how to handle fundraiser requests?

**gypsea** · 02-28-2010, 12:17 PM

while i am all about suporting extremely worthwhile causes, it is very difficult to live on a glass artist and musical artist's earnings and continually experience requests for donations of glass art and musical performances.

i think that in many cases, this results in the artists donating more financial value than the attendees (who are supposed to be at the event to donate/raise funds) ( and who are in a better financial state than said artists) . so yes, i find this frustrating. actually as i type this, eddie is out playing(with no compensation) a silent auction fundraiser that i donated a glass piece to (without compensation).

meanwhile, we have a big stack of bills that are calling our names.

we want to help do all we can, but it gets overwhelming. i wish fundraisers would learn to pay for all the costs of their event, including art, music, food, drink, venue, etc. and then the funds they generate over the actual cost become their actual "funds raised/donated"

so what do all of you do?

**RamblezMarblez** · 02-28-2010, 12:25 PM

I give away all types of glass possesions (sp.) to a point where others feel it's unhealthy and "too cheap" in return for their graditude. Usally I'm one cigar up and people feel obligated to cigar me back even bigger and better than before. In return (because I'm so thankful of the jestor) I give them something that's "no big deal..." and the cycle continues...........Slick

**Bo Diddles** · 02-28-2010, 01:08 PM

The last time I donated, it ended up leading directly to about $260 in sales. A photo of my pendant was put on a community website, a secretary from the place i work saw it, and I was asked to bring in a display for a day... just before Christmas.
I think it's important for the people asking for a donation to ensure as many people as possible see the item and know where to get one. In that case, it's a no brainer - advertising for the cost of a pendant.

**mer** · 02-28-2010, 01:46 PM

charity begins at home.

**JSR Studio** · 02-28-2010, 02:00 PM

i hate when i donate it and they sell it for nothing. i once gave a $50 vase to a charity auction at a craft show i was vending at. by the time the auction started it was later on a sunday and no one was really there, so they started the bidding at .50! nothing worse than hearing your nice vase sell for $1.

**berning** · 02-28-2010, 02:41 PM

i'm always gettin asked to donate. i always have something sitting around that i can donate. i look at it like it's an advertising cost. not only has it brought me new business from individuals , on 2 occasions store owners saw my work and approached about carring my stuff. if i think it'll be a big event and i'll get alot of exposure, i'll make something special .

**NUBBLET** · 02-28-2010, 03:09 PM

yep its all about choosing the right ones to donate to . I have had some turn into crap and selling work for way cheaper than should be , but I have had some turn into great money from collateral sales .

**steven p selchow** · 03-01-2010, 01:06 PM

WE had a kids bowling tournament last month, and to raise money for the club, I donated 5 pendants and 3 prs earrings, half hour of my time, but I have several hundred pendants lying around, so it wasn't a big deal...but Eddie should have been paid for that gig, and if you donate 1 piece, thats not so much, but if they ask for a lot more on top of Eddie playing, thats too much. I don't get called upon that much to donate, a piece for the library in exchange for a pic in the paper is the best advertising I could have got for free(minus the donation) I got several calls about people wanting to come to the studio to see and purchase my work, so for me, it worked out ok. Summer is a coming and hope you still do some displaying at the pier

**Glassroots** · 03-01-2010, 04:51 PM

I just donate shit that i don't like. the stuff that is fine but doesn't meet my approval. other people love it and it helps a good cause. Its a glorified way of disposing of my trash/seconds............

**Racer X** · 03-01-2010, 05:38 PM

1) Is it indeed a fundraiser?

2) If asking for pipes, is the area they are going to legit? Or are we looking at potential fallout with names on a list in the hands of round two of witch hunting?

3) By participating in this fundraiser, would it be damaging to the local artist economy by taking away potential sales of fellow board members?

4) Has the fundraiser any merit in helping glass artists?

Something along those lines would be a place to start I would think. Just sayin'. Not trying to suggest the mods do anything, not suggesting anyones posts aren't legit. Gypsea and I just noticed something, and asked some questions. Because we care.

Go back to your feel good stories about donating. I'm sure the save Aura Lens donatathon will be a great success. Send butt plugs and such.

**slave** · 03-01-2010, 05:53 PM

Those are all good points...

**menty666** · 03-01-2010, 06:15 PM

I kind of have two "buckets" of thought on donations. There are some causes I don't mind donating to at all and do so happily.

Then there are other events where if I donate it's purely selfish because I know it'll be good advertising and help ME later. Whether that skews the karma wheel or not I don't know, but a good deed is a good deed.

**CitizenNot** · 03-01-2010, 07:30 PM

Good advertising is no fun when it gets you a bucket of shit!

**Glassroots** · 03-01-2010, 07:45 PM

there not that shitty, its just stuff that I wouldn't want to sell, still high quality and all though. good point menty

**CitizenNot** · 03-01-2010, 07:50 PM

sorry that post wasn't directed at anyone. just be wise were you choose to donate certain items and their destination as in certain regions of the country

**Glassroots** · 03-01-2010, 08:21 PM

naw ,naw, we cool ( gives you daps )

You can also give gift certificates to the charities your not as enthusiastic about giving to. Nobody ever uses those things

**berning** · 03-01-2010, 08:29 PM

^^^ genius......gift certificates.

**menty666** · 03-01-2010, 09:09 PM

Just be careful with the GC's; different states have different rules on them. For example, unless they changed it, here in MA they're good for up to 7 years from issue regardless of what it says on the back (unless that says longer)

**FiredDesires** · 03-03-2010, 09:49 AM

I get hit up every year by at least a dozen organizations. I try to donate something age, cost & themed appropriate to those I really want to support.
I always make sure to get a receipt as my tax man uses them as charitable donations totals on my taxes each year.

Donations can be something you don't care for but it is still a good item, a gift certificate with an expiration date, a scholarship for glass lessons..or if your just plain tapped out? Just explain that due to costs/economy you limit your donations each year to 3, and sorry they have been filled for the year.

**Racer X** · 03-04-2010, 02:49 PM

Let me use a couple of examples.

American Liberty Museum. Every year they would trot out an auction. It's cause was to teach tolerance through glass art. Now if you got the exposure they claimed it would give you to donate to them, it would be a great opportunity and I would be happy for anyone who achieved what they were promising. But if you were showing work at SOFA, the sale was right before SOFA and normally the amount of glass they would get donated was staggering. Their web page boasted previews of 40 pages ten objects per page. Most of their auction prices benefited the collector far more than establishing a fair market value for the artists work. In fact, the mission statement on their page was to directly connect the artist with the collector. I believed that this was a way to undermine the market established by many of the galleries that have paved the way for glass artists. Whether or not it was a good cause, it seemed to be harmful to 1) My gallery representing me at SOFA 2) The established value of my work in the retail world, thus my bottom line 3) My ethics of donating to causes contrary to what they are preaching. (This being that I suspect they were largely pro-Israely, not that there is anything wrong with that. I just don't want to fund any shenanigans of repressing, combating or supporting global power struggles that are none of my business.)

Over time they sought to give artists a percentage of the fetched auction prices, but still was not enough to sway me to send them works. I now hear that the Liberty Museum is in deep doo-doo with a certain government agency over some discrepancies of how funds over donated works for money have been used and perhaps sold to pay for more personal in nature gains than stated in their mission statement. And taxes were not payed on this as well. Which they will only pursue the tax issue and not the perceived use of artists work for profiting anyone other than the artist.

I find it a disturbing trend to use a fundraiser stated to benefit the visibility of an artist as a selling point to rally to a cause. Glass school auctions however, serve a great function of raising funds for further access to good education and can in turn be beneficial for an artist gaining appreciation for their work. I love to donate to the IFC auction in Jersey. They use the money to provide scholarships to students at Salem Community College. It directly benefits a student of glass by putting cash into their education. It's actually pretty sweet that they do that. And never once did they claim it would help my career. They just asked because it would help a student afford an education in glass.