Comments on: Artist Donations: Testing the Limits of Your Love

By: adele steinberg

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 16:42:21 +0000

Nice to hear all these ‘case senarios’ and great solutions…
I too have donated to my fave causes and have had good returns.After donating a painting which sold for $100,(my price),I then got a request for another and decided to make greeting cards,(much cheaper), out of them and last year donated them to the same and they raised the same amount….will try posters this year!!…OH…BTW…I received another order of the same painting from …that’s right…a greeting card!!!..lol
If you want to see it ..go to W.M.A.D….Womenmakingadifferece.com
Making A Differnce

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By: Alyson Stanfield

Tue, 25 Feb 2014 14:26:28 +0000

In reply to Mary Westheimer.

Thank you for sharing this, Mary.

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By: Alyson Stanfield

Tue, 25 Feb 2014 14:25:20 +0000

In reply to Patty Sgrecci.

Patty: I hope that they are rescheduling and I get to come to VT soon.
This sounds like a win-win situation and I hope you’ll let me know how it goes.

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By: Patty Sgrecci

Tue, 25 Feb 2014 12:02:46 +0000

A timely post Alyson. I just received a request from a children’s trust organization. Here’s their pitch: We sell the art by silent auction, with artists setting minimum bids, and a Buy It Now price. In past years we’ve had between 125 and 200 community members attend and achieve art sales of over $20,000 per year. Each participating Artists receives 60% of their sales with the remaining 40% donated to VCTF to benefit our grantee’s programs. I like those parameters and I’m thinking of trying it.
P.S. Sorry you didn’t make it to VT!

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By: Barbara Muir

Sat, 15 Feb 2014 02:37:16 +0000

My experience with donations has not been positive. Either my work was put on auction and sold at far below the minimum fee I set, then not acknowledged anywhere, even in a thank you note, or it was part of a show where the point the whole process was disorganized and unprofessional. An artist I know in Ireland said she went to pick up donated work that hadn’t sold at auction and found it and other pro work stored in a wet, mouldy basement below the gallery. We agreed that donations are not a good plan for artists bent on making a living.
I will have to really think carefully before I donate work again. But I bless the artists who still do make donations of work. I’d rather give money when I have it.

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By: Dan

Fri, 14 Feb 2014 07:23:38 +0000

I really like Daggi Wallace’s advice to donate a coupon. Darn it! Just donated a small painting with gold for private auction at the Catholic school. Ok, next time….

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By: Mary Westheimer

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 16:22:33 +0000

Sculptor Kevin Caron gets approached to donate regularly. As you suggest, Alyson, he has certain charities he donates to. Every request is approached from a perspective of:
1) What is the organization and how does it relate to our target audiences?
2) What are the benefits of donating to this organization?
Benefits may be financial (some auctions do offer a percentage to artists), reaching the right audience, or simply because Kevin supports their cause. He has gotten some excellent exposure from selected events, including a recent one, which resulted in a full-page article about Kevin in a popular local magazine.
One other thing to add to this wonderful thread: you don’t have to donate art work. A local theatre company has auctioned off spending time with Kevin in his studio, which costs us only time. Last year, the third year it has been offered, they sold it three times. Interestingly enough, no one has ever “cashed” their winnings ….
So if you want to support an organization, maybe you can offer a painting lesson or something that does not have out-of-pocket costs.

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By: Betty C. Bowen

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 04:27:06 +0000

I set only two requirements for donating to a local gala I could not attend. 1., tell me the final sale price and 2., tell me who bought it so I could thank them. The first year, this was not done. It was a fairly new event so I decided to give them another chance. I explained my rules. Again, they did not comply, and for the second time I was embarrassed to not be able to thank the purchaser. I no longer donate to this event.

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By: Jean Marie DeSpiegler

Wed, 12 Feb 2014 22:41:00 +0000

The best advice I was given was to donate a gift certificate. Then the ‘winner’ uses it to buy something from you. Usually for more than you gave since they didn’t pay full price anyway. The gift certificate can be tax deducted at full price. Even if they don’t ‘spend’ the whole amount, you get to deduct the entire amount.
Jean Marie

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By: Kathy Crabbe

Wed, 12 Feb 2014 21:11:54 +0000

This is excellent advice and I’m sharing it with my Fan Page!
Thank you Alyson.
Kathy Crabbe, Artist & Creative Soul Guide
http://KathyCrabbe.com

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