All artists are approached by not for profits for donations. The carrot is always-Your Name will be on the program and think of all the good will you will get.
Not.
We have been giving only gift certificates and that does bring people into our gallery so we don’t lose all the way.
What hurts, really, is what the author of the piece said: It devalues us as artists. And the bidders are looking for a bargain.
Yes, even though it’s a fund raiser for an organization that they support they don’t want to give as much as they can, they want to give as little and be rewarded for that behavior.
We were told by someone as they came to pick up a gift certificate that it wasn’t as if we were having to give any money.
Well, to those who hold that same thought: We sell our art for MONEY. It’s how we make a living. It’s our day job. It’s not something we chose to do after retirement.
So, you were wrong. She must have used that line with others because she wasn’t working with that organization the next year and we actually got an apology.
So, we agree wholeheartedly with her suggestion:
Buy our work and you auction it off yourself and encourage your patrons to see it as a chance to raise MORE money, not get a bargain.
Off the soapbox, for now.
Educate Those Who Ask for Donations of Your Art — Art Biz Blog.
Ellison Bay Pottery 