When to Give it all Away (and when not to)

A lot of artists ask me what they should do about the never ending stream of requests they get from charities and non-profits asking for donations of artwork. Many artists donate artwork time after time, despite the fact that they can only deduct the cost of the materials (not the actual value of the art!) from their taxes, and they usually get little or no recognition from the charity for their donations. Many artists have a hard time determining whether they should donate their artwork, and how much of it they should donate. Here's an easy Decision Making Flow Chart to help professional artists make sound, logical decisions:



One of the most important things I teach in my Art Business and Marketing classes is that if you don't have respect and value for your art, then no one else will, either. If you price an artwork at a thousand dollars and you willingly trade it for ten bucks worth of "exposure," how do you think potential clients will value your art?  Remember, too, that although a charity might be worthwhile, would you want to give them that much money if they were asking you for a cash donation, instead? And would you give away as much cash, and to so many charities, that ask you for donations every year? Part of being successful requires using good business sense and rational thinking. This flow chart will help you with some of it.