Posted by David Page on April 25, 2011 at 10:30 PM
I am going to be hanging 5 prints of mine at a local Wellness Clinic. They will be for sale and via email today the owner has asked the question on compensation - he wants to know what I have in mind.
This is a first for me, so I don't have any idea of what I should be giving him. I ask you all what is fair? Do I give him a print of his choice (he does like fine art photography) or do I give a percentage of sales? What percentage?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
He'll hang the print and admire it for years, but the cash will disappear in a day. On small projects like this in support of causes I back, I always go for the long term relationships.
Posted by Arthur Wycoff on April 26, 2011 at 12:38 PM
Perhaps one solution is to donate the prints to the Clinic and attach your business card to each so anyone interested knows where to come to buy a copy. And you might explore the possibility of having this donation be considered a charitable donation so that all would not be lost if you get no buyers. This strategy may not answer the question of percentage of sales if you do, in fact, find this to be a source of multiple sales in the future but you could always leave that as an option for later consideration.
Posted by Alain Briot on April 26, 2011 at 6:08 PM
Hi David,
Personally, in this situation I donate 10% to 20% of the selling price to the institution. I personally do not give my work away for free.
If you're counting on a tax deduction for your charitable contribution, Alain makes the best point. When you donate a photo you can only deduct the cost of materials consumed in producing it.
Posted by David Page on April 27, 2011 at 11:00 AM
Thanks all. This helps a lot. Narrows it down to a few ideas from the many floating around in my head.
More food for thought David, because I think it will "translate" to your setting:
Through our studio we manage significant contributions to our favorite organizations and retain the tax benefits through sponsored portrait shoots. One easy example is "Pet Portraits" for the local shelter, in which we set up a "booth" at one of their events and people sit with their pets for portraits. We collect all the buxx and handle all logistics including distribution. Then we write a check to the shelter for 20% of the gross. They advertise it as a fund raiser, and we get lots of business while they get a sizable check.
In your example, if payments were made to you with the understanding that you were going to write a check back to the Wellness Clinic, all would be happy I think.
I have given the owner of the Wellness Clinic two options:
1. Initial print of his choice and another every 4 sales
2. Or straight commission of 15% for every sale
In addition, I mentioned a combination of the two. I will be discussing finals with him next week when I have the finished prints to show and hang. This a good learning experience for me as I plan on marketing myself locally since my portfolio consists mostly of the San Diego area. Thanks for all the advice - I am sure as time and experience is gained I will alter the aforementioned options to fit each facility in it's own unique way. Thanks
Discussion
7 repliesThis is a first for me, so I don't have any idea of what I should be giving him. I ask you all what is fair? Do I give him a print of his choice (he does like fine art photography) or do I give a percentage of sales? What percentage?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
David
Personally, in this situation I donate 10% to 20% of the selling price to the institution. I personally do not give my work away for free.
I wish you all the best with your show.
Alain
Through our studio we manage significant contributions to our favorite organizations and retain the tax benefits through sponsored portrait shoots. One easy example is "Pet Portraits" for the local shelter, in which we set up a "booth" at one of their events and people sit with their pets for portraits. We collect all the buxx and handle all logistics including distribution. Then we write a check to the shelter for 20% of the gross. They advertise it as a fund raiser, and we get lots of business while they get a sizable check.
In your example, if payments were made to you with the understanding that you were going to write a check back to the Wellness Clinic, all would be happy I think.
I have given the owner of the Wellness Clinic two options:
1. Initial print of his choice and another every 4 sales
2. Or straight commission of 15% for every sale
In addition, I mentioned a combination of the two. I will be discussing finals with him next week when I have the finished prints to show and hang. This a good learning experience for me as I plan on marketing myself locally since my portfolio consists mostly of the San Diego area. Thanks for all the advice - I am sure as time and experience is gained I will alter the aforementioned options to fit each facility in it's own unique way. Thanks
David