get hit up several times a year for charity auctions, by both art fairs and other venues. I finally stopped altogether when I realized that the only real effect was the devaluing of my work and/or the embarrassment of not selling at all at these increasingly poorly-attended events. Only once have I made a later, full-price sale to anyone who bought my work or the first time at an auction.
Rather than donate to any auctions, last year I instead donated 1% of festival sales to a cause of my own choosing, the ASPCA. I was able to tell auction charities that I was doing this and would be unable to donate. This year I had to hold off on even that type of donation with the way sales have been, but if/when things pick up I will do it again, and do a better job of publicizing my efforts.
1. Offer the solicitor an invitation to come to your studio to pick up your donation. We have found that many of them had never seen our total body of work, and fully 75% of them acquire a piece of our work for themselves.
2. Only donate work to charities you know and support. Attach a bid for the wholesale value of your work as an opening bid. This insures that your work will not be undervalued, and in the worst case, you have made a charitable contribution and have your work back.
3. Favor those events which you are invited to attend, bring a pocket full of business cards and work the room.
4. Ask for the address of the patron who placed the winning bid, add them to your mailing list.
Here's an article I wrote about art shows asking artists to donate their artwork:
http://www.bermangraphics.com/artshows/auctioning-art.htm
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100