I have donated several works to non-profit groups and charities in the past. Personally, the act made me feel good that proceeds would go to a charity I know and support. However, professionally, I have never had any patron in the past come to me and say "I saw your work at Charity X. I would love to buy one of your works." Also, there is always the concern that my donated work will auction for a less than what my standard retail price is (devaluing the work, in a sense).
So, now that I have experienced the act of donating art many times before, I seem to have been added to some sort of secret charity donation request list :-). I have recently been contacted by a charity that wants such a donation. However, this is a group that knows me personally (thus, it is more of an honor than being some "random" artist on a call list). Also, it is a group that has hinted at purchasing art work but has not as of yet. So, I am kind of on the fence. I rather not donate artwork. So, how would you phrase a polite reply which gives a valid reasonable professional argument for not making a donation at this time.
Side note: I have found it much more rewarding to occasionally sell an artwork directly to my mailing list/website/social networking channels so that I can give the money directly to the charity of my choice (i.e. local no-kill pet rescue groups).
Ok, I await some very cordial and convincing prose :-)
Thank you
Replies
I annoys me that some promoters not only want the space fee, but some of your work too. I always decline with the exception of one local show where I know its for a good cause.
However, I did shows with one promoter that had those dreaded "door prizes" and asked exhibitors to donate. But she had a twist. She announced what was won and who made it, over the loudspeaker. But I only gave a gift certificate, never the actual work. "Mary Jones has chosen a gift certificate from Chris Hoyt The 'HOUSE NUMBER GUY!' in booth B17" That announcement alone brought people to my booth.
When the customer showed up at my booth she always had friends. She redeemed the cert and usually her friends bought something too. And I always made money off that freebie.
Wow, who knew this would touch so many people ... Perhaps i should have asked for a "donation" as a pre-requisite before replying :-)
Thank you for all the great replies and stories. I totally agree with the K.I.S.S. method -- I need to learn how to be content with being concise (at times I am a bit verbose). Anyway, I also agree with the fact that donating art does not make for a good charitable donation deduction. I sorely learned of this in the past. This is why I now chose my own organizations to support and promote single artworks as being 100%-of-proceeds-going-to-ABC-charity or I just do studio/shows where 10% of all proceeds go to ABC Charity. This way, I (or my company) is the one that gets full credit for the total charitable donation. I know this is not truly benevolent, but I think we can all use a little return on a charitable donation.
I use this one now- I live in an area where the social services are getting squeezed and there aren't many artists - there is a very limited number of potential buyers and I've been told more than once that they only buy from auctions. I started using this after a woman who wanted a donation for something I had no connection to (a guy was hiking with a bling companion and wanted to raise money for the trip-good cause i guess, but it's not curing cancer or feeding the poor) asked me for a donation, and when turned down said "you don't have anything just laying around????"
ggrrrrr
Very frequently I am asked for donations of my art work by all kinds of organizations and worthy special causes. I am honored that people want my artwork but I can not afford to donate to every request since sales of my artwork is my only source of income. In addition most people do not realize that when an artist donates artwork the full value of the artwork is not deductible from their income taxes, only the cost of the materials is deductible such as paint, paper ,etc. I would be glad to sell you or a donor a piece that can then be donated and deducted from your taxes at full market price.
Sincerely,
Sean Huntington
kind of a rude but IM REALLLLLLY SICK of people asking me- I get several a month during fundraising season.
Though the best is a show that asks for a donation of a piece after you've already paid the "increased every year even though the art market is tanking" booth fee
What would you think about donating a gift certificate in lieu of a piece of art? I've often wondered if from an artist's point of view, that might be more palatable. The gift certificate would only be good on your work, and if it doesn't sell (which crazily enough, I've seen happen) you are out nothing. If your GC is sold (even under the value), you are still out only what you "donate", and have the potential for an additional sale.
Best donation story....a jewelry artist friend got a call from someone wanting to know if she could exchange the earrings she'd won in a raffle at a local art show. My friend was baffled because she hadn't even attended this art show, and hadn't donated anything to it. Upon further investigation, it turned out that she'd given the earrings to another "artist" a year or two earlier in a barter deal - she really hadn't wanted to do the trade, but the other person was so insistent, she finally agreed. Turned out, that "artist" used her earrings as a donation at this show. The gall!!!
Yeah I just told the Yacht Club that I no longer donate to silent auctions. Thank you.
I may decide to donate in the future to a worthy cause. If it has to be a piece of my work, I will insist on a reserve price or ask them to purchase it wholesale from me. I'm going to say no unless I feel obligated due to my affiliation with an organization. I had a woman recently tell me that she purchased one of my pieces from a gallery (full retail price) and donated it to a silent auction for an organization she's part of. That was nice that she considered the value and that the organization did not expect me to just give it away.
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