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In an earlier blog, I mentioned that I am donating two paintings to a fundraiser. The fundraiser is for a non-profit gallery called New Visions, in Marshfield, WI. It is affiliated with a very large clinic that is in our area. Donating artwork is an important thing for an artist to do, in my opinion. How can we expect others to give us their hard earned money for our artwork if we aren’t able to see the value in giving our time and skills to good causes? In the previous blog, I mentioned that the theme for this fundraiser is the art of graffiti. My abstract piece with that blog is my impression of graffiti. However, I realize that there will be patrons there who prefer more traditional paintings to bid on, so I included a traditional piece for donation.

Admittedly, this painting is not as detailed as some of my other work in this genre.  When there is no guarantee of significant income from a 50/50 donation, I want to have the painting represent what I do, but I cannot devote the time and energy to an elaborate painting. That is simply not cost effective. Quality is important to me, but it is not necessary to select an image to paint that is very detailed to get quality.

When donating to an organization, artists must feel comfortable with giving of their time and energy. If there will be patrons there who would buy your full-priced pieces, that is great, but that cannot always be the driving force for the choice of donation.

There are many blogs that have outlined what to consider when deciding to donate to a fundraiser. However, if you choose to donate, you should not expect to make the same income from fundraisers as you do from your from traditional sales. Artists need to remember that patrons will be thrilled to receive the winning bid for the donated artwork. These customers may not have the resources to be able purchase your contributed creations at the normal price.  Or, on the other hand, perhaps they do, and will buy other artwork from you at a later date. Above all, please keep in mind that your design delights them, and isn’t that why you create? Having supporters connect to your artwork is how we artists communicate. Of course, it is wonderful for the sponsoring group to get high bids for donated artwork, but sometimes these pieces may go for a fraction of what they normally sell for. The popularity of artwork is hard to predict. At one fundraiser that I attended, a large photo auctioned off for about ten times the amount for which a similarly sized, very detailed watercolor sold. It was not my painting, but I have painting countless watercolor paintings so I know how much work was put into that original piece. The price of framing the piece could not have been covered by the low bid. There is no predicting how art will sell at fundraising auctions.

Do you donate your artwork? What is your process when you donate? Do you split proceeds with the sponsor? Do your provide full donation or maybe receive reimbursement for framing costs? Do you advertise in local papers about your donations? Do you attend the fundraisers and watch your piece be auctioned off? How do you decide which fundraisers to contribute to? Do you paint something new or go through your existing inventory? I send artist-created cards for my thank you cards. Do you send a special card to thank your patrons for their purchase? Do you add their names to your mailing list? I would love to hear what you do when you donate your artwork for good causes.